Develop Reference

Java - Create a button from a shape

I am learning Java currently and have been given the assignmnet of finidhing off a program to create the game Conways's life (we started with some code provided to us and must add features etc to this).
I am currently stuck on a menu option for the game. I want it to start off at the menu screen, wherein buttons appear at the top for "Start", "Random", "Load", Save". I have written code so that the program displays these buttons, through a fillRect option in my paint method.
My question is, how do I use the mousePressed method to recognise the cells selected so that I can get an action to occur when they are selected. I been looking at this for a while but can't seem to get this working.
Any suggestion would be a massive help. I have shared my code below. It's a work in progress but I would really like to get this working before continuing on with the other functionality.
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.image.*;
public class ConwaysLife extends JFrame implements Runnable, MouseListener {
// member data
private BufferStrategy strategy;
private Graphics offscreenBuffer;
private boolean gameState[][] = new boolean[40][40];
private boolean isGameInProgress = false;
// constructor
public ConwaysLife () {
//Display the window, centred on the screen
Dimension screensize = java.awt.Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getScreenSize();
int x = screensize.width/2 - 400;
int y = screensize.height/2 - 400;
setBounds(x, y, 800, 800);
setVisible(true);
this.setTitle("Conway's game of life");
// initialise double-buffering
createBufferStrategy(2);
strategy = getBufferStrategy();
offscreenBuffer = strategy.getDrawGraphics();
// register the Jframe itself to receive mouse events
addMouseListener(this);
// initialise the game state
for (x=0;x<40;x++) {
for (y=0;y<40;y++) {
gameState[x][y]=false;
}
}
// create and start our animation thread
Thread t = new Thread(this);
t.start();
}
// thread's entry point
public void run() {
while ( 1==1 ) {
// 1: sleep for 1/5 sec
try {
Thread.sleep(200);
} catch (InterruptedException e) { }
// 2: animate game objects [nothing yet!]
/*if (isGameInProgress == false) {
this.repaint();
}*/
// 3: force an application repaint
this.repaint();
}
}
// mouse events which must be implemented for MouseListener
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {
while (!isGameInProgress) {
int x = e.getX()/20;
int y = e.getY()/20;
if(x >= 10 && x <= 80 && y >= 40 && y <= 65) {
isGameInProgress = !isGameInProgress;
this.repaint();
}
}
// determine which cell of the gameState array was clicked on
int x = e.getX()/20;
int y = e.getY()/20;
// toggle the state of the cell
gameState[x][y] = !gameState[x][y];
// request an extra repaint, to get immediate visual feedback
this.repaint();
}
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e) { }
public void mouseEntered(MouseEvent e) { }
public void mouseExited(MouseEvent e) { }
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) { }
//
// application's paint method
public void paint(Graphics g) {
Font font = new Font("Veranda", Font.BOLD, 20);
g = offscreenBuffer; // draw to off screen buffer
// clear the canvas with a big black rectangle
g.setColor(Color.BLACK);
g.fillRect(0, 0, 800, 800);
/*look to add a while game in progress loop here!!!*/
// draw menu options
if(!isGameInProgress) {
g.setColor(Color.green);
g.fillRect(10, 40, 70, 25);
g.fillRect(100, 40, 100, 25);
g.fillRect(300, 40, 170, 25);
g.setColor(Color.BLACK);
g.setFont(font);
g.drawString("Start", 15, 60);
g.drawString("Random", 105, 60);
g.drawString("Load", 305, 60);
g.drawString("Save", 395, 60);
}
// redraw all game objects
g.setColor(Color.WHITE);
for (int x=0;x<40;x++) {
for (int y=0;y<40;y++) {
if (gameState[x][y]) {
g.fillRect(x*20, y*20, 20, 20);
}
}
}
// flip the buffers
strategy.show();
}
// application entry point
public static void main(String[] args) {
ConwaysLife w = new ConwaysLife();
}
}

