Develop Reference

Keeping Shapes on Screen Help, can't figure out how to keep track of X,Y coordinates

I have tried and tried, I looked up many examples for keeping Shapes on the screen but can't seem to adapt to my code. In Summary, a left click prints a square, a right click prints a circle. I would like to fill the window with squares (rects) and circles. Any help and explanation so I can learn the concept would be great. I understand I have to keep track on the coordinates, perhaps in a loop but can seem to get it to work. Thanks again.
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import java.awt.event.MouseListener;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
public class MouseButtonTester extends JFrame implements MouseListener
{
private int mouseX, mouseY;
private int mouseButton;
private boolean isFirstRun;
private static final int WIDTH = 640;
private static final int HEIGHT = 480;
private static final long serialVersionUID = 0; //use this if you do not like warnings
public MouseButtonTester() //constructor
{
super("Mouse Button Tester");
//set up all variables
mouseX = mouseY = 0;
mouseButton = 0;
isFirstRun = true;
//set up the Frame
setSize(WIDTH,HEIGHT);
setBackground(Color.WHITE);
setVisible(true);
//start trapping for mouse clicks
addMouseListener(this);
}
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e)
{
mouseX=e.getX(); //Tracks x coordinates
mouseY=e.getY(); //Tracker y coordinates
mouseButton = e.getButton(); //gets button number
repaint();
}
public void paint( Graphics window ) // Draws the Window
{
if(isFirstRun)
{
window.setColor(Color.WHITE);
window.fillRect(0,0,WIDTH, HEIGHT);
//change isFirstRun
}
window.setFont(new Font("TAHOMA",Font.BOLD,12));
window.setColor(Color.BLUE);
window.drawString("MOUSE BUTTON TESTER", 420,55);
draw(window);
}
public void draw(Graphics window)
{
if(mouseButton==MouseEvent.BUTTON1) //left mouse button pressed
{
//window.drawString("BUTTON1", 50,200); //debug code
window.setColor(Color.RED);
window.drawRect(mouseX,mouseY,10,10);
}
//right mouse button pressed
{
if (mouseButton == MouseEvent.BUTTON2)
window.setColor(Color.BLUE);
window.drawOval(mouseX,mouseY,10,10);
}
//any other mouse button pressed
{
}
}
public void mouseEntered(MouseEvent e) { }
public void mouseExited(MouseEvent e) { }
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {
}
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e) { }
}
------ Main Method --------------
public class MouseButtonTesterRunner
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{ MouseButtonTester prog = new MouseButtonTester();
}
}

First, start by having a read through:
Performing Custom Painting
Painting in AWT and Swing
So you can get a understanding how painting in Swing works, how you can work with it and your responsibilities when doing so.
Next, have a read through:
How can I set in the midst?
Java JFrame .setSize(x, y) not working?
How to get the EXACT middle of a screen, even when re-sized
Graphics rendering in title bar
for reasons why you should avoid overriding paint of top level containers like JFrame
Finally...
Painting in Swing is destructive, that is, every time your component is painted, you are expected to completely repaint the component state from scratch.
In order to achieve your goal, you will need to maintain a cache of the items you want to paint.
The concept itself it's very difficult, but there might be some "gotchas" along the way
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.Font;
import java.awt.FontMetrics;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Point;
import java.awt.event.MouseAdapter;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
public class Test {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Test();
}
public Test() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
frame.add(new TestPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class TestPane extends JPanel {
private List<Point> circles;
private List<Point> squares;
public TestPane() {
circles = new ArrayList<>();
squares = new ArrayList<>();
addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
#Override
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e) {
if (SwingUtilities.isLeftMouseButton(e)) {
circles.add(e.getPoint());
} else if (SwingUtilities.isRightMouseButton(e)) {
squares.add(e.getPoint());
}
repaint();
}
});
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(200, 200);
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
// I'm picky
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
g2d.setColor(Color.RED);
for (Point p : circles) {
g2d.drawOval(p.x, p.y, 10, 10);
}
g2d.setColor(Color.BLUE);
for (Point p : squares) {
g2d.drawRect(p.x, p.y, 10, 10);
}
g2d.setFont(new Font("TAHOMA", Font.BOLD, 12));
g2d.setColor(Color.BLUE);
FontMetrics fm = g2d.getFontMetrics();
String text = "MOUSE BUTTON TESTER";
int x = getWidth() - fm.stringWidth(text) - 10;
int y = getHeight() - (fm.getAscent() - fm.getHeight()) - 10;
g2d.drawString(text, x, y);
g2d.dispose();
}
}
}

