Develop Reference

How to animate with java awt

I'm trying to make an animation of a red oval that will move to the right of the screen. But it just draws the oval. I don't know what I'm doing wrong and I literally can't find anything about how to do this. Any help would be awesome, thanks.
import java.awt.*;
public class mainClass
{
public mainClass()
{
Frame f = new Frame("Canvas Example");
f.add(new MyCanvas());
f.setLayout(null);
f.setSize(400, 400);
f.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String args[])
{
new mainClass();
}
}
class MyCanvas extends Canvas
{
int x = 75;
public MyCanvas() {
setBackground (Color.BLACK);
setSize(400, 400);
}
public void paint(Graphics g)
{
g.setColor(Color.red);
g.fillOval(x, 75, 150, 75);
}
public void update(Graphics g)
{
x++;
}
}

Theory
Animation is hard, I mean, really good animation is hard. There is a lot of theory which goes into creating good animation, things like easement, anticipation, squish ... I could go on, but I'm boring myself.
The point is, simply incrementing a value (AKA linear progression) is a poor approach to animation. If the system is slow, busy or for some other reason isn't keeping up, the animation will suffer because of it (stuttering, pauses, etc).
A "better" solution is to use a time based progression. That is, you specify the amount of time it will take to move from the current state to it's new state and then continuously loop and update the state until you run out of time.
The "main loop"
If you do any research into game development, they always talk about this thing called the "main loop".
The "main loop" is responsible for updating the game state and scheduling paint passes.
In terms to your question, you need a "main loop" which can update the position of the oval until it reaches it's target position.
Because most GUI frameworks are already running within their own thread context, you need to setup your "main loop" in another thread
AWT
Some theory
AWT is the original GUI framework, so it's "old". While Swing does sit on top of it, you'll find more people have experience with Swing then they do AWT.
One of the important things to keep in mind is, Canvas is not double buffered, so, if you're updating the component fast enough, it will flash.
To overcome this, you need to implement some kind of double buffering workflow.
Runnable example
import java.awt.Canvas;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.Frame;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.time.Duration;
import java.time.Instant;
public class Test {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Test();
}
public Test() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
Frame frame = new Frame();
frame.add(new TestCanvas());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class Ticker implements Runnable {
public interface Callbck {
public void didTick(Ticker ticker);
}
private boolean isRunning = false;
private Thread thread;
private Callbck callback;
public void setCallback(Callbck tick) {
this.callback = tick;
}
public void start() {
if (isRunning) {
return;
}
isRunning = true;
thread = new Thread(this);
thread.setDaemon(false);
thread.start();
}
public void stop() {
if (!isRunning) {
return;
}
isRunning = false;
thread.interrupt();
thread = null;
}
#Override
public void run() {
while (isRunning) {
try {
Thread.sleep(5);
if (callback != null) {
callback.didTick(this);
}
} catch (InterruptedException ex) {
isRunning = false;
}
}
}
}
public class TestCanvas extends Canvas {
private BufferedImage buffer;
int posX;
private Ticker ticker;
private Instant startedAt;
private Duration duration = Duration.ofSeconds(5);
public TestCanvas() {
ticker = new Ticker();
ticker.setCallback(new Ticker.Callbck() {
#Override
public void didTick(Ticker ticker) {
if (startedAt == null) {
startedAt = Instant.now();
}
Duration runtime = Duration.between(startedAt, Instant.now());
double progress = runtime.toMillis() / (double)duration.toMillis();
if (progress >= 1.0) {
stopAnimation();
}
posX = (int)(getWidth() * progress);
repaint();
}
});
}
protected void startAnimtion() {
ticker.start();
}
protected void stopAnimation() {
ticker.stop();
}
#Override
public void setBounds(int x, int y, int width, int height) {
buffer = new BufferedImage(width, height, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_RGB);
super.setBounds(x, y, width, height);
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(200, 200);
}
#Override
public void addNotify() {
super.addNotify();
startAnimtion();
}
#Override
public void removeNotify() {
super.removeNotify();
buffer = null;
}
#Override
public void paint(Graphics g) {
super.paint(g);
if (buffer == null) {
return;
}
Graphics2D g2d = buffer.createGraphics();
g2d.setColor(getBackground());
g2d.fillRect(0, 0, getWidth(), getHeight());
g2d.setColor(Color.RED);
int midY = getHeight() / 2;
g2d.fillOval(posX, midY - 5, 10, 10);
g2d.dispose();
g.drawImage(buffer, 0, 0, this);
}
}
}
What is Canvas good for ...?
In most cases, you should avoid using Canvas, for many of the reasons mentioned above, but one of the reasons you might consider using Canvas is if you want to take full control over the painting process. You might do this if you want to create a complex game which and you want to get the best possible performance out of the rendering pipeline.
See BufferStrategy and BufferCapabilities and the JavaDocs for more detail
A Swing based implementation
Hopefully I've convinced you that a Swing implementation might be a better solution, which in that case you should make use of a Swing Timer instead of Thread, as Swing is not thread safe
See Concurrency in Swing and How to Use Swing Timers
for more details
Runnable example
import java.awt.Color;
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.time.Duration;
import java.time.Instant;
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 Ticker {
public interface Callbck {
public void didTick(Ticker ticker);
}
private Timer timer;
private Callbck callback;
public void setCallback(Callbck tick) {
this.callback = tick;
}
public void start() {
if (timer != null) {
return;
}
timer = new Timer(5, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if (callback == null) {
return;
}
callback.didTick(Ticker.this);
}
});
timer.start();
}
public void stop() {
if (timer == null) {
return;
}
timer.stop();
timer = null;
}
}
public class TestPane extends JPanel {
int posX;
private Ticker ticker;
private Instant startedAt;
private Duration duration = Duration.ofSeconds(5);
public TestPane() {
ticker = new Ticker();
ticker.setCallback(new Ticker.Callbck() {
#Override
public void didTick(Ticker ticker) {
if (startedAt == null) {
startedAt = Instant.now();
}
Duration runtime = Duration.between(startedAt, Instant.now());
double progress = runtime.toMillis() / (double) duration.toMillis();
if (progress >= 1.0) {
stopAnimation();
}
posX = (int) (getWidth() * progress);
repaint();
}
});
}
protected void startAnimtion() {
ticker.start();
}
protected void stopAnimation() {
ticker.stop();
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(200, 200);
}
#Override
public void addNotify() {
super.addNotify();
startAnimtion();
}
#Override
public void removeNotify() {
super.removeNotify();
stopAnimation();
}
#Override
public void paint(Graphics g) {
super.paint(g);
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
g2d.setColor(Color.RED);
int midY = getHeight() / 2;
g2d.fillOval(posX, midY - 5, 10, 10);
g2d.dispose();
}
}
}