You're not going to like the answer, but it's the "correct" way to approach the problem.
What you need to understand is, Swing/AWT is using a "passive" rendering workflow and BufferStrategy is using a "active" rendering workflow, these are incompatible with each other.
As a general rule, you should not be overriding paint of top level containers like JFrame, this is going to end in no end of issues. Instead, you should be starting with something like JPanel and overriding it's paintComponent method instead.
Having said that, there's a "simpler" solution available to you. CardLayout. This will allow you to seperate the workflows of the menu from the game and resolve the issue between Swing/AWT and BufferStrategy
For example...
import java.awt.Canvas;
import java.awt.CardLayout;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Component;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.FontMetrics;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.GridBagConstraints;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
import java.awt.Insets;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.image.BufferStrategy;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
public final class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Main();
}
public Main() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
frame.add(new MainPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class MainPane extends JPanel {
enum View {
MENU, GAME;
}
private CardLayout cardLayout = new CardLayout();
private GamePane gamePane;
public MainPane() {
setLayout(cardLayout);
gamePane = new GamePane();
add(new MenuPane(new MenuPane.Observer() {
#Override
public void startNewGame() {
showGame();
}
#Override
public void randomGame() {
}
#Override
public void loadGame() {
}
#Override
public void saveGame() {
}
}), View.MENU);
add(gamePane, View.GAME);
}
protected void add(Component compent, View view) {
add(compent, view.name());
}
protected void showGame() {
show(View.GAME);
gamePane.start();
}
protected void showMenu() {
gamePane.stop();
show(View.MENU);
}
protected void show(View view) {
cardLayout.show(this, view.name());
}
}
public class MenuPane extends JPanel {
public interface Observer {
public void startNewGame();
public void randomGame();
public void loadGame();
public void saveGame();
}
private Observer observer;
public MenuPane(Observer observer) {
this.observer = observer;
JButton startButton = new JButton("Start");
JButton randomButton = new JButton("Random");
JButton loadButton = new JButton("Load");
JButton saveButton = new JButton("Save");
setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.ipadx = 10;
gbc.ipady = 10;
gbc.insets = new Insets(8, 8, 8, 8);
gbc.weightx = GridBagConstraints.REMAINDER;
add(startButton, gbc);
add(randomButton, gbc);
add(loadButton, gbc);
add(saveButton, gbc);
startButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
observer.startNewGame();
}
});
randomButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
observer.randomGame();
}
});
loadButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
observer.loadGame();
}
});
saveButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
observer.saveGame();
}
});
}
}
public class GamePane extends Canvas {
private Thread thread;
private volatile boolean isRunning = false;
public GamePane() {
setBackground(Color.BLACK);
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(800, 800);
}
protected void start() {
if (isRunning) {
return;
}
createBufferStrategy(3);
isRunning = true;
thread = new Thread(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
mainLoop();
}
});
thread.start();
}
protected void stop() {
if (!isRunning || thread == null) {
return;
}
isRunning = false;
try {
thread.join();
} catch (InterruptedException ex) {
}
thread = null;
}
protected void mainLoop() {
try {
while (isRunning) {
render();
Thread.sleep(16);
}
} catch (InterruptedException ex) {
}
}
protected void render() {
BufferStrategy strategy = getBufferStrategy();
if (strategy == null) {
return;
}
// Render single frame
do {
// The following loop ensures that the contents of the drawing buffer
// are consistent in case the underlying surface was recreated
do {
// Get a new graphics context every time through the loop
// to make sure the strategy is validated
Graphics graphics = strategy.getDrawGraphics();
FontMetrics fm = graphics.getFontMetrics();
String text = "All your game are belong to us";
int x = (getWidth() - fm.stringWidth(text)) / 2;
int y = (getHeight() - fm.getHeight()) / 2;
graphics.setColor(Color.WHITE);
graphics.drawString(text, x, y + fm.getAscent());
// Render to graphics
// ...
// Dispose the graphics
graphics.dispose();
// Repeat the rendering if the drawing buffer contents
// were restored
} while (strategy.contentsRestored());
// Display the buffer
strategy.show();
// Repeat the rendering if the drawing buffer was lost
} while (strategy.contentsLost());
}
}
}
I would strongly recommend that you take the time to read through:
Creating a GUI With Swing
A Visual Guide to Layout Managers
Performing Custom Painting
Painting in AWT and Swing
BufferStrategy and BufferCapabilities
JavaDocs for BufferStrategy which demonstrate how the API should be used.
A "fully" BufferStrategy based approach...
Now, if you can't use Swing, "for reasons", you can still achieve a simular concept using "delegation".
Basically this means "delegating" responsibility for performing some workflow to another. In this case, we want to delegate the rendering and the handling of the mouse events.
This allows you to have a dedicated workflow for the menu and a dedicated workflow for the game, without having to try and mix a lot of state.
Why do I keep on insisting on separating these two workflows? Simply, because it makes it MUCH easier to manage and reason about, but also because it supports the Single Responsibility Principle.
The follow example makes use of Renderable interface to define the core functionality that end "render" delegate will need to implement, in this case, it's pretty simple, we want to tell the renderer to "render" it's content on each paint pass and we want to (optionally) delegate mouse clicked events (this could be done via a second interface or even just the MouseListener interface directly, but I've made it a requirement of the Renderable interface for demonstration purposes.
The "basic" solution to your actual question is found through the use of Rectangle#contains(Point).
This basically inspects each "button" Rectangle to determine if the supplied MouseEvent occurs within it's bounds, if it does, we take action.
