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();
}

Ball doesn't move; Thread?

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

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

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

What is the correct way to use createBufferStrategy()?

Even after using Java Swing for over a year, it still seems like magic to me. How do I correctly use a BufferStrategy, in particular, the method createBufferSrategy()?
I would like to have a JFrame and a Canvas that gets added to it and then painted. I would also like to be able to resize (setSize()) the Canvas. Every time I resize the Canvas it seems my BufferStrategy gets trashed or rather, turns useless, since using show() on the BufferStrategy does not actually do anything. Also, createBufferStrategy() has a weird non-deterministic behaviour and I don't know how to synchronize it correctly.
Here's what I mean:
public class MyFrame extends JFrame {
MyCanvas canvas;
int i = 0;
public MyFrame() {
setUndecorated(false);
setVisible(true);
setSize(1100, 800);
setLocation(100, 100);
setDefaultCloseOperation(EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
canvas = new MyCanvas();
add(canvas);
canvas.makeBufferStrat();
}
#Override
public void repaint() {
super.repaint();
canvas.repaint();
//the bigger threshold's value, the more likely it is that the BufferStrategy works correctly
int threshold = 2;
if (i < threshold) {
i++;
canvas.makeBufferStrat();
}
}
}
MyCanvas has a method makeBufferStrat() and repaint():
public class MyCanvas extends Canvas {
BufferStrategy bufferStrat;
Graphics2D g;
public MyCanvas() {
setSize(800, 600);
setVisible(true);
}
public void makeBufferStrat() {
createBufferStrategy(2);
//I'm not even sure whether I need to dispose() those two.
if (g != null) {
g.dispose();
}
if (bufferStrat != null) {
bufferStrat.dispose();
}
bufferStrat = getBufferStrategy();
g = (Graphics2D) (bufferStrat.getDrawGraphics());
g.setColor(Color.BLUE);
}
#Override
public void repaint() {
g.fillRect(0, 0, 100, 100);
bufferStrat.show();
}
}
I simply call MyFrame's repaint() method from a while(true) loop in the main method.
When threshold is small (i.e. 2), bufferStrat.show() in about 70% of all cases doesn't do anything - the JFrame just remains gray upon starting the program. The remaining 30% it paints the rectangle how it's supposed to. If I do threshold = 200;, the painting succeeds close to 100% of the time I execute the program. Javadoc says that createBufferStrategy() may take a while, so I assume that's the issue here. However, how do I synchronize and use it properly? Clearly, I'm doing something wrong here. I can't imagine that's how it's supposed to be used.
Does anyone have a minimal working example?

