How do I embed output window tab to another component?

You have to create IOContainer which provides access (for IOProvider) to your component where you want to embed OW tab (IO tab). Then you need to pass IOContainer instance to IOProvider.getIO(String name, Action actions, IOContainer ioContainer). IOContainer is created by IOContainer.create(IOContainer.Provider). The following code demonstrates how to add OW to custom TopComponent.:

    IOContainer ioc = IOContainer.create(new IOC());
    InputOutput io = IOProvider.getDefault().getIO("test", new Action[0], ioc);
    io.getOut().println("Hi there");
    io.select();

    // implement IOContainer.Provider in TopComponent where OW tab will be added
    class IOC extends TopComponent implements IOContainer.Provider {
        JComponent ioComp;
        CallBacks ioCb;

        public IOC() {
            setLayout(new BorderLayout());
            setDisplayName("Test");
        }

        @Override
        public int getPersistenceType() {
            return PERSISTENCE_NEVER;
        }

        public void add(JComponent comp, CallBacks cb) {
            if (ioComp != null) {
                remove(ioComp);
                if (ioCb != null) {
                    ioCb.closed();
                }
            }
            ioComp = comp;
            ioCb = cb;
            add(comp);
            validate();
        }

        public JComponent getSelected() {
            return ioComp;
        }

        boolean activated;
        public boolean isActivated() {
            return activated;
        }

        @Override
        protected void componentActivated() {
            super.componentActivated();
            activated = true;
            if (ioCb != null) {
                ioCb.activated();
            }
        }

        @Override
        protected void componentDeactivated() {
            super.componentDeactivated();
            activated = false;
            if (ioCb != null) {
                ioCb.deactivated();
            }
        }

        public boolean isCloseable(JComponent comp) {
            return false;
        }

        public void remove(JComponent comp) {
            if (comp == ioComp) {
                ioComp = null;
                ioCb = null;
            }
        }

        public void select(JComponent comp) {
        }

        public void setIcon(JComponent comp, Icon icon) {
        }

        public void setTitle(JComponent comp, String name) {
        }

        public void setToolTipText(JComponent comp, String text) {
        }

        public void setToolbarActions(JComponent comp, Action[] toolbarActions) {
        }
    }

Applies to: NetBeans 6.7

Apache NetBeans 23

How do I embed output window tab to another component?