I'm using what seems to be a typical JavaFX start() method when loading from an FXML file: public void start(Stage stage) throws Exception { this.stage = stage; Scene scene = new Scene(FXMLLoader.<AnchorPane>load(getClass().getResource("layout.fxml"))); stage.setScene(scene); stage.show(); } I have some variables that correspond to controls, like: @FXML private TextField userName; I would like to