I suggest creating 2 classes.
1) Circle class
2) Square Class
Those classes will store info that you need, like X, y etc..
Initialize an array list that stores those objects & read from it in your paint method, proceed with painting them just like you do in your code.
(On a click event you simply create new object (circle/square) and add it into your array list)

So here's how i understand how your code works so far: The user left clicks, those coordinates are recorded, and a square is rendered on the screen at those coordinates.
When we click the coordinates are updated and on the next draw, the square is moved to a new position.
You were on the right track about needing a loop.
Here's the logic you need to implement:
Create an ArrayList as a member variable. The type can be a pair<int,int> object. So this arraylist will hold a list of X,Y coordinates. This arraylist will look something like this:
ArrayList<pair<int,int>> myRightClickCoords;
Once you make that list, every time the user clicks, record the click coordinates and insert them into the arraylist. That will look something like this:
myRightClickCoords.insert(new pair<int,int>(e.getX(),e.getY()));
Then, once that is added to your code, in your draw function, you can have a look that runs through the entire myRightClickCoords list and runs drawRect for each set of coordinates.
Once you get that working, you can do the same thing for left click and circles. Good luck!

Ball doesn't move; Thread?

This is an UI that makes a ball go down in a diagonal way, but the ball stays static; it seems something is not working adecuatedly with the threads. Could you please, tell me how to make the ball move?
Please download a ball and change the directory so the program can find where your ball is allocated. It's not necessary to download the soccer pitch but if you want, it's OK. Finally, I have to thank you for spending time in search of this malfunctioning.
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Image;
import java.awt.RenderingHints;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.geom.Rectangle2D;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.net.URL;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import java.io.File;
class Animation extends JFrame implements ActionListener { //Frame and listener
Rectangle2D dimensions = new Rectangle2D.Double(0,0,850,595); //Not implemented limits
JButton animate, stop;
Runnable runnable;
Thread move;
public Animation() {
setLayout(new BorderLayout()); //BorderLayout disposition
setTitle("Pelota en acción");
animate = new JButton("Animate it!"); //Button to create balls
animate.setBounds(0,0,120,30);
animate.addActionListener(new ActionListener(){
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
Image ball = null;
new Layout().createEllipse(ball);
runnable = new Layout();
move = new Thread(runnable);
move.start();
}
});
stop = new JButton("Freeze"); //Button to interrupt thread (not implemented)
stop.setBounds(0,0,120,30);
stop.addActionListener(new ActionListener(){
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
move.interrupt();
Layout.running = false;
}
});
JPanel subPanel = new JPanel(); //Layout with its buttons situated to the south
subPanel.add(animate);
subPanel.add(stop);
add(subPanel,BorderLayout.SOUTH);
add(new Layout());
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
Animation ventana = new Animation();
ventana.setSize(850,625);
ventana.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
ventana.setVisible(true);
ventana.setDefaultCloseOperation(EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
}
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {} //Tag
} //Class close
class Layout extends JPanel implements Runnable { //Layout and thread
int X,Y; //Coordenadas
static boolean running = true; //"To interrupt the thread" momentaneously.
static ArrayList<Image> balls = new ArrayList<>(); //Balls collection
#Override
public void run () { //Just moves ball towards Narnia xd
while(running) {
X++; Y++;
System.out.println(X+" "+Y);
repaint();
updateUI();
try {
Thread.sleep(4);
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
}
}
}
#Override
public void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D)g;
g2.addRenderingHints(new RenderingHints(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING, RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON));
repaint();
updateUI();
try {
URL url = new URL("https://www.freejpg.com.ar/image-900/9c/9ca2/F100004898-textura_pasto_verde_linea_de_cal.jpg");
Image picture = ImageIO.read(url);
g.drawImage(picture,0,0,null);
} catch(IOException e){
System.out.println("URL image was not found");
}
finally {
try {
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Image picture = ImageIO.read(new File("C:\\Users\\Home\\Desktop\\Cancha.jpg")); //Pitch
//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
g.drawImage(picture, 0, 0, null);
} catch (IOException ex) {
System.out.println("Pitch image was not found");
}
}
for (Image ball : balls) { //I add balls to the Layout
g2.drawImage(ball,X,Y,100,100,null);
}
}
public void createEllipse (Image ball) { //Method that adds balls to the collection
try {
//-------------------------------------------------------------------- Ball
ball = ImageIO.read(new File("C:\\Users\\Home\\Desktop\\Pelota.png")); //Change this
//-------------------------------------------------------------------- Ball
} catch(IOException ex) {
System.out.println("Any balls were found");
}
balls.add(ball);
}
}

