private JPanel readSplitter(
      JPanel panel, Element splitterElement, Ref<EditorWindow> currentWindow) {
    final boolean orientation =
        "vertical".equals(splitterElement.getAttributeValue("split-orientation"));
    final float proportion =
        Float.valueOf(splitterElement.getAttributeValue("split-proportion")).floatValue();
    final Element first = splitterElement.getChild("split-first");
    final Element second = splitterElement.getChild("split-second");

    Splitter splitter;
    if (panel == null) {
      panel = new JPanel(new BorderLayout());
      panel.setOpaque(false);
      splitter = new Splitter(orientation, proportion, 0.1f, 0.9f);
      panel.add(splitter, BorderLayout.CENTER);
      splitter.setFirstComponent(readExternalPanel(first, null, currentWindow));
      splitter.setSecondComponent(readExternalPanel(second, null, currentWindow));
    } else if (panel.getComponent(0) instanceof Splitter) {
      splitter = (Splitter) panel.getComponent(0);
      readExternalPanel(first, (JPanel) splitter.getFirstComponent(), currentWindow);
      readExternalPanel(second, (JPanel) splitter.getSecondComponent(), currentWindow);
    } else {
      readExternalPanel(first, panel, currentWindow);
      readExternalPanel(second, panel, currentWindow);
    }
    return panel;
  }