Develop Reference

Java game loop (painting) freezes my window

I'm changing "views" with cardLayout (this class has a JFrame variable). When a user clicks a new game button this happens:
public class Views extends JFrame implements ActionListener {
private JFrame frame;
private CardLayout cl;
private JPanel cards;
private Game game;
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
String command = e.getActionCommand();
if (command.equals("New game")) {
cl.show(cards, "Game");
game.init();
this.revalidate();
this.repaint();
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
game.loop();
}
});
}
}
}
Game's loop method and heading of class:
public class Game extends JPanel implements KeyListener {
public void loop() {
while (player.isAlive()) {
try {
this.update();
this.repaint();
// first class JFrame variable
jframee.getFrame().repaint();
// first class JFrame variable
jframee.getFrame().revalidate();
Thread.sleep(17);
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
public void update() {
System.out.println("updated");
}
}
I'm painting using paintComponent()
public void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
System.out.println("paint");
...
}
Actually it's not painting anything. When I do not call loop() method (so it paints it just once) all images are painted correctly. But when I call loop() method, just nothing is happening in the window. (Even close button on JFrame doesn't work.)
How to fix that? (When I was creating JFrame inside game class everything worked fine, but now I want to have more views so I need JFrame in other class.)
Thanks.

Precursor: The Event Dispatch Thread (EDT).
Swing is single-threaded. What does this mean?
All processing in a Swing program begins with an event. The EDT is a thread that processes these events in a loop along the following lines (but more complicated):
class EventDispatchThread extends Thread {
Queue<AWTEvent> queue = ...;
void postEvent(AWTEvent anEvent) {
queue.add(anEvent);
}
#Override
public void run() {
while (true) {
AWTEvent nextEvent = queue.poll();
if (nextEvent != null) {
processEvent(nextEvent);
}
}
}
void processEvent(AWTEvent theEvent) {
// calls e.g.
// ActionListener.actionPerformed,
// JComponent.paintComponent,
// Runnable.run,
// etc...
}
}
The dispatch thread is hidden from us through abstraction: we generally only write listener callbacks.
Clicking a button posts an event (in native code): when the event is processed, actionPerformed is called on the EDT.
Calling repaint posts an event: when the event is processed, paintComponent is called on the EDT.
Calling invokeLater posts an event: when the event is processed, run is called on the EDT.
Everything in Swing begins with an event.
Event tasks are processed in sequence, in the order they are posted.
The next event can only be processed when the current event task returns. This is why we cannot have an infinite loop on the EDT. actionPerformed (or run, as in your edit) never returns, so the calls to repaint post paint events but they are never processed and the program appears to freeze.
This is what it means to "block" the EDT.
There are basically two ways to do animation in a Swing program:
Use a Thread (or a SwingWorker).
The benefit to using a thread is that the processing is done off the EDT, so if there is intensive processing, the GUI can still update concurrently.
Use a javax.swing.Timer.
The benefit to using a timer is that the processing is done on the EDT, so there is no worry about synchronization, and it is safe to change the state of the GUI components.
Generally speaking, we should only use a thread in a Swing program if there's a reason to not use a timer.
To the user, there is no discernible difference between them.
Your call to revalidate indicates to me that you are modifying the state of the components in the loop (adding, removing, changing locations, etc.). This is not necessarily safe to do off the EDT. If you are modifying the state of the components, it is a compelling reason to use a timer, not a thread. Using a thread without proper synchronization can lead to subtle bugs that are difficult to diagnose. See Memory Consistency Errors.
In some cases, operations on a component are done under a tree lock (Swing makes sure they are thread-safe on their own), but in some cases they are not.
We can turn a loop of the following form:
while ( condition() ) {
body();
Thread.sleep( time );
}
in to a Timer of the following form:
new Timer(( time ), new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent evt) {
if ( condition() ) {
body();
} else {
Timer self = (Timer) evt.getSource();
self.stop();
}
}
}).start();
Here is a simple example demonstrating animation both with a thread and a timer. The green bar moves cyclically across the black panel.
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
class SwingAnimation implements Runnable{
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new SwingAnimation());
}
JToggleButton play;
AnimationPanel animation;
#Override
public void run() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Simple Animation");
JPanel content = new JPanel(new BorderLayout());
play = new JToggleButton("Play");
content.add(play, BorderLayout.NORTH);
animation = new AnimationPanel(500, 50);
content.add(animation, BorderLayout.CENTER);
// 'true' to use a Thread
// 'false' to use a Timer
if (false) {
play.addActionListener(new ThreadAnimator());
} else {
play.addActionListener(new TimerAnimator());
}
frame.setContentPane(content);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
abstract class Animator implements ActionListener {
final int period = ( 1000 / 60 );
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae) {
if (play.isSelected()) {
start();
} else {
stop();
}
}
abstract void start();
abstract void stop();
void animate() {
int workingPos = animation.barPosition;
++workingPos;
if (workingPos >= animation.getWidth()) {
workingPos = 0;
}
animation.barPosition = workingPos;
animation.repaint();
}
}
class ThreadAnimator extends Animator {
volatile boolean isRunning;
Runnable loop = new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
while (isRunning) {
animate();
Thread.sleep(period);
}
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
throw new AssertionError(e);
}
}
};
#Override
void start() {
isRunning = true;
new Thread(loop).start();
}
#Override
void stop() {
isRunning = false;
}
}
class TimerAnimator extends Animator {
Timer timer = new Timer(period, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae) {
animate();
}
});
#Override
void start() {
timer.start();
}
#Override
void stop() {
timer.stop();
}
}
static class AnimationPanel extends JPanel {
final int barWidth = 10;
volatile int barPosition;
AnimationPanel(int width, int height) {
setPreferredSize(new Dimension(width, height));
setBackground(Color.BLACK);
barPosition = ( width / 2 ) - ( barWidth / 2 );
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
int width = getWidth();
int height = getHeight();
int currentPos = barPosition;
g.setColor(Color.GREEN);
g.fillRect(currentPos, 0, barWidth, height);
if ( (currentPos + barWidth) >= width ) {
g.fillRect(currentPos - width, 0, barWidth, height);
}
}
}
}

