Every programmer is familiar with a text editor either as part of an IDE or as a standalone tool. Often you must reedit source code you have recently closed. Rather than use the file chooser by first selecting the Open file menu (a sometimes time-consuming process), you can just click on the file menu and get a list of your last edited files. This list is typically enumerated and sorted with the most recently processed filename at the top.
My “Java Tip 100: Add a History Mechanism to JFileChooser” enhanced the JFileChooser component itself by providing a directory history as well as a file previewer in the form of a JFileChooser accessory. Now we will enhance the File menu in the JFrame’s menubar by providing a history mechanism for filenames.