The reason this doesn't animate is that nothing triggers the component to update and repaint itself. There are a few things that need to be considered:
Something needs to call the update method. Ordinarily, this is triggered by a call to repaint() on the component, but nothing in this code calls that method.
It's important for an overridden update method to call super.update(g) to ensure the default behavior is invoked (clearing the canvas and painting it again).
Animation has a time component: the oval should move over some period of time. This needs to be incorporated into the logic. AWT has no built-in mechanism for timed behavior.
If you're able to use classes from Swing, the javax.swing.Timer class is very useful for animation. It executes your callback on the AWT thread, and therefore means that you don't have to take special measures to ensure thread safety.
If you can't use Swing, it can use java.util.Timer or a custom thread, but will need to manage thread synchronization directly.
You'll probably also want the animation to stop once the oval reaches the edge of the canvas.
Here's an example using javax.swing.Timer (assuming Java 8 or later). Note that all of the animation logic is in the ActionListener attached to the Timer, so the overridden update method has been removed:
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
public class MainClass {
public static final int CANVAS_SIZE = 400;
public MainClass() {
Frame f = new Frame("Canvas Example");
f.add(new MyCanvas(CANVAS_SIZE));
f.setLayout(null);
f.setSize(CANVAS_SIZE, CANVAS_SIZE);
f.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
new MainClass();
}
}
class MyCanvas extends Canvas {
public static final int INITIAL_POSITION = 75;
public static final int HEIGHT = 75;
public static final int WIDTH = 150;
private static final int TIMER_DELAY_MILLIS = 1000 / 30; // 30 FPS
private int x = INITIAL_POSITION;
private final Timer timer;
public MyCanvas(int canvasSize) {
setBackground(Color.BLACK);
setSize(canvasSize, canvasSize);
timer = new Timer(TIMER_DELAY_MILLIS, (event) -> {
// ensure the oval stays on the canvas
if (x + WIDTH < getWidth()) {
x++;
repaint();
} else {
stopAnimation();
}
});
timer.start();
}
public void paint(Graphics g) {
g.setColor(Color.red);
g.fillOval(x, INITIAL_POSITION, WIDTH, HEIGHT);
}
private void stopAnimation() {
timer.stop();
}
}
This code has a few additional incidental changes.
Updated the name of mainClass to MainClass (leading capital "M") to comply with standard Java naming conventions.
Changed String args[] to String[] args for the same reason.
Extracted numeric constants to named static final fields.
Made the canvas size a constructor parameter, controlled by the caller.
Made x private.
Minor formatting changes to ensure a consistent style.
One option that doesn't use javax.swing.Timer (with unchanged code omitted):
private final AtomicInteger x = new AtomicInteger(INITIAL_POSITION);
public MyCanvas(int canvasSize) {
setBackground(Color.BLACK);
setSize(canvasSize, canvasSize);
new Thread(() -> {
try {
// ensure the oval stays on the canvas
while (x.incrementAndGet() + WIDTH < getWidth()) {
Thread.sleep(TIMER_DELAY_MILLIS);
repaint();
}
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
// Just let the thread exit
Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
}
}).start();
}

