Tooltips in my application can be quite long, therefore I'd like them to have line breaks.
I don't want to use html as I'd prefer to set a (max) width of my tooltips instead and have the line breaks dynamically.
In the accepted answer the this similar question Multi-line tooltips in Java? I read about JMultiLineToolTip. Unfortunately the provided link doesn't work anymore and there are many different JMultiLineToolTip out there. Therefore my two questions:
Which JMultiLineToolTip is a good one to use?
How can I use such a class to represent all of the tooltips in my application?
EDIT: as everyone seems to recommend the use of html, is there a way to define the width of my tooltip in pixels (or some other unit than number of characters) using html?
If you are not afraid of extending swing tool tip, you can create your own JMultiLineToolTip:
Extend JTooltip In the extended Tool tip component implementation,
set a custom tool tip UI In customUI implementation
Implementpaint() method to write given string in multi line
Here is an example - it shows how to use it as well
However, to answer your questions:
Which JMultiLineToolTip is a good one to use?
Use <html>
How can I use such a class to represent all of the tooltips in my application?
Per compopnent, it is easy but tedious to achieve as you will have to override creatreToolTip() API. But if you want to change it globally, you may:
(i)Simple way - Register your custom tooltip UI with the UIManager at the beginning of your execution.
UIManager.put( "ToolTipUI", "SeNormToolTipUI" );
UIManager.put( "SeNormToolTipUI",Class.forName( multiLineToolTipUIClassName ) );
(ii) complex way
You will have to start implementing your own look and feel. In the look and feel implementation, you would provide defaults for ToolTipUI as your UI implementation and then set that look and feel to the application you are running. For instance take a look at the MetalLookAndFeel implementation. You may just extend that part and implement your on lnf.
So, it is better to use <html>
1) Html is easiest of ways for plain JToolTip
2) use JWindow(un_decorated JDialog) with JTextArea, better would be JTextPane (supporting stylled text),
the disadvantage is you have to manually set window to the Point, you have to manually set for setInitialDelay and setDismissDelay (Swing Timer), setVisible(true/false)
the advantage is that you using full manageable top level container with definitions for own parent
3) I use JLabel with Html formatted and stylled text added to the GlassPane, notice easiest alternative is use non_opaque JLayeredPane (Java6) or JLayer (Java7)
Related
I have a Swing custom control which serves an almost identical function to a JLabel. It's not accessible by default for people who use assistive technology, like a screen reader. I'm working on the Megamek GitHub Project, and trying to figure out how to associate the PMSimpleLabel class with other objects, as in the JLabel class's setLabelFor method.
The approach taken so far seems to be to more or less ape the JLabel's accessibility implementation. I'm not sure if this is the right way to go about it, there seem to be some elements in the latter I'm not understanding.
The problem turns out to be largely because of the custom components. The AccessibleJComponent class has a fallback mechanism to name controls which don't ohterwise have accessible names, but this is hard-coded to look for a JLabel and not a custom label class.
There are a few work-arounds for this, such as modifying the get/setAccessibleName methods, or switching to using the accessible description instead.
The solution in the long term is probably to use regular Swing components where possible
I want to set web look and feel only for a JCombobox in NetBeans.
Image :
Generally speaking in Swing you can't set the look and feel for any specific component but for the whole set of them. See How to Set the Look and Feel.
On the other hand, WebLaF provides extensions for Swing components that have a custom "Look" on their own with no need to set the Look and Feel to WebLaF for the entire application. In this case, instead of using a JComboBox you can use WebComboBox which is an extension of the previous one. However this custom look is limited and some features such as font (size, weight and family), renderers, pop ups, etc. don't change and still the same of the configured look and feel. So I wouldn't suggest you to do this at all and keep consistency either by setting WebLaf as Look and Feel or by using standard Swing components.
Consider the pictures below (note WebList is broken with Nimbus):
MetalLookAndFeel
NimbusLookAndFeel
WindowsLookAndFeel
WebLookAndFeel
Just add this after you set whatever default Swing UI you want and then you will get the WebComboBoxUI for all JComboBoxes only.
UIManager.put("ComboBoxUI", "com.alee.laf.combobox.WebComboBoxUI");
I thought it would be nice if I gave the user the ability to choose and switch between "themes" (L&Fs). I'd give him a choice between Java metal (default), System default, and maybe a couple more I'll download from the internet...
My application is also bilingual (you can pick between two languaes to be displayed).
However, it's important for my application to be fully translated. I can handle the simple stuff, naming JLabels, JButtons, titles of frames, etc...
