Develop Reference

Cannot locate cause of nullpointer when using .getWidth()

I have a hard time locating why I am returned a nullpointer on this piece of code:
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
public class Move {
private static final int DIAMETER = 30;
int x = 0;
int y = 0;
int x_1 = 1;
int y_1 = 1;
private GameStart game;
public void Ball(GameStart game) {
this.game = game;
}
void moveBall() {
if (x + x_1 < 0) {
x_1 = 1;
}
if (x + x_1 > game.getWidth() - DIAMETER) {
x_1 = -1;
}
if (y + y_1 < 0) {
y_1 = 1;
}
if (y + y_1 > game.getHeight() - DIAMETER) {
game.gameOver();
}
if (collision()) {
y_1 = -1;
y = game.racquet.getTopY() - DIAMETER;
}
x = x + x_1;
y = y + y_1;
}
private boolean collision() {
return game.racquet.getBounds().intersects(getBounds());
}
public void paint(Graphics2D g) {
g.fillOval(x, y, 30, 30);
}
public Rectangle getBounds() {
return new Rectangle(x, y, DIAMETER, DIAMETER);
}
}
And the GameStart class is here:
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JOptionPane;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.RenderingHints;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
#SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class GameStart extends JPanel {
Move move_ball = new Move();
Racquet racquet = new Racquet(this);
public GameStart() {
addKeyListener(new MyKeyListener() {
public void keyTyped(KeyEvent e) {
}
public void keyReleased(KeyEvent e) {
racquet.keyReleased(e);
}
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e) {
racquet.keyPressed(e);
}
});
setFocusable(true);
}
private void move() {
move_ball.moveBall();
racquet.move();
}
public void paint(Graphics g) {
super.paint(g);
Graphics2D graphics = (Graphics2D) g;
graphics.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING,
RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON);
move_ball.paint(graphics);
racquet.paint(graphics);
}
public void gameOver() {
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(this, "Spil slut", "Du tabte", JOptionPane.YES_NO_OPTION);
System.exit(ABORT);
}
public static void main (String[] args) throws InterruptedException {
JFrame mainWindow = new JFrame("Matematikken");
GameStart game = new GameStart();
mainWindow.add(game);
mainWindow.setSize(300, 400);
mainWindow.setVisible(true);
mainWindow.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
while (true) {
game.move();
game.repaint();
Thread.sleep(10);
}
}
}
I am getting a nullpointer on the line if (x + x_1 > game.getWidth() - DIAMETER) {. I am using .getWidth() in the samme manner in another class and it Works fine - but for some reason it wont in this. I've tried printing the result but that is just another nullpointer. I know i am missing something but I cannot locate it.

You are not calling
public void Ball(GameStart game) {
this.game = game;
}
That's why in your Move class, GameStart is still null.

Seems like you wanted that method
public void Ball(GameStart game) { this.game = game; }
to actually be a constructor:
public Move(GameStart game) { this.game = game; }
And then, you must use this constructor (as there is no no-arg constructor anymore) when instantiating a Move:
Move move_ball = new Move(this);

You have not yet set the member variable game of the instance move_ball of the type Move to a value so it is null and therefore throws a NullPointerException.
You'll want to instantiate this member variable, for example by calling move_ball.Ball(<some Game instance>).
Also, please don't let methods which are not constructors start with a capital and please use camelCase throughout instead of switching between name formatting. It makes your code hard to read.

You do not pass GameStart to Move via your Ball method. It is very misleading name. It should be setGame or something else.

You should make a constructor for the Move class, which takes the game as a parameter, and store that parameter in a variable within the class.
Example:
Public Move(GameStart mygame){
game = mygame;
}
This should allow you to use the methods of the game from which you are creating the move. It will basically replace the "Ball" method you have.