Cannot use MouseEvents in main

What I'm trying to do
Making a Pong game where the Y axis gets the value from my cursor according to the application
What did I tried
private void pallet() {
ycur=(int)MouseInfo.getPointerInfo().getLocation().getY();
}
This way I get the Y value according to my monitor instead of the application.
I also tried to use the MouseEvent.getY(), but I get the error when trying to call this method from the main.
private void pallet() {
ycur=(int)MouseInfo.getPointerInfo().getLocation().getY();
}
This is how my code looks like, I think the problem lies in how I'm using my main and methods but I'm not sure.
public class MyFirst extends JPanel {
public int x = 500, y = 300, border = 30;
public boolean goingDown = true;
public int ycur, cursor;
public void moveBall() {
x++;
if (goingDown == true) {
y++;
} else if (goingDown == false) {
y--;
}
if (y == getHeight() - border) {
goingDown = false;
} else if (y == 0) {
goingDown = true;
}
}
#Override
public void paint(Graphics g) {
super.paint(g);
g.fillOval(x, y, 30, 30);
g.fillRect(30, ycur, 15, 100);
}
public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Pong");
frame.pack();
frame.setSize(1000, 600);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
MyFirst game = new MyFirst();
frame.add(game);
while (true) {
game.pallet(e);
game.moveBall();
game.repaint();
Thread.sleep(10);
}
}
public void pallet(MouseEvent e) {
ycur=e.getY();
}
}

Problems with your code:
As already mentioned, you're fighting against Swing's event-driven architecture. Instead of a while true loop, use listeners, including a MouseMotionListener ot track the changes in the mouse location, and an ActionListener tied to a Swing Timer to move the ball.
Avoid using Thread.sleep(...) in Swing GUI's except with great care as this can put the entire application to sleep.
Avoid putting too much logic within the main method. This method should be short, should create the key objects, connect them, set the program in motion and that's it.
Paint with the paintComponent method, not the paint method. It results in smoother animation with its double buffering.
For example:
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.MouseAdapter;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import javax.swing.*;
#SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class MoveBallTest extends JPanel{
private static final int PREF_W = 1000;
private static final int PREF_H = 600;
private static final int TIMER_DELAY = 12;
private static final int SPRITE_WIDTH = 30;
private static final Color OVAL_SPRITE_COLOR = Color.RED;
private static final Color RECT_SPRITE_COLOR = Color.BLUE;
private static final int DELTAY_Y = 1;
private boolean goingDown = true;
private Timer timer = new Timer(TIMER_DELAY, this::timerActionPerformed);
private int ovalSpriteY;
private int rectSpriteY;
public MoveBallTest() {
timer.start();
MyMouse myMouse = new MyMouse();
addMouseMotionListener(myMouse);
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
g.setColor(OVAL_SPRITE_COLOR);
g.fillOval(SPRITE_WIDTH, ovalSpriteY, SPRITE_WIDTH, SPRITE_WIDTH);
g.setColor(RECT_SPRITE_COLOR);
g.fillRect(SPRITE_WIDTH, rectSpriteY, SPRITE_WIDTH / 2, SPRITE_WIDTH * 3);
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
if (isPreferredSizeSet()) {
return super.getPreferredSize();
}
return new Dimension(PREF_W, PREF_H);
}
public void timerActionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if (ovalSpriteY <= 0) {
goingDown = true;
} else if (ovalSpriteY >= getHeight() - SPRITE_WIDTH) {
goingDown = false;
}
ovalSpriteY += goingDown ? DELTAY_Y : -DELTAY_Y;
repaint();
}
private class MyMouse extends MouseAdapter {
#Override
public void mouseMoved(MouseEvent e) {
rectSpriteY = e.getY();
}
}
private static void createAndShowGui() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("MoveBallTest");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.getContentPane().add(new MoveBallTest());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(() -> createAndShowGui());
}
}

How to run the animation thread for a Java Swing game from a launcher?