It is, however, a little more complicated then that, as we need to have the Rectangles built ahead of time, not difficult, but it's state which is actually reliant on the parent, as we need to know the area in which the renderer is been displayed, run the example, you'll see what I mean 😉
import java.awt.Canvas;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.FontMetrics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import java.awt.RenderingHints;
import java.awt.event.MouseAdapter;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.geom.RoundRectangle2D;
import java.awt.image.BufferStrategy;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
public final class Main {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Main();
}
public Main() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
MainPane mainPane = new MainPane();
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
frame.add(mainPane);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
mainPane.start();
}
});
}
public interface Renderable {
public void render(Graphics2D g2d, Dimension size);
// We could just extend from MouseListener
// but I don't need all those event handlers
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e);
}
public class MainPane extends Canvas {
private Thread thread;
private volatile boolean isRunning = false;
private Renderable currentRenderer;
private MenuRenderer menuRenderer;
private GameRenderer gameRenderer;
public MainPane() {
setBackground(Color.BLACK);
gameRenderer = new GameRenderer();
menuRenderer = new MenuRenderer(new MenuRenderer.Observer() {
#Override
public void startNewGame() {
showGame();
}
#Override
public void randomGame() {
}
#Override
public void loadGame() {
}
#Override
public void saveGame() {
}
});
showMenu();
addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
#Override
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) {
if (currentRenderer == null) {
return;
}
currentRenderer.mouseClicked(e);
}
});
}
protected void showMenu() {
// This may need to tell the game renderer to stop
// or pause
currentRenderer = menuRenderer;
}
protected void showGame() {
currentRenderer = gameRenderer;
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(800, 800);
}
protected void start() {
if (isRunning) {
return;
}
createBufferStrategy(3);
isRunning = true;
thread = new Thread(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
mainLoop();
}
});
thread.start();
}
protected void stop() {
if (!isRunning || thread == null) {
return;
}
isRunning = false;
try {
thread.join();
} catch (InterruptedException ex) {
}
thread = null;
}
protected void mainLoop() {
try {
while (isRunning) {
render();
Thread.sleep(16);
}
} catch (InterruptedException ex) {
}
}
protected void render() {
BufferStrategy strategy = getBufferStrategy();
if (strategy == null && currentRenderer != null) {
return;
}
// Render single frame
do {
// The following loop ensures that the contents of the drawing buffer
// are consistent in case the underlying surface was recreated
do {
// Get a new graphics context every time through the loop
// to make sure the strategy is validated
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) strategy.getDrawGraphics();
g2d.setBackground(Color.BLACK);
g2d.fillRect(0, 0, getWidth(), getHeight());
RenderingHints hints = new RenderingHints(
RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING, RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON
);
g2d.setRenderingHints(hints);
// Render to graphics
currentRenderer.render(g2d, getSize());
// Dispose the graphics
g2d.dispose();
// Repeat the rendering if the drawing buffer contents
// were restored
} while (strategy.contentsRestored());
// Display the buffer
strategy.show();
// Repeat the rendering if the drawing buffer was lost
} while (strategy.contentsLost());
}
}
public class GameRenderer implements Renderable {
#Override
public void render(Graphics2D g2d, Dimension size) {
FontMetrics fm = g2d.getFontMetrics();
String text = "All your game are belong to us";
int x = (size.width - fm.stringWidth(text)) / 2;
int y = (size.height - fm.getHeight()) / 2;
g2d.setColor(Color.WHITE);
g2d.drawString(text, x, y + fm.getAscent());
}
#Override
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) {
}
}
public class MenuRenderer implements Renderable {
public interface Observer {
public void startNewGame();
public void randomGame();
public void loadGame();
public void saveGame();
}
private Observer observer;
private String[] menuOptions = new String[]{
"New Game",
"Random",
"Load Game",
"Save Game"
};
private Rectangle[] menuBounds;
private int internalPadding = 20;
private int horizontalGap = 16;
public MenuRenderer(Observer observer) {
this.observer = observer;
}
#Override
public void render(Graphics2D g2d, Dimension size) {
if (menuBounds == null) {
createMenus(g2d, size);
}
renderMenus(g2d);
}
protected void createMenus(Graphics2D g2d, Dimension size) {
FontMetrics fm = g2d.getFontMetrics();
int totalHeight = (((fm.getHeight() + internalPadding) + horizontalGap) * menuOptions.length) - horizontalGap;
int buttonHeight = fm.getHeight() + internalPadding;
menuBounds = new Rectangle[menuOptions.length];
int buttonWidth = 0;
for (int index = 0; index < menuOptions.length; index++) {
int width = fm.stringWidth(menuOptions[index]) + internalPadding;
buttonWidth = Math.max(width, buttonWidth);
}
int yPos = (size.height - totalHeight) / 2;
for (int index = 0; index < menuOptions.length; index++) {
int xPos = (size.width - buttonWidth) / 2;
Rectangle menuRectangle = new Rectangle(xPos, yPos, buttonWidth, buttonHeight);
menuBounds[index] = menuRectangle;
yPos += buttonHeight + (horizontalGap / 2);
}
}
protected void renderMenus(Graphics2D g2d) {
for (int index = 0; index < menuOptions.length; index++) {
String text = menuOptions[index];
Rectangle bounds = menuBounds[index];
renderMenu(g2d, text, bounds);
}
}
protected void renderMenu(Graphics2D g2d, String text, Rectangle bounds) {
FontMetrics fm = g2d.getFontMetrics();
int textWidth = fm.stringWidth(text);
int textXPos = (bounds.x + (internalPadding / 2)) + ((bounds.width - internalPadding - textWidth) / 2);
int textYPos = bounds.y + (internalPadding / 2);
RoundRectangle2D buttonBackground = new RoundRectangle2D.Double(bounds.x, bounds.y, bounds.width, bounds.height, 20, 20);
g2d.setColor(Color.BLUE.darker());
g2d.fill(buttonBackground);
g2d.setColor(Color.WHITE);
g2d.drawString(text, textXPos, textYPos + fm.getAscent());
}
#Override
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) {
if (menuBounds == null) {
return;
}
for (int index = 0; index < menuOptions.length; index++) {
if (menuBounds[index].contains(e.getPoint())) {
switch (index) {
case 0:
observer.startNewGame();
break;
case 2:
observer.randomGame();
break;
case 3:
observer.loadGame();
break;
case 4:
observer.saveGame();
break;
}
}
}
}
}
}

