I have created a Node (AnchorPane) in the JavaFX scene builder and was wondering how to clone it.
I saw Duplicate/Clone Node in JavaFX 2.0 but I need to clone the Node without re-loading the fxml.
Is there any way to achieve this in JavaFX 2?
You can place the component that needs to be duplicated in a separate .fxml file.
Then you can load the separate file as many times as needed adding the nodes to the appropriate root in the main scene.
Additionally you can edit an <fx:include source="..."/> element to the main .fxml file and include the separate .fxml file. You can then still work with it in the JavaFX Builder.
There is no such node duplication function in the JavaFX platform, you will need to write your own which introspects on the properties of the node you are interested in cloning and creates a new node with the required properties.
Using an fxml template for the node definition is probably the easiest way to do this for node's with static initialization properties - but then, as you state in your question, you don't want to use fxml for this, so you'll have to code your cloning logic in Java.
Related
What is meant by the word "Node" within context of JavaFx/FXML? If I search for this question, all I find are people using the term discussing something else, but no explanation. For example, this answer to the question: How do I open the JavaFX FileChooser from a controller class?:
For any node in your scene (for example, the root node; but any node
you have injected with #FXML will do), do
chooser.showOpenDialog(node.getScene().getWindow());
What would the node be, and how for that matter would I "inject it with #FXML"?
Before you understand what a Node is, it is also important to first of all understand what a Scene Graph is in JavaFX.
JavaFX applications consist of a Stage and a Scene or several scenes. The stage being the top-level container of your application. The Scene(s) on the other hand, contains all the content (User Interface elements) of your application (if your application has only one "page") or the content of one of the "pages" of your application, and exists in/on a stage. (To be clear here, by page I mean what the user interacts with, for instance, a login page.)
The Scene Graph is a graphical illustration of how all the stuff in your scene are laid out. This graph is represented in the form of a tree data structure.
A Node is an item in the scene graph.
I think this image explains this clearly.
Example of a Node is a Control, which is anything that can be manipulated by the user E.g., TextField, Button, TextArea
Photo Credit
A Node is the abstract superclass of the graphical elements the scenegraph are "made of".
Some examples of classes inheriting from Node:
TextField
AnchorPane
Canvas
Group
VBox
Button
Label
...
Injecting a Node with the FXMLLoader id done this way:
Create a field in the controller associated with the fxml with a appropriate type (i.e. any type the element you want to inject can be assigned to). This field must be accessible by the FXMLLoader which means it has to be public or annotated with the #FXML annotation.
Add the id attribute from the fxml namespace (most likely using the prefix fx) to the element in the fxml file that should be injected. The value of that attribute is the name of the field in the controller.
Example
fxml
....
<TextField fx:id="myTextField" ....>
....
Controller
....
#FXML
private TextField myTextField;
....
The FXMLLoader uses this information to assign the object it creates for that fxml element to the field before the controller's initialize method is called.
A full example/extendend tutorial including injection can be can be found here: https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/javafx/fxml-tutorial/fxml_tutorial_intermediate.htm#JFXMG153
This is an old question, but it is answered abstractly. "What is a node?" and "in order to understand what is a node you must first understand what is a scene-graph". A node is the highest level abstract class from which nearly all that is graphically displayed in a GUI, is derived. Its super class is Object. In the image displayed by Ojonugwa Ochalifu there is one stage that contains one scene which contains several nodes that contain other nodes. The image shown of a GUI begs the question "How is this created?".
For general understanding here are the JavaDocs for Stage, Scene, and EventTarget.
In javafx doc Stage https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/javafx/api/javafx/stage/Stage.html
and Scene https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/javafx/api/javafx/scene/Scene.html
Both Stage and Scene inherit the same interface, EventTarget as well as Pane, and Control and a long list of classes. https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/javafx/api/javafx/event/EventTarget.html
I also recommend looking at the source code for classes that you are using. It will help provide insight into the behavior of classes that inherit from node. For example, JavaFX documentation mentions that a bug could exist when displaying an Image. Ensuring that this bug does not occur in a UI requires thorough testing. Other insight such as how to access the graph with multi-threaded techniques requires understanding the "how" and "What" a class uses.
The Scene-Graph is contained by the Stage and is comprised of any subclass of node. Some nodes such as Panes may have children. A child is still a node. Children are contained in a structure which may contain other nodes that may also have children. Thus the graph is much like a multi-dimensional array or non-binary tree. It's also important to understand that: The Scene-Graph is a Non-Directional Graph meaning that a child can access its parent; a child can have only one parent; but can have an unlimited number of children. The getParent() method provides access to a nodes parent.