I am a bit new to threading, so bear with me. All relevant classes will be below the text in one place for easier reference.
Backstory:
I created a simple pong-like game following this tutorial: http://www.edu4java.com/en/game/game1.html
Everything worked perfectly, then I made modifications to better understand how it all works. In the tutorial, there is a main method from which the animations are played continuously. According to the tutorial author, Thread.sleep(10) "...tells the processor that the thread which is being run must sleep for 10 ms, which allows the processor to execute other threads and in particular the AWT-EventQueue thread which calls the paint method."
Now, my question is this:
(Just for fun and to practice Java,) I have created a "launcher" for all the various small programs and games I make. I have yet to get the pong game to work inside the launcher. Without a main method inside the pong frame, the animation never runs. I left the main method in in the code below, so that it works. How would I go about launching the animation from somewhere other than main?
Here's the code:
The Frame and main method:
package pongGame;
import javax.swing.*;
public class PongMainGUI extends JFrame
{
private static final int WINDOW_WIDTH = 500;
private static final int WINDOW_HEIGHT = 800;
private static AnimationPanel panel;
public PongMainGUI()
{
//This line sets the title, and, since it calls the super constructor, it calls setTitle().
super("Pong!");
panel = new AnimationPanel(this);
//This method simply makes the screen appear in the center of whatever size screen you are using.
setLocationRelativeTo(null);
setSize(WINDOW_WIDTH,WINDOW_HEIGHT);
add(panel);
setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String args[]) throws InterruptedException
{
new PongMainGUI();
while(true)
{
System.out.println("PongMainGUI");
panel.repaint();
panel.move();
Thread.sleep(10);
}
}
}
The Animation Panel:
package pongGame;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.RenderingHints;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
import java.awt.event.KeyListener;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.event.MouseListener;
import java.awt.event.MouseMotionListener;
import javax.swing.JOptionPane;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.event.MouseInputListener;
#SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class AnimationPanel extends JPanel
{
PongMainGUI frame;
Ball ballClass;
Racquet racquetClass;
boolean bool = false;
public AnimationPanel(PongMainGUI frame)
{
this.frame = frame;
addMouseListener(new MouseListener()
{
#Override
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent arg0)
{
}
#Override
public void mouseEntered(MouseEvent arg0)
{
}
#Override
public void mouseExited(MouseEvent arg0)
{
}
#Override
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent arg0)
{
}
#Override
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent arg0)
{
}
});
addMouseMotionListener(new MouseMotionListener()
{
#Override
public void mouseDragged(MouseEvent e)
{
}
#Override
public void mouseMoved(MouseEvent e)
{
}
});
addKeyListener(new KeyListener()
{
#Override
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e)
{
racquetClass.keyPressed(e);
}
#Override
public void keyReleased(KeyEvent e)
{
racquetClass.keyReleased(e);
}
#Override
public void keyTyped(KeyEvent e)
{
}
});
//This is needed to ensure that the keyboard will register properly and receive focus.
setFocusable(true);
ballClass = new Ball(this);
racquetClass = new Racquet(this);
}
public void move()
{
//ballClass.moveBall();
racquetClass.moveRacquet();
}
#Override
public void paint(Graphics g)
{
System.out.println("AnimationPanel paint method");
//This method clears the panel so it appears as if the circle is moving.
super.paint(g);
//Better version of Graphics.
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g;
//This method turns antialiasing on, which cleans up the corners.
g2d.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING,
RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON);
ballClass.paint(g2d);
racquetClass.paint(g2d);
}
public void gameOver()
{
System.out.println("Game over method");
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Game Over", "Game Over", JOptionPane.YES_NO_OPTION);
System.exit(ABORT);
}
}
The Ball "sprite":
package pongGame;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
public class Ball
{
int xCoordinate = 0;
int yCoordinate = 0;
//1 = right movement, -1 = left
int xDirection = 1;
int yDirection = 1;
private final static byte ballWidth = 30;
private final static byte ballHeight = 30;
private AnimationPanel panel;
public Ball(AnimationPanel panel)
{
this.panel = panel;
}
public void paint(Graphics2D g2d)
{
//This creates the actual circle with a specified width and height.
//Because super.paint(g) is called at the start, a new circle is created each time.
g2d.fillOval(xCoordinate, yCoordinate, ballWidth, ballHeight);
System.out.println("Ball paint method");
moveBall();
}
//What this method does is add 1 to the x and y coordinates each time it's called. However, getWidth() and getHeight() are used to determine the current panel size, not the frame size.
//Then, whatever the width and/or height is is subtracted so the circle does not completely disappear from view.
public void moveBall()
{
if (xCoordinate + xDirection < 0)
{
xDirection = 1;
}
else if (xCoordinate + xDirection > panel.getWidth() - ballWidth)
{
xDirection = -1;
}
if (yCoordinate + yDirection < 0)
{
yDirection = 1;
}
else if (yCoordinate + yDirection > panel.getHeight() - ballHeight)
{
System.out.println("Ball moveBall method");
panel.gameOver();
}
if (collision() == true)
{
yDirection = -1;
yCoordinate = panel.racquetClass.getPaddleHeight() - ballHeight;
}
xCoordinate = xCoordinate + xDirection;
yCoordinate = yCoordinate + yDirection;
}
public Rectangle getBounds()
{
return new Rectangle(xCoordinate, yCoordinate, ballWidth, ballHeight);
}
private boolean collision()
{
return panel.racquetClass.getBounds().intersects(getBounds());
}
}
And finally, the Racquet "sprite":
package pongGame;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