But there are also some predefined components whoose string I cannot manage as easely (e.g. JFileChooser). I was told that I could change them using the UIManager, but that their strings are L&F specific.
Now, regardless to how much fun would be translating my application for each and every L&F, I hope there is some centralised way of controlling those strings.
After all, JFileChoose (e.g.) is the same component, no matter the L&F that is used, right?
It prints text on the same parts of itself, no?
So, there should be something I could access that would grant me "master" control over the text that is printed onto the predefined components, I assume...
Any ideas?
not easy job,
have to read Modifying the Look and Feel
most important is Changing the Look and Feel After Startup
have to accept that you have to override value for Keys into UIManeger too, NOTICE about one of Look and Feel
is possible that different L&F have got various Fonts and Colors for concrete JComponents, multiply by Native OS
in some cases is important if you'll to change Color or ColorUIResources (Font or FontUIResources)
JFileChooser is compound JComponents, you can to extract its members,
best place to start could be this idea,
Nimbus Look and Feel lives with own life
I have tons of jbuttons, jtextfields, jlabels, jmenus, gui items and it is extremely time consuming to set the background color and foreground color one at a time.
I want to be able to color the fonts(foreground) and backgrounds all the jmenus, jmenuitems,jtextfields,jbuttons, etc quickly/concisely in my project instead of having to set them one at a time.
Is there any technique to do this more concisely instead of doing it one at a time?
1) most eficient way would be to use Custom Look and Feel, part of them have got a nice Themes
2) set value to the UIDefault, Listing UIDefault Properties
EDIT:
best of all UIManager Defaults by #camickr
You can combine Swing with CSS or use a Swing Look & Feel in order to create a standard look for your components. The Java site says:
Before we get into a CSS implementation, let's consider the alternative: a custom look and feel. Swing Look and Feels (L&Fs) are sets of classes that implement the actual drawing of components at a very low level (think lines and bitmaps). They can be swapped out for new ones at runtime, often to implement the look of a native platform; i.e., the JDK for OSX has a set of classes that make Swing apps look like native Aqua apps, with candy buttons and blue tint. Custom L&Fs are powerful, but not trivial or quick to build. You will usually have to touch 20 or so classes and implement a whole bunch of special drawing code.
So CSS is easier to use. The same article goes on to give a tutorial about how to implement the CSS with Swing. They provide a nice walkthrough of creating the right rules and then going on to implement them in CSS. However, this is not simply "copy and paste" code.
If you'd just like to use a package (without having to code it yourself) the answers to the question Can I use CSS for Java Swing? suggest Flying Saucer and Jaxx.
They're all JComponents so you can make an ArrayList of everything:
//Adding everything to the ArrayList
ArrayList<JComponent> myComponents = new ArrayList<JComponents>();
JButton b1 = new JButton("Button 1");
myComponents.add(b1);
JMenuItem item = new JMenuItem("Menu Item 1");
myComponents.add(item);
//Coloring the foreground/background
for(JComponent j : myComponents) {
j.setForeground(new Color("BLUE"));
j.setBackground(new Color("RED"));
}
If you use a Look and Feel that honors the UI constants in javax.swing.UIManager then you can just set them. There are values for e.g. panel background. If not or if you can't control the look enough by this you can write you own UI delegate that draws a specific component (e.g. javax.swing.plaf.ButtonUI for JButtons). If even this is not enough you can write your own Look And Feel. If you just extend the Metal LnF it is not that hard, you would write own UI delegates and set properties, like above, but centralized.
Below UI is something I'd like to aim for. But I have no idea, how they have the "skin" of the app. On my end, the Java application looks like it was made in 1990s. I want to change a look to a more modern style.
What components are they using possibly here? JSplitpane for one. but I'm not sure how they created that "Dokument/Vorschau" tabs.
First using a look and feel like Nimbus, can easily change the look of your application to a have a more modern feel.
Second, you will need to customize the font, color, borders, node icons, etc. of each component type to achieve a non-standard look. Some of these can be changed with updates to the UIDefaults of the look and feel but many will be made by calling methods on the specific instance of the component you are dealing with.
Try a javax.swing.JTabbedPane.
If you really want to change the complete look-and-feel of your application from scratch, you should take a look at Synth L'n'F. You can define style and appearance of components and bind them to components which match certain criteria.
(My opinion on that matter: heavily themed apps usually look and feel out-of-the-place and only make it harder to use the app, so I'd actually try to avoid themeing)