The way you create the BufferStrategy is "okay", you could have a look at the JavaDocs for BufferStrategy which has a neat little example.
The way you're using it, is questionable. The main reason for using a BufferStrategy is because you want to take control of the painting process (active painting) away from Swing's painting algorithm (which is passive)
BUT, you seem to trying to do both, which is why it's causing your issues. Instead, you should have a "main" loop which is responsible for deciding what and when the buffer should paint, for example...
import java.awt.Canvas;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import java.awt.event.MouseAdapter;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.image.BufferStrategy;
import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicBoolean;
import java.util.logging.Level;
import java.util.logging.Logger;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
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();
}
TestPane testPane = new TestPane();
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(testPane);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
// The component needs to be attached to displayed window before
// the buffer can be created
testPane.startPainting();
}
});
}
public class TestPane extends Canvas {
private AtomicBoolean painting = new AtomicBoolean(true);
private PaintCycle paintCycle;
private Rectangle clickBounds;
public TestPane() {
addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
#Override
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) {
if (clickBounds != null && clickBounds.contains(e.getPoint())) {
painting.set(false);
}
}
});
}
public void startPainting() {
if (paintCycle == null) {
createBufferStrategy(2);
painting.set(true);
paintCycle = new PaintCycle();
Thread t = new Thread(paintCycle);
t.setDaemon(true);
t.start();
}
}
public void stopPainting() {
if (paintCycle != null) {
painting.set(false);
}
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(200, 200);
}
public class PaintCycle implements Runnable {
private BufferStrategy strategy;
private int xDelta = 2;
private int yDelta = 2;
#Override
public void run() {
System.out.println("Painting has started");
int x = (int) (Math.random() * (getWidth() - 40));
int y = (int) (Math.random() * (getHeight() - 40));
do {
xDelta = (int) (Math.random() * 8) - 4;
} while (xDelta == 0);
do {
yDelta = (int) (Math.random() * 8) - 4;
} while (yDelta == 0);
clickBounds = new Rectangle(x, y, 40, 40);
strategy = getBufferStrategy();
while (painting.get()) {
// Update the state of the model...
update();
// Paint the state of the model...
paint();
try {
// What ever calculations you want to use to maintain the framerate...
Thread.sleep(40);
} catch (InterruptedException ex) {
}
}
System.out.println("Painting has stopped");
}
protected void update() {
int x = clickBounds.x + xDelta;
int y = clickBounds.y + yDelta;
if (x + 40 > getWidth()) {
x = getWidth() - 40;
xDelta *= -1;
} else if (x < 0) {
x = 0;
xDelta *= -1;
}
if (y + 40 > getHeight()) {
y = getHeight() - 40;
yDelta *= -1;
} else if (y < 0) {
y = 0;
yDelta *= -1;
}
clickBounds.setLocation(x, y);
}
protected void paint() {
// 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 graphics = (Graphics2D) strategy.getDrawGraphics();
// Render to graphics
// ...
graphics.setColor(Color.BLUE);
graphics.fillRect(0, 0, getWidth(), getHeight());
graphics.setColor(Color.RED);
graphics.fill(clickBounds);
// 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());
}
}
}
}
You should also remember, Swing's been using either DirectX or OpenGL pipelines since about 1.4 (or maybe 1.5). The main reasons for using BufferStrategy are more direct access to the hardware (which Swing is pretty close to anyway) AND direct control over the painting process (which is now really the only reason to use it)

Updating JFrame

I have two classes which I use to paint a JFrame (see below).
I am trying to refresh the content so it gives the impression of the points randomly "moving". (Ie: Repainting fast enough)
Ideally, I would then like to pass in some parameters to specify at which coordinates the points should appear. However, all I get is a static image.
Any advice?
package uk.me.dariosdesk.dirtydemo;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.util.Random;
class DrawPanel extends JPanel {
private void doDrawing(Graphics g) {
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g;
g2d.setColor(Color.blue);
for (int i = 0; i <= 1000; i++) {
Dimension size = getSize();
Insets insets = getInsets();
int w = size.width - insets.left - insets.right;
int h = size.height - insets.top - insets.bottom;
Random r = new Random();
int x = Math.abs(r.nextInt()) % w;
int y = Math.abs(r.nextInt()) % h;
g2d.drawLine(x, y, x, y);
}
g2d.fillRect(200, 250, 200, 250);
}
#Override
public void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
doDrawing(g);
}
}
And
package uk.me.dariosdesk.dirtydemo;
import javax.swing.*;
public class PointsExample extends JFrame {
public PointsExample() {
initUI();
}
public final void initUI() {
DrawPanel dpnl = new DrawPanel();
add(dpnl);
setSize(500, 500);
setTitle("Points");
setLocationRelativeTo(null);
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
PointsExample ex = new PointsExample();
ex.setVisible(true);
for(int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
try {
Thread.sleep(1000);
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
ex.repaint();
}
}
});
}
}

"all I get is a static image" is very light on details. But I think LuxxMiner is right, Thread.Sleep on your Event Dispatch Thread is a bad idea. What's more, the Runnable never exits for 1000 seconds. So you are blocking the EDT for 1000 seconds.
What repaint Component.repaint does (emphasis mine):
If this component is a lightweight component, this method causes a call to this component's paint method as soon as possible. Otherwise, this method causes a call to this component's update method as soon as possible.
This already signals that this method posts a message to the dispatch thread, which you are blocking with Thread.Sleep. What you can do instead is use a Swing Timer to ask for a repaint every second:
In general, we recommend using Swing timers rather than general-purpose timers for GUI-related tasks because Swing timers all share the same, pre-existing timer thread and the GUI-related task automatically executes on the event-dispatch thread.