public class Racquet
{
private AnimationPanel panel;
private int xCoordinate = 0;
//0 = no movement, 1 is right, -1 is left.
private byte direction = 0;
//All of the following values are in pixels.
private final static byte PADDLE_OFFSET = 100;
private final static byte PADDLE_WIDTH = 120;
private final static byte PADDLE_HEIGHT = 10;
public Racquet(AnimationPanel panel)
{
this.panel = panel;
}
public void moveRacquet()
{
if (xCoordinate + direction > 0 && xCoordinate + direction < panel.getWidth()-60)
xCoordinate = xCoordinate + direction;
}
public void paint(Graphics2D g)
{
g.fillRect(xCoordinate, getPaddleHeight(), PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT);
//move();
}
public void keyReleased(KeyEvent e)
{
direction = 0;
}
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e)
{
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_LEFT)
direction = -1;
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT)
direction = 1;
}
public Rectangle getBounds()
{
return new Rectangle(xCoordinate, getPaddleHeight(), PADDLE_WIDTH, PADDLE_HEIGHT);
}
public int getPaddleHeight()
{
return panel.getHeight() - PADDLE_OFFSET;
}
}
This may or may not help, but this is the code for the launcher I wanted to use to open the game:
This is the "main menu":
package GUI;
import javax.swing.*;
import painter.MainPainterGUI;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
/**
* This class serves to create the launcher gui for the program.
* It extends JFrame.
* #author Jackson Murrell
*/
#SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class LauncherGUI extends JFrame implements ActionListener
{
//A couple constants that are used for sizing things.
private final short WINDOW_HEIGHT = 225;
private final short WINDOW_WIDTH = 550;
private final byte BLANK_SPACE = 25;
//Panels to use for adding in components.
JPanel textPanel, buttonPanel, mainPanel;
//Buttons for user input and selection.
JButton calculator, colorChooser, timer, exit, primeNumberTester, game, painter;
//A text label that will be used for giving the user
//instructions on the program.
JLabel textLabel;
//A constructor to create the GUI components when an object of this class is created.
public LauncherGUI()
{
//This call's the parent method's (JFrame) setTitle method.
super("Omni-program");
//These methods set various options for the JFrame.
setDefaultCloseOperation(DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
setSize(WINDOW_WIDTH, WINDOW_HEIGHT);
setLocationRelativeTo(null);
textPanel = new JPanel();
buttonPanel = new JPanel();
mainPanel = new JPanel();
calculator = new JButton("Calculator");
colorChooser = new JButton("Color Chooser");
timer = new JButton("Timer");
primeNumberTester = new JButton("Prime Number Tester");
game = new JButton("Games");
exit = new JButton("Exit Launcher and Programs");
painter = new JButton("Painter");
calculator.addActionListener(this);
colorChooser.addActionListener(this);
timer.addActionListener(this);
exit.addActionListener(this);
primeNumberTester.addActionListener(this);
game.addActionListener(this);
painter.addActionListener(this);
textLabel = new JLabel("Welcome to the launcher! Click the button for the mini-program you would like to run.", 0);
textPanel.add(Box.createVerticalStrut(BLANK_SPACE));
textPanel.add(textLabel);
buttonPanel.add(calculator);
buttonPanel.add(colorChooser);
buttonPanel.add(timer);
buttonPanel.add(primeNumberTester);
buttonPanel.add(game);
buttonPanel.add(painter);
buttonPanel.add(exit);
mainPanel.setLayout(new GridLayout(2,1));
mainPanel.add(textPanel);
mainPanel.add(buttonPanel);
//mainPanel.add(Box.createVerticalStrut(BLANK_SPACE));
add(mainPanel);
//pack();
//Having this line at the end instead of the top ensures that once everything is added it is all set to be visible.
setVisible(true);
}
//This method is required since ActionListener is implemented.
//It will be used to process user input.
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
{
if (e.getSource() == calculator)
{
new CalculatorGUI();
dispose();
}
else if (e.getSource() == colorChooser)
{
new ColorChooserGUI();
dispose();
}
else if(e.getSource() == timer)
{
new TimerGUI();
dispose();
}
else if (e.getSource() == primeNumberTester)
{
new PrimeNumberTesterGUI();
dispose();
}
else if(e.getSource() == exit)
{
System.exit(0);
}
else if(e.getSource() == painter)
{
new MainPainterGUI();
dispose();
}
else if(e.getSource() == game)
{
new GameLauncherGUI();
dispose();
}
}
}
Here's the actual game launcher:
package GUI;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.*;
import pongGame.PongMainGUI;
public class GameLauncherGUI extends JFrame implements ActionListener
{
//A couple constants that are used for sizing things.
private final short WINDOW_HEIGHT = 225;
private final short WINDOW_WIDTH = 550;
private JButton adventureGame, pong, back;
private JLabel label;
private JPanel mainPanel, buttonPanel, textPanel;
public GameLauncherGUI()
{
//This call's the parent method's (JFrame) setTitle method.
super("Omni-program");
//These methods set various options for the JFrame.
setDefaultCloseOperation(DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
setSize(WINDOW_WIDTH, WINDOW_HEIGHT);
setLocationRelativeTo(null);
adventureGame = new JButton("Adventure Game (Broken)");
adventureGame.addActionListener(this);
pong = new JButton("Pong");
pong.addActionListener(this);
back = new JButton("Back");
back.addActionListener(this);
label = new JLabel("Click the button below for the game you wish to play,\nor click back to go to the previous screen.");
mainPanel = new JPanel();
buttonPanel = new JPanel();
textPanel = new JPanel();
textPanel.add(label);
buttonPanel.add(adventureGame);
buttonPanel.add(pong);
buttonPanel.add(back);
mainPanel.add(textPanel);
mainPanel.add(buttonPanel);
add(mainPanel);
//Having this line at the end instead of the top ensures that once everything is added it is all set to be visible.
setVisible(true);
}
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
{
if(e.getSource() == back)
{
new LauncherGUI();
dispose();
}
else if(e.getSource() == pong)
{
new PongMainGUI();
dispose();
}
}
}