What does update do? You probably shouldnt call game.loop() on the EDT. You are running a loop on EDT, your repaint wont ever be invoked since repaint queues an event on EDT and it seems kind busy. Try moving game.loop() to another thread
new Thread(new Runnable() {
#override
public void run() {
game.loop();
}
}).start();
This way you wont block the EDT while the repaint still gets to be executed on the EDT.

Move game.loop() method invocation to something like:
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
game.loop()
}
});
Thanks.

Java repaint() method doesn't always work

There is a problem with the repaint() method in Java. I made a new thread that constantly repaints the screen. When I release the spacebar I want my player to fall smoothly by setting its position and then waiting for 50 milliseconds and looping that 20 times. Instead, it waits the whole amount of time in the loop, then repaints. I am wondering why it doesn't constantly repaint the changes in the players co-ordinates. Thank you.
(Edit) Thanks everyone for the help. This is my first time using stack overflow, and I am only 13 and still learning java, so I probably will go back to the tutorials again.
My 'a' class (main):
public class a {
public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("StickFigure Game");
frame.setSize(740, 580);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(frame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
b board = new b();
frame.add(board);
frame.addKeyListener(board);
}
}
My 'b' class (JPanel/drawing):
public class b extends JPanel implements KeyListener {
c player = new c();
public class MyRunnable implements Runnable {
public void run() {
while (true)
repaint();
}
}
MyRunnable run = new MyRunnable();
public void paint(Graphics g) {
super.paint(g);
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g;
g2d.drawImage(player.getImage(), player.getX(), player.getY(), 80, 140,
null);
}
public b() {
Thread thread = new Thread(new MyRunnable());
thread.start();
}
public static void slow(int n) {
long t0, t1;
t0 = System.currentTimeMillis();
do {
t1 = System.currentTimeMillis();
} while (t1 - t0 < n);
}
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e) {
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_D) {
player.setPos(player.getX() + 6, player.getY());
}
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_A) {
player.setPos(player.getX() - 6, player.getY());
}
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_SPACE) {
player.setPos(player.getX(), player.getY() - 60);
}
}
public void keyReleased(KeyEvent e) {
if (e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_SPACE) {
for (int i = 0; i < 20; i++) {
slow(50);
player.setPos(player.getX(), player.getY() + 2);
}
}
}
public void keyTyped(KeyEvent e) {
}
}
my 'c' class (player):
public class c {
private ImageIcon i = new ImageIcon("guy.png");
private Image img = i.getImage();
private int x = 0;
private int y = 100;
public void wait(int what) {
try {
Thread.sleep(what);
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
// TODO Auto-generated catch block
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
public c() {
}
public Image getImage() {
return img;
}
public int getX() {
return x;
}
public int getY() {
return y;
}
public void setPos(int mx, int my) {
x = mx;
y = my;
}
}

