Swing mode is the default mode for Console UI applications. If you write a Console UI program, generate it, and run the generated Java™ source without making any other changes, the resulting program runs in Swing mode. A Console UI application running in Swing mode uses Java Swing libraries to simulate a UNIX interface like that of Curses mode.
Curses mode is similar to Swing mode, but Curses mode is intended for users who use telnet to access a UNIX system or who use a terminal device.
To use Curses mode you must add the EGL Curses library to your project and then run the application in the same way as you would run it in Swing mode. After you have added the EGL Curses library to your project, Curses mode becomes the default mode for running Console UI applications. If you run the generated Java output from a Console UI program, that program runs in Curses mode.
For information on how to install the EGL Curses library, see Installing the EGL runtime code for Java.
Rich client platform (RCP) mode is similar to Swing mode, except that in RCP mode, EGL applications use SWT libraries instead of Swing libraries. The resulting application has graphical user interface fields (like fields in a web page form or in a wizard in the Eclipse workbench) in place of the character-based fields. Also, RCP applications have mouse functionality and enhanced keyboard functionality, enabling you to copy and paste text between fields. Finally, RCP mode supports enhanced UI components, or widgets, that the other modes do not, such as drop-down boxes, check boxes, and clickable buttons.
The other modes do not support these widgets, which means that you can run an application designed for another mode in RCP mode, but you can generally not run an application designed for RCP mode in another mode.
Formatting masks are not supported in RCP mode.