mainis a static method like others, so you can call it from your launcher:
PongMainGUI.main(null); // launch the pong game
However, note that, in order to avoid lots of trouble, Swing components must be created from the Event Dispatch Thread, as shown in this example. So you should wrap the content of your main method inside a Runnable and launch it with SwingUtilities.invokeLater().
However (again), by doing so, your Thread.sleep(10) will run on the EDT, blocking the GUI responsiveness again. Fortunately, Swing thought of that problem and created a utility called javax.swing.Timer that runs tasks periodically on the EDT (without blocking it):
public static void main(String args[])
{
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable(){
public void run(){
new PongMainGUI();
Timer timer = new Timer(10, new ActionListener(){
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e){
System.out.println("PongMainGUI");
panel.repaint();
panel.move();
}
});
timer.start();
}
});
}
This main() method will run safely in standalone, or from your launcher.

Mirroring JLabel or JTextArea

I need to get a mirror of JLabel or JTextArea.
http://www.subirimagenes.net/i/150305101716451074.jpg
If I use a JTextArea, I'll need the letters are complety mirrored.
If I use a JLabel, I'll need format and the mirrored letters.
The example was created on Photoshop.
My idea is using graphics(), but I don't have idea how to do it.

Here's the bad news: It's not as straight-forward as we might wish, there's a limitation. In Swing, graphics transformations are applied only on the paint operation, not the general layout and event process. Therefore, in Swing the mirrored component is basically "unusable", it cannot be used for anything else than displaying the mirror image of the primary component. Coordinates of mouse clicks etc. will be wrong.
Therefore, this is all tricky stuff, a bit hackish.
There are multiple ways how you can do that.
One possibility is to use two views on one model and tell the Graphics of one of the views to flip horizontally.
Here's an example how to do so which demonstrates a flipped JEditorPane:
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.geom.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class MirrorText {
public static void main(final String... args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(MirrorText::setupUI);
}
public static void setupUI() {
final JEditorPane editor = new JEditorPane("text/html", "<h1>Mirrored</h1><p>This is mirrored text.</p>");
final JEditorPane mirroredEditor = new JEditorPane("text/html", "") {
protected Graphics getComponentGraphics(final Graphics g) {
return horizontalFlip(super.getComponentGraphics(g), getWidth());
}
};
mirroredEditor.setDocument(editor.getDocument());
final JFrame frame = new JFrame("mirrored label");
final JPanel mirrorPanel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(1, 2));
mirrorPanel.add(new JScrollPane(editor));
mirrorPanel.add(new JScrollPane(mirroredEditor));
frame.add(mirrorPanel);
frame.pack();
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static Graphics horizontalFlip(final Graphics g, final int width) {
final Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g;
final AffineTransform tx = g2d.getTransform();
tx.scale(-1.0, 1.0);
tx.translate(-width, 0);
g2d.setTransform(tx);
return g2d;
}
}
The advantage of this solution is that the mirror entirely the original component's MVC and observers because it is the same type of component (View/Controller) on the very same model.
The disadvantage of this solution is that you have create the mirror component in a way that is very specific to the component that is mirrored.
Another possibility is to create a decorator JComponent Mirror which can mirror an arbitrary other JComponent. This is a bit tricky, as in Java, decorators cannot override methods of the decorated object, and the Mirror needs to be updated (repainted) as well whenever the original component is updated (repainted).
Here's an incomplete example using a Mirror which hooks into the corresponding events. Incomplete because it only hooks into DocumentEvent but should also hook onto other events as well, like CaretEvent. It would be nice if Swing would have something like a PaintEvent. As far as I am aware of, it hasn't. (Well, in fact it has, but there's no corresponding PaintListener and addPaintListener().)
Also incomplete because the Mirror doesn't observe the original component's attributes like size. It only works because the GridLayout on the MirrorPanel keeps the mirror size in sync with the original component.
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.geom.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.event.*;
public class MirrorText {
public static void main(final String... args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(MirrorText::setupUI);
}
public static void setupUI() {
final JEditorPane editor = new JEditorPane("text/html", "<h1>Mirrored</h1><p>This is mirrored text.</p>");
final MirrorPanel mirrorPanel = new MirrorPanel(new JScrollPane(editor));
editor.getDocument().addDocumentListener(new DocumentListener() {
public void changedUpdate(final DocumentEvent e) { mirrorPanel.updateMirror(); }
public void insertUpdate(final DocumentEvent e) { mirrorPanel.updateMirror(); }
public void removeUpdate(final DocumentEvent e) { mirrorPanel.updateMirror(); }
});
final JFrame frame = new JFrame("mirrored label");
frame.add(mirrorPanel);
frame.pack();
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
}
class MirrorPanel extends JPanel {
public MirrorPanel(final JComponent c) {
super(new GridLayout(1, 2));
add(c);
add(new Mirror(c));
}
public void updateMirror() {
repaint();
}
}
class Mirror extends JComponent {
private final JComponent mirroredComponent;
public Mirror(final JComponent mirroredComponent) {
this.mirroredComponent = mirroredComponent;
}
public static Graphics horizontalFlip(final Graphics g, final int width) {
final Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g;
final AffineTransform tx = g2d.getTransform();
tx.scale(-1.0, 1.0);
tx.translate(-width, 0);
g2d.setTransform(tx);
return g2d;
}
public void paint(final Graphics g) {
mirroredComponent.paint(horizontalFlip(g, mirroredComponent.getWidth()));
}
}
There probably are more possibilities as well. For example, one could override the mirrored component's paint() method to update the mirror component as well. That would get rid of getting notified, but it would lead to unnecessary paint() calls in case painting isn't done due to content change but due to buffer destruction (i.e. other window moved away).