Creating animated text that loops on itself

I'm trying to make a news ticker type thing where a string is entered and inside of a JPanel the text is looped.
I know it moves currently at about 90 pixels a second and that there is about 16 pixels per char in this font. So what I am asking is how I can use this information to make it so that after a timer runs for a certain time, a new animated text is spawned, and how after the 1st animated text leaves the screen completely, how to delete it from the memory.
This is what I got so far, the code is borrowed heavily from here : Java Animate JLabel, So also if you see any unneeded code in there, let me know.
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Font;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import java.awt.RenderingHints;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.util.EnumMap;
import javax.swing.*;
#SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class AnimateExample extends JPanel {
private static final int TIMER_DELAY = 20;
private static final String KEY_DOWN = "key down";
public static final int TRANSLATE_SCALE =2;
private static final Font BG_STRING_FONT = new Font(Font.SANS_SERIF,
Font.BOLD, 32);
private EnumMap<Direction, Boolean> dirMap =
new EnumMap<AnimateExample.Direction, Boolean>(Direction.class);
private BufferedImage image = null;
private int posX = 100;
private int posY = 50;
Timer t;
public AnimateExample() {
for (Direction dir : Direction.values()) {
dirMap.put(dir, Boolean.TRUE);
}
t = new Timer(TIMER_DELAY, new TimerListener());
t.start();
ActionMap actionMap = getActionMap();
for (final Direction dir : Direction.values()) {
actionMap.put(dir.Left + KEY_DOWN, new AbstractAction() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {
dirMap.put(dir, true);
}
});
}
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g;
g.setFont(BG_STRING_FONT);
g.setColor(Color.LIGHT_GRAY);
g2.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_TEXT_ANTIALIASING,
RenderingHints.VALUE_TEXT_ANTIALIAS_ON);
String s = "Hi, I'm trying to make a news ticker type thing where a string is entered and inside of a JPanel the text is looped.I know it moves currently at about 90 pixels a second and that there is about 16 pixels per char in this font. So what I am asking is how I can use this information to make it so that after a timer runs for a certain time, a new animated text is spawned, and how after the 1st animated text leaves the screen completely, how to delete it from the memory.";
g.drawString(s, posX, posY);
}
private class TimerListener implements ActionListener {
public void actionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent e) {
for (Direction dir : Direction.values()) {
if (dirMap.get(dir)) {
posX += dir.getX() * TRANSLATE_SCALE;
posY += dir.getY() * TRANSLATE_SCALE;
}
}
repaint();
if(posX<-500)
{
t.stop();
}
};
}
enum Direction {
Left( KeyEvent.VK_LEFT, -1, 0);
private int keyCode;
private int x;
private int y;
private Direction(int keyCode, int x, int y) {
this.keyCode = keyCode;
this.x = x;
this.y = y;
}
public int getX() {
return x;
}
public int getY() {
return y;
}
}
private static void createAndShowGui() {
AnimateExample mainPanel = new AnimateExample();
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Animate Example");
frame.setUndecorated(true);
frame.setSize(1600, 900);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLayout(null);
frame.add(mainPanel);
mainPanel.setBounds(new Rectangle(1600,400));
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
createAndShowGui();
}
});
}
}
EDIT:
I was also thinking that perhaps resetting the X position after a certain amount of time or distance, but the problem with that would be that it would require that the area would be blank for one screen length. If you have a work around for that, it would also be great.

You could check out the Marquee Panel. It uses a different approach than most scrollers. You add actual components to the panel and the components scroll.
This allows you to scroll text or images. You can use labels with HTML so you can have colored text etc. The message will continue to scroll until you manually stop the scrolling.
Currently there is no automatic mechanism for replacing a scrolling message. Although you could easily create a List or Queue of messages. Then when a message has finished scrolling completely you just remove the current message and add a new one.
Following is the section code from the MarqueePanel class you would need to change:
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae)
{
scrollOffset = scrollOffset + scrollAmount;
int width = super.getPreferredSize().width;
if (scrollOffset > width)
{
scrollOffset = isWrap() ? wrapOffset + scrollAmount : - getSize().width;
// add code here to swap component from the List or Queue
}
repaint();
}
Of course you would also need to add a method to the class to add a component to the List or Queue.