So to break your code down:
When the button is pressed, you execute the following code:
Image ball = null;
new Layout().createEllipse(ball);
runnable = new Layout();
move = new Thread(runnable);
move.start();
This will create a new layout. The run() method of this will increase the X and Y variables. They are declared here:
int X,Y; //Coordenadas
Those are instance variables, this means they belong to your newly created Layout.
Then you call repaint() on the new Layout, which will do nothing, because this new Layout has not been added to some window.
So, how do you fix this?
First, you have to keep the original Layout around:
class Animation extends JFrame { // no need to implement ActionListener
Rectangle2D dimensions = new Rectangle2D.Double(0,0,850,595); //Not implemented limits
JButton animate, stop;
Thread move;
Layout layout;
Then remember the Layout when you create it:
// before: add(new Layout());
layout = new Layout();
add(layout);
Then use the layout in your ActionListener:
layout.createEllipse(ball);
move = new Thread(layout);
move.start();
This might have some problems with concurrency (Swing is not thread-safe), so for good measure, you should call repaint() in the AWTEventThread:
// in run(), was repaint():
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
repaint();
}
});
Now, there are some cleanup tasks left:
Delete this code:
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {} //Tag
It's no longer needed, because you don't implement ActionListener.
Drop the static modifiers from some fields, and add volatile:
volatile int X,Y; //Coordenadas
volatile boolean running = true; //"To interrupt the thread" momentaneously.
ArrayList<Image> balls = new ArrayList<>(); //Balls collection
volatile is needed for variables that are accessed from more than one thread.
Also remove repaint() and resetUI() from the paint method. You don't need them.
For the pictures in paint: you should cache them. Store them in a field, so you don't have to load the picture every time.
When all this is done, your code is much cleaner, but there are still some warts that should be addressed. But at least you have something working.