Why does this attempt to animate my moving sprite work?

I'm trying to animate the sprite in my game when a button is pressed, but when I press the button, it skips the animation. Its supposed to go one pixel, change sprites, and then go one more pixel and change back. Here is the code
//for all
import java.nio.file.*;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.awt.image.*;
import java.net.*;
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import static java.lang.invoke.MethodHandles.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
//my Mario class (cut down a lot)
class Mario {
// all numbers multiplied by 2 from OG game
protected Direction dir;
protected int x, y;
protected BufferedImage sprite;
protected String currentSpriteName;
public Mario() {
this.x = 54;
this.y = 808;
dir = Direction.RIGHT;
setSprite(MVCE.SMALLSTANDFACERIGHT);
currentSpriteName = MVCE.SMALLSTANDFACERIGHT;
}
public void moveRight(){
if(this.dir == Direction.LEFT){
this.dir = Direction.RIGHT;
}
else if(this.dir == Direction.RIGHT){
this.x+=1;
}
}
public void animateMoveRight(){
if (currentSpriteName.equals(MVCE.SMALLSTANDFACERIGHT)){
setSprite(MVCE.SMALLWALKFACERIGHT);
}
else if (currentSpriteName.equals(MVCE.SMALLWALKFACERIGHT)){
setSprite(MVCE.SMALLSTANDFACERIGHT);
}
}
public void jump() {
this.y -= 46;
}
public void setSprite(String spriteName) {
URL spriteAtLoc = MVCE.urlGenerator(spriteName);
this.sprite = MVCE.generateAndFilter(sprite, spriteAtLoc);
}
public void getSprite(){
System.out.println(this.currentSpriteName);
}
public void paint(Graphics g) {
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g;
g2.drawImage(sprite, 0, 0, null); // DO NOT SET x and y TO ANYTHING,
// this sets 0,0 to top left!!
}
}
// my MarioRender class:
class MarioRender extends JLabel {
protected Mario marioSprite;
public MarioRender() {
marioSprite = new Mario();
}
public void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g;
marioSprite.paint(g2);
setBounds(marioSprite.x, marioSprite.y, marioSprite.sprite.getWidth(), marioSprite.sprite.getHeight());
}
public void moveMarioRight(){
marioSprite.moveRight();
marioSprite.animateMoveRight();
setLocation(this.marioSprite.getX(), this.marioSprite.getY());
repaint();
//this is my attempt to make it animate
marioSprite.moveRight();
marioSprite.animateMoveRight();
setLocation(this.marioSprite.getX(), this.marioSprite.getY());
repaint();
}
public void jumpMario() {
marioSprite.jump();
setLocation(this.marioSprite.x, this.marioSprite.y);
repaint();
}
}
// direction class, solely for moving
enum Direction {
LEFT, RIGHT
}
// my calling class, which I called MVCE where I make the frame
public class MVCE extends JFrame {
MarioRender m = new MarioRender();
JLabel bg;
public MVCE() {
bg = new JLabel();
this.setSize(868, 915);
this.setVisible(true);
this.add(bg, BorderLayout.CENTER);
bg.setLayout(null);
bg.add(m);
m.setBounds(m.marioSprite.x, m.marioSprite.y, m.marioSprite.sprite.getWidth(),
m.marioSprite.sprite.getHeight());
KeyListener kl = new MoveListener();
this.addKeyListener(kl);
this.setFocusable(true);
this.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
}
public static final String SMALLSTANDFACERIGHT = "SmallStandFaceRight.bmp"; // 30
// x
// 32
public static final String SMALLJUMPFACERIGHT = "SmallJumpFaceRight.bmp"; // 32
// x
// 32
// generate URL
public static URL urlGenerator(String name) {
URL u = lookup().lookupClass().getResource(name);
return u;
}
// return image with filtered color
public static BufferedImage generateAndFilter(BufferedImage b, URL u) {
try {
b = ImageIO.read(u);
int width = b.getWidth();
int height = b.getHeight();
int[] pixels = new int[width * height];
b.getRGB(0, 0, width, height, pixels, 0, width);
for (int i = 0; i < pixels.length; i++) {
// System.out.println(pixels[i]);
if (pixels[i] == 0xFFff00fe) {
pixels[i] = 0x00ff00fe;
}
}
BufferedImage newSprite = new BufferedImage(width, height, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB);
newSprite.setRGB(0, 0, width, height, pixels, 0, width);
b = newSprite;
} catch (IOException e) {
System.out.println("sprite not found");
e.printStackTrace();
}
return b;
}
// key listener
class MoveListener implements KeyListener {
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent k) {
if ((k.getKeyCode() == 39)) {
m.moveMarioRight();
///THIS IS SUPPOSED TO MOVE HIM 1, change sprite, and automatically move him back, it moves 2 pixels but no animation
}
if (k.getKeyCode() == 83) { // S key
m.marioSprite.setSprite(SMALLJUMPFACERIGHT);
m.jumpMario();
}
}
public void keyReleased(KeyEvent k) {
}
public void keyTyped(KeyEvent k) {
}
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
MVCE m = new MVCE();
}
}
I tried putting this between the calls to marioMoveRight():
try {
Thread.sleep(200);
} catch(InterruptedException ex) {
Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
}
but it just delays the whole thing. I had also tried using an ActionListener, but I don't know how to make it react only when the key is pushed. as I had it,
I had this class inside of MVCE:
class TickListener implements ActionListener{
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent a){
m.marioSprite.setSprite(Constants.SMALLWALKFACERIGHT);
repaint();
}
}
and this at the end of the MVCE constructor:
ActionListener ac = new TickListener();
final int DELAY = 1000;
Timer t = new Timer(DELAY, ac);
t.start();
but then, the Mario just moves automatically. I do not want to use a sprite sheet for this project, I am trying to do it as this guy did for SMB1.