Don't worry about the character width, as different fonts can produce variable character widths. Instead use FontMetrics to measure the String width and determine it the xPos <= -stringWidth, this is when the text would be fully off the left hand side of the screen.
You could use a Queue of some kind to manage text, popping of the next one as you need it. This example simply pops the last message onto the end of the queue, so it will keep repeating
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.FontMetrics;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.util.LinkedList;
import java.util.Queue;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.Timer;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class Test {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Test();
}
public Test() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
Queue<String> queue = new LinkedList<>();
queue.add("I have something to say, it's better to burn out then fade away");
queue.add("Banana peels");
queue.add("Don't worry if plan A fails, there are 25 more letters in the alphabet");
queue.add("When the past comes knocking, don't answer. It has nothing new to tell you");
queue.add("I know the voices in my head aren't real..... but sometimes their ideas are just absolutely awesome!");
TickerTapPane pane = new TickerTapPane();
pane.setMessages(queue);
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(pane);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class TickerTapPane extends JPanel {
private Queue<String> queue;
private String message;
private int xPos;
public TickerTapPane() {
Timer timer = new Timer(40, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if (message == null) {
message = queue.remove();
xPos = getWidth();
}
xPos -= 4;
FontMetrics fm = getFontMetrics(getFont());
int stringWidth = fm.stringWidth(message);
if (xPos <= -stringWidth) {
queue.add(message);
xPos = getWidth();
message = queue.remove();
}
repaint();
}
});
timer.start();
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(200, 200);
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
if (message != null) {
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
FontMetrics fm = g2d.getFontMetrics();
int yPos = ((getHeight() - fm.getHeight()) / 2) + fm.getAscent();
g2d.drawString(message, xPos, yPos);
g2d.dispose();
}
}
protected void setMessages(Queue<String> queue) {
this.queue = queue;
}
}
}

Swing requires createBufferStrategy(2) to properly paint

I have some grids that is painted to screen one by one. I use arrow keys to move grids around as a group. Swing is said to be doubleBuffered by default so I believe frame.createBufferStrategy(2) is a bad practice but the problem is when I don't use manual double buffering, the grids are misaligned and some holes are appearing between them. Using manual double buffering fixes it.
I'm also experiencing some graphical problems(such as a dialog's buttons not displaying properly) in the actual program(not in SSCCE) so I thought it might be caused by the incorrect implementation of the double buffering.
Here is the SSCCE of the program, that causes grids to misalign when not manually double buffered:
package SSCCE;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.FlowLayout;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.LayoutManager;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
import java.awt.event.KeyListener;
import java.awt.image.BufferStrategy;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
public class Main {
boolean manuallyDoubleBuffered = false; //change this
static Main main;
public final JFrame frame = new JFrame();
public final Keys keys = new Keys();
private JPanel panel;
private BufferStrategy bufferStrategy;
public static void main(String[] args) {
main = new Main();
main.initiate();
// --START LOOP--
Thread loop = new Thread(main.new Looper());
loop.start();
}
public void initiate() {
frameInit();
keys.start();
}
private void frameInit() {
frame.setSize(1200, 750);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setVisible(true);
setUpGUI();
if (manuallyDoubleBuffered)
frame.createBufferStrategy(2); // manual double buffering
bufferStrategy = frame.getBufferStrategy();
}
private void setUpGUI() {
panel = new JPanel() {
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g;
Main.main.rendering(g2d);
super.paintComponent(g);
}
};
LayoutManager layout = new FlowLayout();
frame.getContentPane().setBackground(Color.black);
panel.setLayout(layout);
panel.setOpaque(false);//
JButton but1 = new JButton("but1");
panel.add(but1);
frame.add(panel);
}
class Looper implements Runnable {
#Override
public void run() {
Main.main.gameLoop();
}
}
private void gameLoop() {
// variables are declared at start
while (true) {
if (manuallyDoubleBuffered)
paint(); // MANUAL double buffering
else
frame.repaint();// no manual double buffering
update();
try {
Thread.sleep(1000 / 60);
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
// TODO Auto-generated catch block
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}// loop end
private void update() {
move();
}
private void rendering(Graphics2D g2d) {
// // testing
paintGrids(g2d);
}
private void move() {
x += sx;
y += sy;
}
int sx = 0; //speedX
int sy = 0; //speedY
//top left corner of the grid
int x = 0;
int y = 0;
private void paintGrids(Graphics2D g) {
for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
for (int t = 0; t < 100; t++) {
g.setColor(Color.GRAY);
g.fillRect(i * 50 + x, t * 50 + y, 50, 50);
g.setColor(Color.BLACK);
g.drawString(i + "," + t, i * 50 + x, t * 50 + y + 10);
}
}
}
public void paint() {
// uses double buffering system.
do {
do {
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) bufferStrategy.getDrawGraphics();
g2d.fillRect(0, 0, frame.getWidth(), frame.getHeight());
try {
frame.paint(g2d);
} catch (NullPointerException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
g2d.dispose();
} while (bufferStrategy.contentsRestored());
bufferStrategy.show();
} while (bufferStrategy.contentsLost());
}
}
class Keys implements KeyListener {// Trimmed down to shorten SSCCE
private final int leftKey = 37; // left b.
private final int rightKey = 39; // Right b.
private final int upKey = 38;// up k.
private final int downKey = 40;// down k.
public void start() {
Main.main.frame.addKeyListener(this);
Main.main.frame.setFocusable(true);
}
private void left() {
Main.main.sx -= 10;
}
private void right() {
Main.main.sx += 10;
}
private void up() {
Main.main.sy -= 10;
}
private void down() {
Main.main.sy += 10;
}
#Override
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
System.out.println(e.getKeyCode());
switch (e.getKeyCode()) {
case leftKey:
left();
break;
case rightKey:
right();
break;
case downKey:
down();
break;
case upKey:
up();
break;
}
}
#Override
public void keyReleased(KeyEvent arg0) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
}
#Override
public void keyTyped(KeyEvent arg0) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
}
}// END OF THE KEYS CLASS
Oracle tutorials of swing does not explain the usage with a game loop. What is the best way to do it? Am I doing anything wrong?
In case the visual error is not reproduced on other computers, I'm uploading a screenshot:
Black lines are caused by the misalinging of the rectangles. They don't exist when manual double buffering is set to true.
Thanks in advance.
Edit: I've forgot to mention that the black lines occur when grids are moving.
I' have also found out, manual double buffering drastically reduces performance.
Edit 2 : I've fixed the problem and posted it as an answer but feel free to comment on my code. Main class(except the gameLoop) is similar to the actual main class I use in my program.