Issues with adding images to JFrames

I have been trying to load imageicons into a jframe. I have no idea why this code doesn't work. I have tried using jpanels and jlabels, and also other ways of loading images, but those don't work either. I think because of this it has something to do with my JFrame that I set up . I would like to stay away from jpanels and jlabels, because at least as far as my knowledge goes, they cannot be scaled. If anyone has a solution to adding the images, please tell me. here is the code:
import java.awt.Canvas;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.ImageIcon;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
import java.awt.Graphics;
public class Base extends Canvas implements Runnable {
private static final long serialVersionUID = 001;
private Image rock1;
private Image rock2;
private Image wood1;
private Thread thread;
private boolean running = (false);
private boolean paused = (false);
int x = 0;
int y = 0;
int z = 512;
private void start() {
if (running)
return;
running = true;
thread = new Thread(this);
}
public void run(){}
public Base(){}
public static void main(String[] Args) {
Base game = new Base();
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
frame.add(game);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setSize(800, 600);
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setResizable(false);
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setTitle("Game");
System.out.println("Running...");
game.start();
game.loadPics();
}
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e) {
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_A) {
x = x - 5;
}
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_D) {
x = x + 5;
}
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_SPACE) {
y = y - 5;
}
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_SHIFT) {
y = y + 5;
}
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_W) {
z = z + 5;
}
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_S) {
z = z - 5;
}
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_ESCAPE) {
paused = (true);
}
}
public void loadPics(){
rock1 = new ImageIcon("C\\...\\rock1.png").getImage();
rock2 = new ImageIcon("C\\...\\rock2.png").getImage();
wood1 = new ImageIcon("C\\....\\wood1.png").getImage();
repaint();
}
public void paint(Graphics g){
while(paused = false){
g.drawImage(rock1, x, y, z, z, this);
g.drawImage(rock2, x + 512, y, z, z, this);
g.drawImage(wood1, x, y + 512, z, z, this);
try{
Thread.sleep(16);
}catch(Exception e){}
g.dispose();
}
}
}
Again, I think the problem lies with my JFrame, but I can't be too sure since I am not the most experienced java programmer. Anyway, if you know a solution or what to change, please help.

This statement
while (paused = false){
will always evaluate to false as you're using an assignment expression, so the subsequent calls to drawImage won't occur. You probably meant to use the == operator to compare the primitive boolean value:
while (paused == false){
Don't use paint, Use paintComponent from a subclassed JComponent
Don't call Thread.sleep in any paint method. Swing has its own concurrency mechanisms. Instead of calling Thread.sleep here, you could use a Swing Timer to periodically perform graphical updates.
Aside from that, AWT are heavyweight components are don't render well with lightweight Swing components. Use Key Bindings rather than Key Listeners for Swing applications.

I have had many recurring problems like this and have developed a way to solve this.
First of all, your public class Base needs to be double buffered. Change method paint(Graphics g) to paintComponent(Graphics g). Add a new paint(Graphics g) method and add this code:
public void paint(Graphics g) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub (IGNORE!!!)
dbi = createImage (getWidth(),getHeight());
dbg = dbi.getGraphics();
paintComponent(dbg);
g.drawImage(dbi , 0 , 0 , this);
}
And at the top of public class Base, add these variables:
private Image dbi;
private Graphics dbg;
This automatically calls paintComponent(Graphics g) and has completed the first step.
Next, remove the try statement in paintComponent() and write this in run()
#Override
public void run() {
try {
while (true) {
Thread.sleep(5); // we want this so the computer doesn't go too fast
}
} catch (Exception e) { // Never have an empty catch statement
System.out.println ("Error! stacktrace: ");
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
The #Override annotation has to be there or it will not repaint.
The next part is crititcal:
before anything else, put super.paint(g); at the top of paintComponent(Graphics g)
and repaint(); at the bottom.
This should have solved it, but there are some potential problems I found;
JFrame initialization
public Base(){
add(game);
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
setSize(800, 600);
setLocationRelativeTo(null);
setResizable(false);
setVisible(true);
setTitle("Game");
start();
loadPics();
}
public static void main(String[] Args) { // Makes game smoother
Base base = new Base ();
Thread t = new Thread (base);
t.start();
}
Remove private void start() as this does not affect game play.
Check the file directories, as they may be incorrect. Hint: C\ doesn't cut it. It's C:\
Hope it works out and happy coding!