Many problems, don't know which one or if any will fix the problem:
Don't use a KeyListener. If a component doesn't have focus the component won't receive the event. Instead use Key Bindings.
Don't use "==" to compare Objects. Instead you should be using the equals(...) method.
Don't override paintComponent. A painting method is for painting only. You should not be changing the bounds of the component in the painting method.
Do basic debugging (problem solving) before asking a question. A simple System.out.println(...) added to various methods will determine if the code is executing as you expect. Then when you ask a question you can ask a specific question telling us which block of code does not execute as you expect.

You never actually call the method animateMoveRight(), and if I understand correcly, that's what's changing the sprite. Also, I doubt that you see the sprite change when calling the same method twice in a row without any delay.
Try putting the animateMoveRight() method into the moveRight() or the moveMarioRight() method and, if neccessary because the animation is too fast, add your delay code back where you had it. Be careful not to let the main thread sleep, as this causes everything to freeze, so start another one or use a timer etc.
EDIT: Good timers
I'm not too familiar with the Timer class, so I end up using the Thread variant. There are many tutorials for that out there, just search for "java threads" or "java multithreading". This is IMO a solid tutorial you can check out.

How to get Key Events to work

I have been messing around with some java code, trying to get a better feel for how the language works, and I came up with this. I have been able to get the ball and frame to work, but I can't get it to move, or even run anymore. It says the last brace needs a semicolon after it, but when I add it, a lot of things become errors. The problem with running first arose when I tried to had the Key Listener, if that helps.
package com.edu4java.samplegame;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.RenderingHints;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
import java.awt.event.KeyListener;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
#SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class Main extends JPanel {
private static final int ScreenW = 1000;
private static final int ScreenH = 800;
private static final int S_Radius = 25;
private static final int S_X = 100;
private static final int S_Y = 100;
private static final int Step = 100;
private static int x = S_X; // x at center of the ball
private static int y = S_Y; // y at center of the ball
private static int radius = S_Radius; // radius of the ball
private void moveBall() {
/* x = x + 1;
y = y + 1;*/
}
KeyListener keyListener = new KeyListener() {
int keyCode = e.getKeyCode();{
switch( keyCode ) {
case KeyEvent.VK_UP:
x = x - Step;
break;
case KeyEvent.VK_DOWN:
x = x + Step;
break;
case KeyEvent.VK_LEFT:
y = y - Step;
break;
case KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT :
y = y + Step;
break;
}
};
#Override
public void paint(Graphics g) {
super.paint(g);
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g;
g2d.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING,
RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON);
g2d.fillOval(x, y, 30, 30);
}
public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException{
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Forgotten");
Main game = new Main();
frame.add(game);
frame.setSize(ScreenW, ScreenH);
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
while (true) {
game.moveBall();
game.repaint();
Thread.sleep(10);
}
}
}