I couldn't see any change in the background. Here's the code change I made.
public static void main(String[] args) {
main = new Main();
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
main.initiate();
}
});
// --START LOOP--
Thread loop = new Thread(main.new Looper());
loop.start();
}
You must always start a Swing application with a call to SwingUtilities.invokeLater.

I've found the problem and writing here in case something like that ever happens to anyone else.
The problem was caused due to program being multi-threaded. Top left coordinates of the grids(x and y) were updated by the other thread in the middle of the paintGrids() method. Manual double buffering was slowing the program down (by hundreds of times) and that was allowing the paintGrids method to finish painting before x and y was updated by the keys.
To fix it I've added the following to the start of the paintGrids method:
int x = this.x;
int y = this.y;

Keyboard not inputing anything java

i have been trying this code and editing it but it doesnt work.
it is suppose to get a keyboard input store it in the variable "c" and then compare that
to keys on the keyboard. Then it is suppose to move a little square depending the key pressed.
The keyboard doesnt seem to be recognised. Can someone please help me?
Please be aware i am 14 so please dont say how simple and easy it is, i am still learning and could you also write it in a way i am likely to understand. Thank you in advance
'package package1;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
import java.awt.event.KeyListener;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.Timer;
public class Class1 extends JPanel implements KeyListener, ActionListener{
Timer timer = new Timer(5, this);
//variables
int cox = 0;
int spx = 0; //cox = coordinates x, spx = speedx
int coy = 0;
int spy = 0; //coy = coordinates y, spy = speedy
public void paintComponent(Graphics g)
{
timer.start();
super.paintComponent(g);
g.setColor(Color.BLUE);
g.fillRect(cox, coy, 50, 50);
addKeyListener(this);
setFocusable(true);
setFocusTraversalKeysEnabled(false);
}
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
{
cox = cox + spx;
coy = coy + spy;
repaint();
}
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e)
{
int c = e.getKeyCode();
if(c == KeyEvent.VK_LEFT)
{
spx = -1;
spy = 0;
}
if(c == KeyEvent.VK_UP)
{
spx = 0;
spy = -1;
}
if(c == KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT)
{
spx = 1;
spy = 0;
}
if(c == KeyEvent.VK_DOWN)
{
spx = 0;
spy = 1;
}
}
public void keyTyped(KeyEvent e)
{
}
public void keyReleased(KeyEvent e)
{
spx = 0;
spy = 0;
}
public static void main(String args[])
{
Class1 t = new Class1();
JFrame frame = new JFrame("window");
frame.setSize(500,500);
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(t);
}
}