Johannes has already spoken about many of the things which are wrong with your original example, so I won't go over many of them again.
This example makes use of a Swing Timer instead of a Thread as the main "animation" loop. It also focuses on demonstrating encapsulation and responsibility.
For example, the AnimtionPane is responsible for managing the balls, managing the animation loop and paint. It isn't, however, responsible for determining "how" the balls are updated or paint, it only provides the timing and functionality to make those things happen.
A couple of the glaring issues I can see are:
Trying to load resources from within the paintComponent method. This is a bad ideas, as it could slow you paint pass down, causing your UI to lag
Calling repaint and updateUI from within the paintComponent method. You should avoid causing any new updates to the UI from occurring during a paint process. This could cause your program to run wide and consume all the CPU cycles, not only making your app non-responsive, but also the whole system.
Some very quick points
Swing is not thread safe. You should never update the UI (or anything the UI relies on) from outside the context of the Event Dispatching Thread. This example uses a Swing Timer as it allows the delay to occur of the EDT (and not block the UI), but it's updates are triggered within the EDT, allowing us to safely update the UI from within
You create multiple instances of Layout, meaning that the one on the screen isn't the one which is been updated
Your "freeze" logic is broken. It will never "freeze" anything
Runnable example
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Point;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import java.awt.RenderingHints;
import java.awt.Shape;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.geom.Ellipse2D;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Random;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.Timer;
public class Test {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Test();
}
public Test() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
frame.add(new TestPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class TestPane extends JPanel {
private AnimationPane animationPane;
public TestPane() {
setLayout(new BorderLayout());
animationPane = new AnimationPane();
JButton actionButton = new JButton("Start");
actionButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent evt) {
if (animationPane.isAnimating()) {
animationPane.stop();
actionButton.setText("Start");
} else {
animationPane.start();
actionButton.setText("Stop");
}
}
});
add(animationPane);
add(actionButton, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
}
}
// This is just makes it seem more random ;)
private static Random RANDOM = new Random();
public class Ball {
private int x;
private int y;
private int xDelta;
private int yDelta;
private Color color;
private Shape shape;
public Ball(Color color) {
shape = new Ellipse2D.Double(0, 0, 10, 10);
this.color = color;
// Get some random motion
do {
xDelta = RANDOM.nextInt(6) + 2;
yDelta = RANDOM.nextInt(6) + 2;
} while (xDelta == yDelta);
}
public void update(Rectangle bounds) {
x += xDelta;
y += yDelta;
if (x + 10 > bounds.x + bounds.width) {
x = bounds.x + bounds.width - 10;
xDelta *= -1;
} else if (x < bounds.x) {
x = bounds.x;
xDelta *= -1;
}
if (y + 10 > bounds.y + bounds.height) {
y = bounds.y + bounds.height - 10;
yDelta *= -1;
} else if (y < bounds.y) {
y = bounds.y;
yDelta *= -1;
}
}
public void paint(Graphics2D g2d) {
// This makes it easier to restore the graphics context
// back to it's original state
Graphics2D copy = (Graphics2D) g2d.create();
copy.setColor(color);
copy.translate(x, y);
copy.fill(shape);
// Don't need the copy any more, get rid of it
copy.dispose();
}
}
public class AnimationPane extends JPanel {
// This does not need to be static
private List<Ball> balls = new ArrayList<>(); //Balls collection
private Timer timer;
private List<Color> colors;
public AnimationPane() {
colors = new ArrayList<>(8);
colors.add(Color.RED);
colors.add(Color.GREEN);
colors.add(Color.BLUE);
colors.add(Color.CYAN);
colors.add(Color.MAGENTA);
colors.add(Color.ORANGE);
colors.add(Color.PINK);
colors.add(Color.YELLOW);
timer = new Timer(40, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent evt) {
if (RANDOM.nextBoolean()) {
makeBall();
}
Rectangle bounds = new Rectangle(new Point(0, 0), getSize());
for (Ball ball : balls) {
ball.update(bounds);
}
repaint();
}
});
makeBall();
}
protected void makeBall() {
Collections.shuffle(colors);
balls.add(new Ball(colors.get(0)));
}
public boolean isAnimating() {
return timer.isRunning();
}
public void start() {
timer.start();
}
public void stop() {
timer.stop();
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(200, 200);
}
#Override
public void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g.create();
g2.addRenderingHints(new RenderingHints(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING, RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON));
// Bad ideas. Repaint will cause a new paint event to be posted, causing your
// UI to run away - consuming all your CPU cycles in a singulator forms
// and destorys the known universe
//repaint();
// This doesn't do what you think it does and there shouldn't be
// reason for you to call it
//updateUI();
// This is a bad idea as it could cause the paint cycles to slow down
// destorying the responsiveness of your app
// Besids, you should be passing this as the ImageObserver
// try {
// URL url = new URL("https://www.freejpg.com.ar/image-900/9c/9ca2/F100004898-textura_pasto_verde_linea_de_cal.jpg");
// Image picture = ImageIO.read(url);
// g.drawImage(picture, 0, 0, null);
// } catch (IOException e) {
// System.out.println("URL image was not found");
// } finally {
// try {
// //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// Image picture = ImageIO.read(new File("C:\\Users\\Home\\Desktop\\Cancha.jpg")); //Pitch
// //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
// g.drawImage(picture, 0, 0, null);
// } catch (IOException ex) {
// System.out.println("Pitch image was not found");
// }
// }
// This is "bad" per say, but each ball should have it's own
// concept of location
// for (Image ball : balls) { //I add balls to the Layout
// g2.drawImage(ball, X, Y, 100, 100, null);
// }
for (Ball ball : balls) {
ball.paint(g2);
}
// I made a copy of the graphics context, as this is shared
// with all the other components been painted, changing the
// render hints could cause issues
g2.dispose();
}
}
}