I haven't gone through all the code here but here are some pointers:
Swing has its own concurrency mechanisms which allow you to handle UI updates. You can use a Swing Timer rather than a raw Thread. Related is the use of Thread.sleep - don't do this, it only blocks the EDT and prevents UI updates.
The Swing paint chain mechanism requires you to override paintComponent rather than paint.
Always use Key Bindings rather than KeyListeners in Swing. KeyListeners require component focus to work to interact with the KeyEvents. Key Bindings do not have this limitation.

"There is a problem with the repaint() method in java." Did you consider that perhaps the problem is with your code instead? You are blocking the event thread and giving the system no time to do the intermediate repaints. In particular, this method:
public static void slow (int n){
long t0,t1;
t0=System.currentTimeMillis();
do{
t1=System.currentTimeMillis();
}
while (t1-t0<n);
}
and this loop:
for(int i = 0;i<20;i++){
slow(50);
player.setPos(player.getX(), player.getY()+2);
}
do not relinquish control to the system so that repaints can actually happen. Rewrite those using Swing timers. Look at this tutorial for an introduction on how to use these.
Also, your thread that constantly calls repaint() in a tight loop:
public void run(){
while(true) repaint();
}
is a terrible idea. You don't need to call repaint() at full CPU speed. Once every 30 milliseconds or so is fine for animation. Again, consider using Swing utilities to do this rather than writing your own looping thread.

The repaint is only a "request" to paint as soon as possible. so when you call it it causes a call to the paint method as soon as possible.
from here
So basically you just flooding the scheduled calls of paint or update with while(true) repaint();.
Oracle's stance on painting in AWT and Swing
One way you could do it, or should I say how I would do it, is to make your c class implement KeyListener, so that when a key is pressed (and only when it is pressed) you update it's location.
So move your KeyListener methods to class c, in your class b constructor you can add the call this.addKeyListener(player) or make a method void addPlayer(c player) that adds it.

Waiting for thread while updating Swing

I have problem with handling threads in my application. It creates JFrame and starts a new Thread. Last one will execute external application and update GUI. Then
I have problem to make Main class to wait for second thread to finish, but also to update GUI simultaneously.
Here's my example (shortened):
class Main {
public int status;
public Main() {
// Creating GUI etc.
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
JDialog id = new JDialog();
id.button.addMouseListener(new MouseListener()); // Calls generate() method
}
});
}
public void generate() {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
// Make changes to GUI
}
});
GeneratorThread genTest = new GeneratorThread(this, 1, 1, 1);
genTest.start();
//while (status == 0);
System.out.println("Next step.");
}
}
And Thread class:
public class GeneratorThread extends Thread {
protected Main main;
protected int setSize, minValue, maxValue;
public GeneratorThread(Main main, int setSize, int minValue, int maxValue) {
this.main = main;
this.setSize = setSize;
this.minValue = minValue;
this.maxValue = maxValue;
}
public void run() {
// Execute program etc.
// Change GUI from main in the same time
// About 3 seconds
main.status = 1;
}
}
I'm in progress and I wanted to check how it works so far. While worked nice, but it locks Swing somehow and any changes are visible only when GeneratorThread finishes. I would like to update GUI in the real time.
I've tried join(), effects are the same. I also tried wait() (on Main), but then I got IllegalStateMonitorException.
Any hints?