Problems with your code:
KeyListeners are very low-level constructs, and in general should be avoided in favor of key bindings in most Swing applications. Doing this will also make it much easier to solve focus issues that plague KeyListeners, and which is causing your current KeyListener to do nothing whatsoever. If you read most questions on this site tagged with Swing and KeyListeners, you'll see this advice time and again -- because it's true, and it works.
Please understand that the paintComponent(Graphics g) method is for painting only. It is frequently called, often out of your control, since the OS can induce it to be called.
The paintComponent method has a significant influence on the perceived responsiveness of your GUI, since it is in control of drawing your GUI and any animations that your GUI might contain. If it is slowed for any reason, your GUI will seem slow.
For this reason, this method should be used for drawing and only drawing and nothing but drawing. Specifically,
Don't start your Swing Timer from within this method,
Don't add KeyListeners from within this method (unless you want to add a KeyListener 20 times to the GUI which will result in wildly unpredictable behavior),
Don't change the state of any of your objects from within this method.
For example:
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
import java.util.EnumMap;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Map;
import javax.swing.*;
#SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class Class1B extends JPanel {
private static final int PREF_W = 500;
private static final int PREF_H = PREF_W;
private static final int ANIMATION_DELAY = 15;
private static final int RECT_WIDTH = 15;
private static final Color RECT_COLOR = Color.red;
private EnumMap<Direction, Boolean> dirMap = new EnumMap<>(Direction.class);
private Map<Integer, Direction> keyToDir = new HashMap<>();
private Timer animationTimer;
public int rectX;
public int rectY;
public Class1B() {
for (Direction dir : Direction.values()) {
dirMap.put(dir, Boolean.FALSE);
}
keyToDir.put(KeyEvent.VK_UP, Direction.UP);
keyToDir.put(KeyEvent.VK_DOWN, Direction.DOWN);
keyToDir.put(KeyEvent.VK_LEFT, Direction.LEFT);
keyToDir.put(KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT, Direction.RIGHT);
setKeyBindings();
animationTimer = new Timer(ANIMATION_DELAY, new AnimationListener());
animationTimer.start();
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(PREF_W, PREF_H);
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
g.setColor(RECT_COLOR);
g.fillRect(rectX, rectY, RECT_WIDTH, RECT_WIDTH);
}
private void setKeyBindings() {
int condition = WHEN_IN_FOCUSED_WINDOW;
final InputMap inputMap = getInputMap(condition);
final ActionMap actionMap = getActionMap();
boolean[] keyPressed = { true, false };
for (Integer keyCode : keyToDir.keySet()) {
Direction dir = keyToDir.get(keyCode);
for (boolean onKeyPress : keyPressed) {
boolean onKeyRelease = !onKeyPress;
KeyStroke keyStroke = KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(keyCode, 0,
onKeyRelease);
Object key = keyStroke.toString();
inputMap.put(keyStroke, key);
actionMap.put(key, new KeyBindingsAction(dir, onKeyPress));
}
}
}
private class KeyBindingsAction extends AbstractAction {
private Direction dir;
boolean pressed;
public KeyBindingsAction(Direction dir, boolean pressed) {
this.dir = dir;
this.pressed = pressed;
}
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent evt) {
dirMap.put(dir, pressed);
}
}
private class AnimationListener implements ActionListener {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent evt) {
boolean repaint = false;
for (Direction dir : Direction.values()) {
if (dirMap.get(dir)) {
rectX += dir.getIncrX();
rectY += dir.getIncrY();
repaint = true;
}
}
if (repaint) {
repaint();
}
}
}
private static void createAndShowGui() {
Class1B mainPanel = new Class1B();
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Class1B");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.getContentPane().add(mainPanel);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationByPlatform(true);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
createAndShowGui();
}
});
}
}
enum Direction {
UP(0, -1), DOWN(0, 1), LEFT(-1, 0), RIGHT(1, 0);
private int incrX;
private int incrY;
private Direction(int incrX, int incrY) {
this.incrX = incrX;
this.incrY = incrY;
}
public int getIncrX() {
return incrX;
}
public int getIncrY() {
return incrY;
}
}