Moving an image to the position of the cursor where is clicked on a JFrame

i need some help here with an exercise of my Java class. What i'm trying to do is that when i click on any part of the JFrame, an image moves closer to the pointer. Right now i have done the part that once i click on the JFrame the image is in the same position as the pointer but it does like it's "teleporting" and i'm trying to make it more like a constant movement to the pointer position.
So far this is my code i have atm:
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
public class ControlaRaton extends MouseAdapter {
JLabel label;
public ControlaRaton(JLabel label){
this.label = label;
}
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent evt){
Point pos = evt.getPoint();
System.out.println(pos.x+" "+pos.y);
//System.out.println("Boton: "+evt.getButton());
label.setLocation(pos.x-20,pos.y-50);
}
}
Any ideas on how to do it that way? I was thinking maybe using a Thread but i don't know exactly how to implement it here :s

This is pretty simple approach, basically all this does is uses a Swing Timer to move an entity towards the last known click point
Have a look at
Concurrency in Swing
How to use Swing Timers
How to Write a Mouse Listener
for more details
Swing is NOT thread safe, when performing these types of operations, it's important to take this into consideration. The Swing API provides several ways to work threads, in this case, I've used a simple Timer as it generates updates at a regular interval and triggers updates from within the EDT, making it safe to update the UI from within
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Point;
import java.awt.RenderingHints;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.event.MouseAdapter;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.geom.AffineTransform;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.Timer;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class MoveTowards {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new MoveTowards();
}
public MoveTowards() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(new MoveTowardsPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
class MoveTowardsPane extends JPanel {
private final BufferedImage image;
private Point imagePosition = new Point(150, 150);
private Point mousePoint;
private double imageAngleRad = 0;
public MoveTowardsPane() {
BufferedImage i = null;
try {
i = ImageIO.read(getClass().getResource("/sprite.png"));
} catch (IOException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
image = i;
addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
#Override
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) {
mousePoint = e.getPoint();
double dx = e.getX() - imagePosition.getX();
double dy = e.getY() - imagePosition.getY();
imageAngleRad = Math.atan2(dy, dx);
repaint();
}
});
Timer timer = new Timer(40, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if (mousePoint != null) {
int centerX = imagePosition.x + (image.getWidth() / 2);
int centerY = imagePosition.y + (image.getHeight() / 2);
if (mousePoint.x != centerX) {
imagePosition.x += mousePoint.x < centerX ? -1 : 1;
}
if (mousePoint.y != centerY) {
imagePosition.y += mousePoint.y < centerY ? -1 : 1;
}
repaint();
}
}
});
timer.start();
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(400, 400);
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics gr) {
super.paintComponent(gr);
Graphics2D g = (Graphics2D) gr.create();
g.setRenderingHint(
RenderingHints.KEY_RENDERING,
RenderingHints.VALUE_RENDER_QUALITY);
int cx = image.getWidth() / 2;
int cy = image.getHeight() / 2;
AffineTransform oldAT = g.getTransform();
g.translate(cx + imagePosition.x, cy + imagePosition.y);
g.rotate(imageAngleRad);
g.translate(-cx, -cy);
g.drawImage(image, 0, 0, null);
g.setTransform(oldAT);
g.dispose();
}
}
}
Why doesn't this use a JLabel? A lot of reasons, JLabel isn't really well fitted for the task, as it needs to take into account a lot of other information. This example also "turns" the sprite towards the click point, something which isn't easily achieved with a JLabel.
In principle, the theory is still the same for moving a component.
See
Painting in AWT and Swing
Performing Custom Painting
for more details about how this approach works