You need to register the KeyListener
In your Main class, add a method to create and return a KeyListener (wrap what you have for the KeyListener). Then in main, register the listener, something like this:
frame.addKeyListener(main.getKeyListener());
Alternatively, you can make Main itself a KeyListener (Main implements KeyListener), implement the methods, then you just just use main:
frame.addKeyListener(main);

The JPanel is unable to use the 'KeyListener', id suggest you make a new class for the listener like this
public class keyListen implements KeyListener {
private Main g;
public keyListen(Main g) {
this.g = g;
}
#Override
public void keyTyped(KeyEvent e) {
//code
}
#Override
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e) {
// code
}
#Override
public void keyReleased(KeyEvent e) {
// code
}
}
once you have done that you need to register it in your main method as this
frame.addKeyListener(new keyListen(g));
I'm still confused myself as to why JPanel won't allow the KeyListener, but also a thing to notice is that using a Key event listener might not be the best idea!

How can I scroll more than one object at the same time?

New question was asked after this one, found here.
I'm new to Java, but I am working on a recreation of "Flappy Bird" to learn more about java and the way that graphics are displayed. Any solutions or suggestions to any of my questions is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Right now, my program makes a random pipe and scrolls it, but I don't need it to keep scrolling when x1-3 = -83 (this is when the pipe will be off of the screen completely and is no longer needed).
Questions
How can I make my Game.class scroll more than one instance of Pipes.class while adding a preset distance between them? I could find out the distance to put between them, but as far as displaying more than one, I'm not sure how to do that. At most, 3 pipes have to be displayed at the same time.
How can I display a panel for the main menu, and then switch to the pipes panel after a start button is pressed?
Classes
Game.java
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 Game {
Pipes panel = new Pipes();
public Game() {
JFrame f = new JFrame();
f.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
f.add(panel);
f.setTitle("Pipe Game");
f.setResizable(false);
f.pack();
f.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
f.setVisible(true);
Timer timer = new Timer(10, new ActionListener() { //pipe speed
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
panel.move();
}
});
timer.start();
Timer refresh = new Timer(30, new ActionListener() { //refresh rate
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
panel.repaint();
}
});
refresh.start();
}
public static void main(String args[]) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
new Game();
}
});
}
}
Pipes.java
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
public class Pipes extends JPanel {
//Declare and initialiaze variables
int x1 = 754; //xVal start
int x2 = 75; //pipe width
//total width is 83
int y1 = -1; //yVal start
int y2 = setHeightVal(); //pipe height
int gap = 130; //gap height
#Override
public void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
g.clearRect(0,0,750,500); //Clear screen
g.drawRect(x1,y1,x2,y2); //Draw part 1
g.drawRect(x1-3,y2-1,x2+6,25); //Draw part 2
g.drawRect(x1-3,y2+25+gap,x2+6,25); //Draw part 3
g.drawRect(x1,y2+25+gap+25,x2,500-y2-49-gap); //Draw part 4
}
public void move() {
x1--;
}
public int getMyX() { //To determine where the pipe is horizontally
return x1-3;
}
public int getMyY() { //To determine where the pipe is vertically
return y2+25;
}
public int setHeightVal() { //Get a random number and select a preset height
int num = (int)(9*Math.random() + 1);
int val = 0;
if (num == 9)
{
val = 295;
}
else if (num == 8)
{
val = 246;
}
else if (num == 7)
{
val = 216;
}
else if (num == 6)
{
val = 185;
}
else if (num == 5)
{
val = 156;
}
else if (num == 4)
{
val = 125;
}
else if (num == 3)
{
val = 96;
}
else if (num == 2)
{
val = 66;
}
else
{
val = 25;
}
return val;
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(751, 501);
}
}