Here's one way to create a mirror image.
Basically, you print the contents of the JTextArea on a BufferedImage. Then you reverse the pixels of the BufferedImage on the X axis.
package com.ggl.testing;
import java.awt.FlowLayout;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Image;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JTextArea;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import javax.swing.event.DocumentEvent;
import javax.swing.event.DocumentListener;
public class MirrorImage implements Runnable {
private JFrame frame;
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new MirrorImage());
}
#Override
public void run() {
frame = new JFrame("Mirror Image Test");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
JPanel mainPanel = new JPanel();
mainPanel.setLayout(new FlowLayout());
JPanel textPanel = new JPanel();
JTextArea textArea = new JTextArea(15, 30);
textPanel.add(textArea);
mainPanel.add(textPanel);
MirrorPanel mirrorPanel = new MirrorPanel();
mirrorPanel.setPreferredSize(textPanel.getPreferredSize());
mainPanel.add(mirrorPanel);
TextListener listener = new TextListener(textArea, mirrorPanel);
textArea.getDocument().addDocumentListener(listener);
frame.add(mainPanel);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationByPlatform(true);
listener.createImage(textArea);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
private class MirrorPanel extends JPanel {
private static final long serialVersionUID = 2496058019297247364L;
private Image image;
public void setImage(Image image) {
this.image = image;
repaint();
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
g.drawImage(image, (getWidth() - image.getWidth(this)) / 2,
(getHeight() - image.getHeight(this)) / 2, this);
}
}
private class TextListener implements DocumentListener {
private JTextArea textArea;
private MirrorPanel mirrorPanel;
public TextListener(JTextArea textArea, MirrorPanel mirrorPanel) {
this.textArea = textArea;
this.mirrorPanel = mirrorPanel;
}
#Override
public void insertUpdate(DocumentEvent event) {
createImage(textArea);
}
#Override
public void removeUpdate(DocumentEvent event) {
createImage(textArea);
}
#Override
public void changedUpdate(DocumentEvent event) {
createImage(textArea);
}
public void createImage(JTextArea textArea) {
BufferedImage img = new BufferedImage(textArea.getWidth(),
textArea.getHeight(), BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_RGB);
Graphics2D g2d = img.createGraphics();
textArea.printAll(g2d);
g2d.dispose();
createMirrorImage(img);
mirrorPanel.setImage(img);
}
private void createMirrorImage(BufferedImage img) {
int width = img.getWidth();
int height = img.getHeight();
int[][] pixels = new int[width][height];
for (int i = width - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
int j = width - i - 1;
for (int k = 0; k < height; k++) {
pixels[j][k] = img.getRGB(i, k);
}
}
for (int i = 0; i < width; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < height; j++) {
img.setRGB(i, j, pixels[i][j]);
}
}
}
}
}

Java clears screen when calling paint method - how to avoid that?