Redraw your circle on mouse move
void mouseMoved(MouseEvent evt){
Point pos = evt.getPoint();
System.out.println(pos.x+" "+pos.y);
//System.out.println("Boton: "+evt.getButton());
label.setLocation(pos.x-20,pos.y-50);
}
});

If you want to move the label just a bit with each click you could do the following:
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent evt){
Point clickedPos = evt.getPoint();
Point newPosForLabel = calculateNewPos(clickedPos, labelPos);
label.setLocation(newPosForLabel);
}
private Point calculateNewPos(Point clickedPos, Point labelPos) {
// calculate newPos based on labelPos and clickedPos
return newPos;
}
else use the timer from Hannes or from the link given by MadProgrammer:

How to move graphics based on input from arrow keys? [duplicate]

I'm trying to make a program in java that involves making an object move constantly from a single key press. Think Pacman, where you press up once and Pacman continues to go up until you press another key. I want to keep the code simple if possible. My original movement (one keypress = one movement) is like this:
public class AL extends KeyAdapter {
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e){
int keyCode = e.getKeyCode();
if(keyCode == e.VK_A){
x -= 5;
}
if(keyCode == e.VK_D){
x += 5;
}
if(keyCode == e.VK_W){
y -= 5;
}
if(keyCode == e.VK_S){
y += 5;
}
}
The x and y in values are the position of an oval. This works perfectly, but I want it to keep moving after I press the key only once, instead of having to hold it to keep the movement going. I tried a while loop with a boolean parameter that moves while true and doesn't while false, but as soon as I activate the loop, it freezes the program. Here's an example of that bit of code:
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e){
int keyCode = e.getKeyCode();
if(keyCode == e.VK_LEFT && moveL==false){
moveL=true;
moveR=false;
moveU=false;
moveD=false;
while(moveL){
x--;
}
}
Please help me figure this out, I've been trying and looking around for days now. I appreciate any help you guys can give. Thanks.