"How can I make my Game.class scroll more than one instance of Pipes.class while adding a preset distance between them? "
Here's some simple logic. You want to use a data structure to hold you pipes. What this data structure will hold is whatever data is required to paint then, like x, y, coordinates. For this task, I prefer just to create a new class with it's own draw method, that I pass the paintComponent's Graphics context to. For example
public class Pipe {
int x;
int y;
public class Pipe(int x, int y) {
this.x = x;
this.y = y;
}
public void drawPipe(Graphics g) {
g.fillRect(x, y, 50, 100);
}
}
Now this is just an example class. The above only draws a rectangle, but this is just to show you what you should be doing.
So next you want to have the data structure to hold three Pipe objects, like an array. I prefer to use a List. You'll want that List in your Pipes class, and add three Pipe object to it. You can specify the x to be anything you like, to keep them the same distance apart
public class Pipes extends JPanel {
List<Pipe> pipes = new ArrayList<Pipe>();
public Pipes() {
pipes.add(new Pipe(50, 100));
pipes.add(new Pipe(150, 100));
pipes.add(new Pipe(250, 100));
}
}
Now in the paintComponent method, all you need to do is loop through them and use its drawPipe method
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
for ( Pipe pipe : pipes ){
pipe.drawPipe(g);
}
}
Now you move them all you need to do is move there x positions in the timer, and call repaint. You may also want to check against the x to make sure it doesn't do off the screen, or if you moving them the right, you could put them the the very left then whey go off the screen, like a conveyor belt. So you could do something like this
private static final int X_INC = 5;
...
Timer timer = new Timer(40, new ActionListener(){
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
for (Pipe pipe : pipes ){
if (pipe.x >= screenWidth) {
pipe.x = 0;
} else {
pipe.x += X_INC;
}
}
repaint();
}
});
As you can see, what I do is loop through the List and just change all their x coordinates, then repaint(). So you can create your own Pipe class with whatever values you need to paint, and just move them around in the loop.
For the changing of speed, instead of using a hard coded vakue like 10 for the timer, use a variable delay, that you can change like with the click of a button
int delay = 100;
JButton speedUp = new JButton("Speed UP");
JButton slowDown = new JButton("Slow Down");
Timer timer = null;
public Pipes() {
timer = new Timer(delay, new ActionListener(){
...
});
timer.start();
speedUp.addActionListener(new ActionListener(){
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if (!((delay - 20) < 0)) {
delay -=20;
timer.setDelay(delay);
}
}
});
// do the same for slowDown, but decrease the delay
}
Test this out
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Image;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.net.URL;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.logging.Level;
import java.util.logging.Logger;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import javax.swing.Timer;
public class Mario extends JPanel {
private static final int D_W = 800;
private static final int D_H = 300;
private static final int X_INC = 5;
BufferedImage bg;
BufferedImage pipeImg;
List<Pipe> pipes = new ArrayList<>();
int delay = 50;
Timer timer = null;
public Mario() {
try {
bg = ImageIO.read(new URL("http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7341/12338164043_0f68c73fe4_o.png"));
pipeImg = ImageIO.read(new URL("http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2882/12338452484_7c72da0929_o.png"));
} catch (IOException ex) {
Logger.getLogger(Mario.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex);
}
pipes.add(new Pipe(100, 150, pipeImg));
pipes.add(new Pipe(400, 150, pipeImg));
pipes.add(new Pipe(700, 150, pipeImg));
timer = new Timer(delay, new ActionListener(){
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
for (Pipe pipe : pipes) {
if (pipe.x > D_W) {
pipe.x = 0;
} else {
pipe.x += X_INC;
}
}
repaint();
}
});
timer.start();
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
g.drawImage(bg, 0, 0, getWidth(), getHeight(), this);
for (Pipe pipe : pipes) {
pipe.drawPipe(g);
}
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(D_W, D_H);
}
public class Pipe {
int x;
int y;
Image pipe;
public Pipe(int x, int y, Image pipe) {
this.x = x;
this.y = y;
this.pipe = pipe;
}
public void drawPipe(Graphics g) {
g.drawImage(pipe, x, y, 75, 150, Mario.this);
}
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Mario Pipes");
frame.add(new Mario());
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
}

Problems with Java's Paint method, ridiculous refresh velocity

I'm developing a very simple version of R-Type as work for the university, but despite it works, the craft velocity is a lot of slow, so the movement is ugly and clumsy.
I use the method repaint for refresh the screen, there are others methods or ways best than it?
Video of Movement
Paint method at main Panel
#Override
public void paint(Graphics g) {
super.paint(g);
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g;
g2.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING,
RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON);
g2.drawImage(fondo, 0, 0,1200,600,this);
pj.paint(g2);
g2D=g2;
}
PJ's paint method
public void paint(Graphics2D g) {
g.drawImage(imagen,x,y,this);
}
PJ's move method
public void move (KeyEvent e) {
int dx = 0; int dy = 0;
int code = e.getKeyCode();
switch (code) {
case KeyEvent.VK_Q: dy-=1; break;
case KeyEvent.VK_A: dy+=1; break;
case KeyEvent.VK_P: dx+=1; break;
case KeyEvent.VK_O: dx-=1; break;
}
int x = (getX()<maxX&&getX()!=0) ? getX()+dx : getX();
int y = (getY()<maxY&&getY()!=0) ? getY()+dy : getY();
if (getY()>=maxY||getY()==0) {
if (dy==+1) y=y+1;
}
setPosicion(x, y);
}