Java applet repaint a moving circle

I've just moved over from Pygame so Java 2D in an applet is a little new to me, especially when it comes to repainting the screen. In pygame you can simply do display.fill([1,1,1]) but how do I do this in an applet in Java? I understand the use of repaint() but that doesn't clear the screen - any moving object is not 'removed' from the screen so you just get a long line of painted circles.
Here's my code that I've been testing with:
package circles;
import java.applet.Applet;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.util.Random;
public class circles extends Applet implements Runnable {
private static final long serialVersionUID = -6945236773451552299L;
static Random r = new Random();
String msg = "Click to play!";
static int w = 800, h = 800;
int[] txtPos = { (w/2)-50,(h/2)-50 };
int[] radiusRange = { 5,25 };
int[] circles;
static int[] posRange;
int x = 0, y = 0;
int radius = 0;
int cursorRadius = 10;
boolean game = false;
public static int[] pos() {
int side = r.nextInt(5-1)+1;
switch(side) {
case 1:
posRange = new int[]{ 1,r.nextInt(w),r.nextInt((h+40)-h)+h,r.nextInt(270-90)+90 };
break;
case 2:
posRange = new int[]{ 2,r.nextInt((w+40)-w)+w,r.nextInt(h),r.nextInt(270-90)+90 };
break;
case 3:
posRange = new int[]{ 3,r.nextInt(w),r.nextInt(40)-40,r.nextInt(180) };
break;
case 4:
posRange = new int[]{ 4,r.nextInt(40)-40,r.nextInt(h),r.nextInt(180) };
break;
}
System.out.println(side);
return posRange;
}
public void start() {
setSize(500,500);
setBackground(Color.BLACK);
new Thread(this).start();
}
public void run() {
}
public void update(Graphics g) {
paint(g);
}
public void paint(Graphics e) {
Graphics2D g = (Graphics2D) e;
if(System.currentTimeMillis()%113==0) {
x+=1;
y+=1;
}
g.setColor(Color.BLUE);
g.fillOval(x,y,20,20);
repaint();
}
}

You need to call super.paint(g); in your paint method, as to not leave paint artifacts.
Never call repaint() from inside the paint method
Don't explicitly call paint, as you do in update(), when you mean to call reapaint()
just update the x and y values from inside the update() method, then call repaint()
You don't need to take a Graphics argument in update()
You need to call update() somewhere repeatedly in a loop, as it updates the x and y and reapint()s
If your class is going to be a Runnable, then you should put some code in the run() method. That's probably where you should have your loop
import java.applet.Applet;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
public class circles extends Applet implements Runnable {
int x = 0, y = 0;
public void start() {
setSize(500, 500);
setBackground(Color.BLACK);
new Thread(this).start();
}
public void run() {
while (true) {
try {
update();
Thread.sleep(50);
} catch (InterruptedException ex) {
}
}
}
public void update() {
x += 5;
y += 6;
repaint();
}
public void paint(Graphics e) {
super.paint(e);
Graphics2D g = (Graphics2D) e;
g.setColor(Color.BLUE);
g.fillOval(x, y, 20, 20);
}
}
Side Notes
Why use Applets in the first place. If you must, why use AWT Applet and not Swing JApplet? Time for an upgrade.
Here's how I'd redo the whole thing in Swing, using a Swing Timer instead of a loop and Thread.sleep, as you should be doing.
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import javax.swing.Timer;
public class Circle extends JPanel{
private static final int D_W = 500;
private static final int D_H = 500;
int x = 0;
int y = 0;
public Circle() {
setBackground(Color.BLACK);
Timer timer = new Timer(50, new ActionListener(){
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
x += 5;
y += 5;
repaint();
}
});
timer.start();
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
g.setColor(Color.BLUE);
g.fillOval(x, y, 20, 20);
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(D_W, D_H);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
frame.add(new Circle());
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
}
See How to use Swing Timers
See Create GUIs with Swing
Here's more advanced example for you to look at and ponder.
UPDATE
"Problem is, that's a JPANEL application. I specifically want to make an applet easily usable on a web page. "
You can still use it. Just use the JPanel. Take out the main method, and instead of Applet, use a JApplet and just add the JPanel to your applet. Easy as that.
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.JApplet;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.Timer;
public class CircleApplet extends JApplet {
#Override
public void init() {
add(new Circle());
}
public class Circle extends JPanel {
private static final int D_W = 500;
private static final int D_H = 500;
int x = 0;
int y = 0;
public Circle() {
setBackground(Color.BLACK);
Timer timer = new Timer(50, new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
x += 5;
y += 5;
repaint();
}
});
timer.start();
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
g.setColor(Color.BLUE);
g.fillOval(x, y, 20, 20);
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(D_W, D_H);
}
}
}