The basic concept revolves around this idea of a "delta" or "change" value. This value is then applied to the state you want to change by either incrementing or decrementing the state value by it.
Because of the nature of Swing, you can't block the Event Dispatching Thread, otherwise you end up preventing from processing incoming events (such as paint and key events).
Equally, you should never try and update any UI component (or state variable that might effect the UI) from any thread other then the EDT.
While there are tricks you can apply to facilitate these requirements, the simplest is to use a javax.swing.Timer, which triggers a actionPerformed event on a regular bases within the EDT.
When this occurs you "update" all the elements by the prescribed amount and repaint the screen.
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
import java.awt.geom.AffineTransform;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import javax.swing.AbstractAction;
import javax.swing.ActionMap;
import javax.swing.InputMap;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.KeyStroke;
import javax.swing.Timer;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class PacManTest {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new PacManTest();
}
public PacManTest() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Test");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
frame.add(new MazePane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class PacMan {
private int x;
private int y;
private int deltaX;
private int deltaY;
private BufferedImage sprite;
public PacMan() {
try {
sprite = ImageIO.read(new File("PacMan.png"));
} catch (IOException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
}
public void move(int x, int y) {
deltaX = x;
deltaY = y;
}
public void update(MazePane pane) {
x += deltaX;
y += deltaY;
if (x + sprite.getWidth() > pane.getWidth()) {
x = pane.getWidth() - sprite.getWidth();
} else if (x < 0) {
x = 0;
}
if (y + sprite.getHeight() > pane.getHeight()) {
y = pane.getHeight() - sprite.getHeight();
} else if (y < 0) {
y = 0;
}
}
public void paint(MazePane pane, Graphics2D g2d) {
Graphics2D g = (Graphics2D) g2d.create();
float angle = 0;
if (deltaX != 0) {
angle = deltaX > 0 ? 0 : 180;
} else if (deltaY != 0) {
angle = deltaY > 0 ? 90 : 270;
}
AffineTransform t = new AffineTransform();
t.translate(x, y);
t.rotate(Math.toRadians(angle), sprite.getWidth() / 2, sprite.getHeight() / 2);
g.setTransform(t);
g.drawImage(sprite, 0, 0, pane);
g.dispose();
}
}
public class MazePane extends JPanel {
private PacMan pacMan;
public MazePane() {
pacMan = new PacMan();
Timer timer = new Timer(40, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
pacMan.update(MazePane.this);
repaint();
}
});
timer.start();
InputMap im = getInputMap(WHEN_IN_FOCUSED_WINDOW);
ActionMap am = getActionMap();
im.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_LEFT, 0), "left");
im.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT, 0), "right");
im.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_UP, 0), "up");
im.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_DOWN, 0), "down");
am.put("left", new MoveAction(pacMan, -4, 0));
am.put("right", new MoveAction(pacMan, 4, 0));
am.put("up", new MoveAction(pacMan, 0, -4));
am.put("down", new MoveAction(pacMan, 0, 4));
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(200, 200);
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
pacMan.paint(this, g2d);
g2d.dispose();
}
public class MoveAction extends AbstractAction {
private int deltaX;
private int deltaY;
private PacMan pacMan;
public MoveAction(PacMan pacMan, int deltaX, int deltaY) {
this.deltaX = deltaX;
this.deltaY = deltaY;
this.pacMan = pacMan;
}
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
pacMan.move(deltaX, deltaY);
}
}
}
}
I would also recommend that you take the time to learn about Key Bindings, KeyListener suffer from focus issues, which key bindings are capable of addressing...

You need to process the move in a separate thread. I.e.:
public class Pacman implements Runnable
{
public void run(){
//moving code, i.e. in a while loop
//every move will notify the EDT:
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable(){
public void run(){
//update the Swing here - i.e. move Pacman
}
}
}
public void startMoving(){
new Thread(this).start();
}
//more methods to set speed, direction, etc...
}
Then you keep a reference to an instance of Pacman class in your Gui class and respond to various key presses by changing pacman's parameters:
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e){
int keyCode = e.getKeyCode();
if(keyCode == e.VK_LEFT){
pacman.newDirection(LEFT); //for exmaple, enum with direction LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN...
}
//etc... more logic
}