The image fondo should already be scaled to 1200x600.
I am not sure, but is super.paint(g) needed? You might also use paintComponent.
The event handling (you seem to be moving by 1 pixel on key down), must be done correctly. I would have set the direction and speed (1px), and leave it to a swing timer to do the continuous moving.
Repainting best is done resilient/flexible: repaint(20L) (50 frames per second);
events like key-down maybe with EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() { ... });.
Especially you might use repaint with the changed area.

You can find a great example of a similar program here. The example demonstrates creating a new thread and having that thread sleep every iteration through the main loop.
Here is another question about loading images for games in Java.
It looks like swing itself is pretty crummy for using images in games. You may want to consider using a more suitable library.

Below is simple example using a background as simple game loop. It updates the state of the game objects and calculates the required delay in order to maintain the required fps.
The game object (Ship) has the ability to accelerate/decelerate over a short period of time
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.KeyEvent;
import java.awt.geom.Path2D;
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.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class AnimationTest {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new AnimationTest();
}
public AnimationTest() {
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 GamePane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class GamePane extends JPanel {
private Ship ship;
public GamePane() {
ship = new Ship();
Thread thread = new Thread(new MainLoop(this));
thread.setDaemon(true);
thread.start();
InputMap im = getInputMap(WHEN_IN_FOCUSED_WINDOW);
ActionMap am = getActionMap();
// Key controls...
im.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_UP, 0, false), "upPressed");
im.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_DOWN, 0, false), "downPressed");
im.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_UP, 0, true), "upReleased");
im.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_DOWN, 0, true), "downReleased");
am.put("upPressed", new AbstractAction() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
// Change the direction...
ship.setDirection(-1);
// Accelerate by 1 per frame
ship.setVelocity(1);
}
});
am.put("downPressed", new AbstractAction() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
// Change direction
ship.setDirection(1);
// Accelerate by 1 per frame
ship.setVelocity(1);
}
});
am.put("upReleased", new AbstractAction() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
// Deccelerate by 1 per frame
ship.setVelocity(-1);
}
});
am.put("downReleased", new AbstractAction() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
// Deccelerate by 1 per frame
ship.setVelocity(-1);
}
});
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(200, 200);
}
public void updateState() {
// Update the state of the game objects.
// This would typically be better done in
// some kind of model
ship.update(getWidth(), getHeight());
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
// Paint the game state...
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
ship.paint(g2d);
g2d.dispose();
}
}
public class MainLoop implements Runnable {
private GamePane pane;
private int fps = 25;
public MainLoop(GamePane pane) {
this.pane = pane;
}
#Override
public void run() {
// Wait until the screen is ready
while (pane.getHeight() <= 0) {
try {
Thread.sleep(125);
} catch (InterruptedException ex) {
}
}
// Main loop
while (true) {
// Start time loop
long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
// Update the game state
pane.updateState();
// Calculate the amount of time it took to update
long elasped = System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime;
// Calculate the number of milliseconds we need to sleep
long sleep = Math.round((1000f / fps) - elasped);
pane.repaint();
if (sleep > 0) {
try {
Thread.sleep(sleep);
} catch (InterruptedException ex) {
}
}
}
}
}
public static class Ship {
public static int MAX_SPEED = 8;
private int direction = 0;
private int velocity = 0;
private int x;
private int y;
private int speed = 0;
private Path2D shape;
private boolean initState;
public Ship() {
shape = new Path2D.Float();
shape.moveTo(0, 0);
shape.lineTo(5, 5);
shape.lineTo(0, 10);
shape.lineTo(0, 0);
shape.closePath();
initState = true;
}
public void setDirection(int direction) {
this.direction = direction;
}
public void setVelocity(int velocity) {
this.velocity = velocity;
}
public void update(int width, int height) {
if (initState) {
y = (height - 10) / 2;
initState = false;
} else {
// Add the velocity to the speed
speed += velocity;
// Don't over accelerate
if (speed > MAX_SPEED) {
speed = MAX_SPEED;
} else if (speed < 0) {
speed = 0;
}
// Adjust out position if we're moving
if (speed > 0) {
y += (direction * speed);
}
// Bounds check...
if (y - 5 < 0) {
y = 5;
} else if (y + 5 > height) {
y = height - 5;
}
}
}
public void paint(Graphics2D g2d) {
int yPos = y - 5;
g2d.translate(10, yPos);
g2d.fill(shape);
g2d.translate(-10, -yPos);
}
}
}