I'm trying to draw two lines in a Canvas in Java, calling two methods separately, but when I draw the second line, the first one disapears (Java clears the screen). How can I avoid that? I want to see the two lines. I've seen paint tutorials (how to make a program like the Paint on Windows) where the user uses the mouse to draw lines and when one line is drawn, the other do not disappear. They just call the paint method and it does not clear the screen.
I'll be grateful if anyone can help me.
Thanks.
View Class
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Canvas;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
public class CircuitTracePlotView extends JFrame {
private CircuitTracePlot circuitTracePlot;
public CircuitTracePlotView() {
this.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
this.getContentPane().add(circuitTracePlot = new CircuitTracePlot(), BorderLayout.CENTER);
this.pack();
this.setSize(250,250);
this.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
this.setVisible(true);
circuitTracePlot.drawLine();
circuitTracePlot.drawOval();
}
}
class CircuitTracePlot extends Canvas {
private final static short LINE = 1;
private final static short OVAL = 2;
private int paintType;
private int x1;
private int y1;
private int x2;
private int y2;
public CircuitTracePlot() {
this.setSize(250,250);
this.setBackground(Color.WHITE);
}
private void setPaintType(int paintType) {
this.paintType = paintType;
}
private int getPaintType() {
return this.paintType;
}
public void drawLine() {
this.setPaintType(LINE);
this.paint(this.getGraphics());
}
public void drawOval() {
this.setPaintType(OVAL);
this.paint(this.getGraphics());
}
public void repaint() {
this.update(this.getGraphics());
}
public void update(Graphics g) {
this.paint(g);
}
public void paint(Graphics g) {
switch (paintType) {
case LINE:
this.getGraphics().drawLine(10, 10, 30, 30);
case OVAL:
this.getGraphics().drawLine(10, 20, 30, 30);
}
}
}
Main class
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import view.CircuitTracePlotView;
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
CircuitTracePlotView cr = new CircuitTracePlotView();
}
});
}
}

You almost never should call paint(...) directly. I can count the times that I've needed to do this on one hand.
Do not get a Graphics object by calling getGraphics() on a component as that will return a non-durable Graphics object. Instead either draw in a BufferedImage and display that in the paint method or draw in the paint method (if AWT).
Since this is a Swing GUI, don't use an AWT component to draw in. Use a JPanel and override the paintComponent(...) method, not the paint(...) method. Otherwise you lose all benefits of Swing graphics including automatic double buffering.
The super.paintComponent(g) method should be called in the paintComponent(Graphics g) override, often as the first method call inside of this method. This lets the component do its own housekeeping painting, including erasing drawings that need to be erased.
Read the tutorials on Swing graphics as most of this is all well explained there. For e.g., please have a look here:
Lesson: Performing Custom Painting
Painting in AWT and Swing
Edit
To have your images persist, I suggest that you draw to a BufferedImage and then display that Image in your JPanel's paintComponent(...) method.
Or another option is to create a Collection of Shape objects, perhaps an ArrayList<Shape> and fill it with the Shapes you'd like to draw, and then in the paintComponent(...) method cast the Graphics object to a Graphics2D object and iterate through the Shape collection drawing each shape with g2d.draw(shape) as you iterate.
Since Trash posted his code,...
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.*;
public class CircuitTracePlot2 extends JPanel {
private static final int PREF_W = 250;
private static final int PREF_H = PREF_W;
private int drawWidth = 160;
private int drawHeight = drawWidth;
private int drawX = 10;
private int drawY = 10;
private PaintType paintType = PaintType.LINE;
public CircuitTracePlot2() {
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(PREF_W, PREF_H);
}
public void setPaintType(PaintType paintType) {
this.paintType = paintType;
repaint();
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
if (paintType == null) {
return;
}
switch (paintType) {
case LINE:
g.drawLine(drawX, drawY, drawWidth, drawHeight);
break;
case OVAL:
g.drawOval(drawX, drawY, drawWidth, drawHeight);
break;
case SQUARE:
g.drawRect(drawX, drawY, drawWidth, drawHeight);
default:
break;
}
}
private static void createAndShowGui() {
final CircuitTracePlot2 circuitTracePlot = new CircuitTracePlot2();
JFrame frame = new JFrame("CircuitTracePlot2");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.getContentPane().add(circuitTracePlot);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationByPlatform(true);
frame.setVisible(true);
int timerDelay = 2 * 1000;
new Timer(timerDelay , new ActionListener() {
private int paintTypeIndex = 0;
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {
paintTypeIndex++;
paintTypeIndex %= PaintType.values().length;
circuitTracePlot.setPaintType(PaintType.values()[paintTypeIndex]);
}
}).start();
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
createAndShowGui();
}
});
}
}
enum PaintType {
LINE, OVAL, SQUARE;
}

Here's a variation on your program that implements much of #Hovercraft's helpful advice. Try commenting out the call to setPaintType() to see the effect.
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
/** #see http://stackoverflow.com/a/15854246/230513 */
public class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
CircuitTracePlotView cr = new CircuitTracePlotView();
}
});
}
private static class CircuitTracePlotView extends JFrame {
private CircuitTracePlot plot = new CircuitTracePlot();
public CircuitTracePlotView() {
this.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
plot.setPaintType(CircuitTracePlot.OVAL);
this.add(plot, BorderLayout.CENTER);
this.pack();
this.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
this.setVisible(true);
}
}
private static class CircuitTracePlot extends JPanel {
public final static short LINE = 1;
public final static short OVAL = 2;
private int paintType;
public CircuitTracePlot() {
this.setBackground(Color.WHITE);
}
public void setPaintType(int paintType) {
this.paintType = paintType;
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
switch (paintType) {
case LINE:
g.drawLine(10, 10, 30, 30);
case OVAL:
g.drawOval(10, 20, 30, 30);
default:
g.drawString("Huh?", 5, 16);
}
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(250, 250);
}
}
}