Image of scene-graph
Note that essentially the graph structure is a multi-dimensional array. Or in other words, an array that may contain either other arrays of items that inherit from Node, or Nodes such as ImageViews, Buttons, etc. Array like Nodes are Panes, Canvas's etc... which may contain other nodes.
This is important to understand when it comes to test automation & reliably assuring that a UI is displaying what it should show.
A good book to get started with JavaFX is "Learn JavaFX 8" by Kishori Sharan. https://www.amazon.com/Learn-JavaFX-Building-Experience-Interfaces/dp/148421143X/ref=asc_df_148421143X/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584413736126928&psc=1
I am currently working on some GUI using JavaFX and JavaFX Scene Builder. I've met an issue and it is not that easy to find a solution for it (at least for me). I'd would like to get something like this:
http://i.imgur.com/oN4mIVl.png
And the point is that after click on the TreeItem "Sample" only the right side of the window will reload. I would like to do it also using fxml files.
I know that I can include one fxml in another but that's not the solution. There might be a lot of TreeItems, and every TreeItem should load another pane configured by another FXML.
Can you guys at least steer me on the good track, please?
(Sorry the image is in link but I do not have 10 reps yet as I'm new here...)
Have you tried to load the node and setting the node on the right?
Node root = FXMLLoader.load(getClass().getClassLoader().getResource("fxml/yourfxml.fxml"));
borderPane.setRight(root);
I have an fxml file that references a css file. When I load this fxml and set it as the root of my scene, the css is applied nicely.
However when I create a custom Region (with getChildren made public), and add the loaded fxml node to it, no css is applied anymore.
The css only uses style classes.
What am I missing here?
/edit
I worked around it by using the approach described here:
http://www.guigarage.com/2012/11/custom-ui-controls-with-javafx-part-1
It doesn't answer my initial problem but I guess it's a better way of working anyway.
If someone can still explain the behavior of my original question, I'd be happy to hear it.
The problem was that I used the static load(...) method instead of the instance load method from the created FXMLLoader object.
I was wondering if there is a simple way to clone elements in FXML (such as textboxes) to display them more then one time.
Following situation:
I have a TabView and want to display on the first Tab elements X, on the second Tab elements Y and on the third Tab I want to display X and Y.
Dublicating the same fx:id is not allowed (Netbeans says) and exporting X and Y in different .fxml files, so that I just include them twice, neither works. Thats another problem.
How would you solve this ?
Make a new component with its own FXML. Then you can just include as many as you want.
One way to achieve this is to implement a custom java class that extends a javafx component (Pane or VBox for instance), then in the constructor of this class you load the FXML of its layout. With FXMLLoader you set the controller and root as the current component and you use the fx:root tag in FXML.
You'll have a component with a java class which will be the root and controller of its own FXML.
I would generally suggest splitting the whole .FXML into 3 different pieces which can be maintained seperately.
TabView, SplitPanes and all containers like this should be in a standalone FXML and each new pane in another one. In your case:
TabView = 1 FXML
Tab 1 = 1 FXML
Tab 2 = 1 FXML
You can export them in that way, but the elements need a container like HBox or something simple (like the Pane you need to create when you start SceneBuilder or your root Parent)
JAVA's abstraction is somehow brought out by allowing us to create a JFrame (and save it in its own .JAVA file) and populate it with different kinds of objects such as JPanels, JTextFields ... (saved in different files) if and when needed by using the remove(), add(), validate(), repaint() methods.
I'm trying to move my JAVA project to JAVA-FX due its great flexibility in design via JavaFX Scene Builder and css. Are there any equivalents to the above methods here (In JAVA-FX)? Is there a way I could create a Pane or a Label ... and save it in its own file as it waits to replace onother Pane with its own child Nodes (and saved in its own file) on the Stage later when it's called via an action, such as a button click?
Would really appreciate any help. Sample code enumerating the above could help also.
Thank you all in advance.
Your's trully, Complete JAVA-FX Newbie.
In a regular JavaFX application, there is only one primary stage and its one scene. Create your FXML file (optionally with its controller) containing any JavaFX node and load this file on button action using FXMLoader. Then you can use the loaded node as a root of scene;
scene.setRoot(MYNode) (though only Parent can be set as root)
or add it to subtree of root node as a child;
if you know the substructure: scene.getRoot().getChildren().get(3).getChildren().add(MYNode);
if you know the id: scene.lookup("myPane").getChildren().add(MYNode);
The same logic applies to another FXML file(s) being loaded in another action event.