Java Paint() issues

first post here ever so forgive me if I am totally ignorant of all the rules.
I have some issues, I am relatively new to Java and have read and got some help from this community before.
I am having issues at the moment paint multiple balls on a JFrame, I have some solutions from other students but to no success. One student has got it working now but by painting everything within the Frame class which I don't feel is correct and putting repaint() within paint() which also feels wrong. if anyone could point me in the right direction I would be extremely appreciative.
Daniel
Code:
Gamejava
/*
* To change this template, choose Tools | Templates
* and open the template in the editor.
*/
package myanimie;
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.event.MouseAdapter;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JOptionPane;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
/**
*
* #author Dan
*/
public class Game extends JFrame implements Runnable {
private Ball myBall = new Ball();
private Paddle myPad = new Paddle();
final JPanel jp = new JPanel();
final JPanel jp1 = new JPanel();
final JPanel jp2 = new JPanel();
public Game()
{
setVisible(true);
setResizable(false);
setTitle("First Test Animation");
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
setAlwaysOnTop(true);
setSize(640,480);
}
public void run()
{
move();
}
public void paint(Graphics g)
{
super.paint(g);
myBall.paint(g);
}
public void move()
{
myBall.start();
repaint();
try
{
Thread.sleep(50);
}
catch (InterruptedException e)
{
System.exit(0);
}
}
}
Ball.java
/*
* To change this template, choose Tools | Templates
* and open the template in the editor.
*/
package myanimie;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Point;
import java.awt.geom.Ellipse2D;
/**
*
* #author Dan
*/
public class Ball extends Thread {
Point pos;
Color ballColor = Color.red;
Color[] ts = {Color.CYAN,Color.green,Color.black};
private int yChange = 2;
private int xChange = 1;
public Ball()
{
pos = new Point();
pos.x = (int)(Math.random() * (500 - 100)) + 10 ;
pos.y = (int)(Math.random() * (500/2 - 100)) + 10;
}
#Override
public void run()
{
while(true)
{
move();
}
}
public void paint(Graphics g)
{
g.setColor(ballColor);
g.fillOval(pos.x - 10, pos.y - 10, 60,60);
}
public void move()
{
// System.out.println("y " + pos.y);
// System.out.println("x " + pos.x);
if(pos.y < 20)
{
yChange = -yChange;
System.out.println("T");
ballColor = Color.BLUE;
}
if(pos.x < 20)
{
xChange = -xChange;
System.out.println("L");
ballColor = Color.MAGENTA;
}
if(pos.x > 620 - 20)
{
xChange = -xChange;
System.out.println("R");
ballColor = Color.GREEN;
}
if(pos.y > 430 - 20)
{
yChange = -yChange;
System.out.println("B");
ballColor = Color.PINK;
}
if(pos.y < 640 - 20)
{
pos.translate(xChange, yChange);
}
if(pos.x < 480 - 20 || pos.x > 460)
{
pos.translate(xChange, yChange);
}
}
public Point getPosition()
{
return pos;
}
public Ellipse2D area()
{
return new Ellipse2D.Double(pos.x, pos.y,60,60);
}
}
This is my terrible code, I have gotten around the errors but no animation atm.
Thanks guys!! your insight is invaluable

"and putting repaint() within paint()" sounds dangerous!
repaint() method causes a call to this component's paint method as soon as possible.
You may elaborate how you are trying to draw "multiple" balls on the frame. If nothing special, your answer may be here

OK some general observations based on the code you posted.
You need to throttle your move() method so that it's not updating millions of times per second. I see you have a Thread.sleep() in your Game.move method. I think what you were trying to do was something like this:
public void run() {
while(true) {
//change the game state
move();
//draw the changes to the state that I just made
repaint();
//wait before moving to the next "frame"
try {
Thread.sleep(50);
} catch ( InterruptedException ie ) {
}
}
}
private void move() {
myBall.move();
}
Since Ball.move() won't loop anymore, don't have Ball extend Thread at all. Get rid of the run() method. Your main game loop will be managed centrally by Game.
From your main method or whoever starts the game running, call Game.run() either in that thread or in a new thread like this:
public void main(String[] args) {
Game game /* = new Game(...)*/;
Thread gameThread = new Thread(game);
gameThread.start();
}
Is there a good reason for getPosition() to exist? This is probably better off as encapsulated state.

Yes it is indeed very bad practice. Calling repaint() in paint() will cause a StackOverflow Error.
Take a look at the game engine Bonsai from Ivo Wetzel. I like it a lot.
And indeed: You should create a JComponent which overrides the paintComponent(Graphics g) method. Add that JComponent to the JFrame. But you don't have to care about this. This will do the Bonsai game engine automatically.