Swing is a single threaded environment. That is, there is a single thread responsible for managing all the interactions and updates to the Swing UI - the Event Dispatching Thread.
Among the golden rules of Swing are...
DON'T block the EDT (Thread.sleep, Thread#join, Object#wait, block IO and/or time consuming tasks (among others) should never be called from within the EDT), doing so will stop the EDT from dispatching events and paint updates (amongst other things)
ONLY create/update Swing UI elements from within the EDT.
This raises a question...how do you "wait" for a thread?
The best way is use an Observer pattern. Basically, you provide the Thread with some kind of reference that it will call to provide notification of events, such as errors and completion...
This will require you to think very carefully about the design of your applications, as you can not rely on a simple A to B execution of your code.
For example...
public class TestThreadCallBack {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new TestThreadCallBack();
}
public TestThreadCallBack() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (Exception ex) {
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
frame.add(new TestPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public interface ThreadCallBack {
public void threadCompleted(Runnable source);
public void threadFailed(Runnable source);
}
public class TestPane extends JPanel implements ThreadCallBack {
private JLabel message;
private JLabel dots;
private int count;
private Timer timer;
public TestPane() {
setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
message = new JLabel("Running background task, please wait");
dots = new JLabel(" ");
add(message);
add(dots);
timer = new Timer(250, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
count++;
if (count > 3) {
count = 0;
}
StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(3);
for (int index = 0; index < count; index++) {
sb.append(".");
}
for (int index = count; index < 3; index++) {
sb.append(" ");
}
dots.setText(sb.toString());
}
});
timer.setRepeats(true);
timer.setCoalesce(true);
timer.start();
Thread thread = new Thread(new BackgroundTask(this));
thread.start();
}
#Override
public void threadCompleted(Runnable source) {
timer.stop();
message.setText("Task completed successfully");
}
#Override
public void threadFailed(Runnable source) {
timer.stop();
message.setText("Task failed");
}
}
public class BackgroundTask implements Runnable {
private ThreadCallBack callBack;
public BackgroundTask(ThreadCallBack callBack) {
this.callBack = callBack;
}
#Override
public void run() {
System.out.println("Background task underway...");
try {
Thread.sleep(2000);
} catch (InterruptedException interruptedException) {
}
int result = (int) Math.round((Math.random() * 1));
if (result == 0) {
callBack.threadCompleted(this);
} else {
callBack.threadFailed(this);
}
}
}
}
Updating the UI from within a Thread other then the EDT is, well, messy. An easier solution would actually be to use a SwingWorker. This has publish/process methods that make easy to update the UI and progress methods that can be used to provide feedback about the progress of the current task.
You can use it's done method to notify interested parties when the worker has completed.

Update your GUI from within the thread using SwingUtilitied.invokeLater or, alternatively, synchronise the main variable!
http://www.vogella.com/articles/JavaConcurrency/article.html#concurrencyjava
Maybe it already suffices to make "status" volatile?

Java - repaint JPanel 2 times in one method

This is simple version of my problem.
I have 3 classes:
public class TopographyFrame extends JFrame - simple JFrame with JPAnel and button
public class TopograpyPanel extends JPanel - JPanel to fill Rectangles
public class Siec - class to perform calculations and call repaint on JPAnale
in JPanel i overided paintComponent() method
public void paintComponent (Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g;
System.out.println(rectangles.length);
for(int i = 0 ; i < rectangles.length ; i++){
g2.setPaint(neurony[i].winner);
g2.fillRect((int)rectangles[i].x,(int)rectangles[i].y,(int)rectangles[i].width, (int)rectangles[i].height);
}
}
neurony - array of objects with field public Color winner
in class Siec i have reference to JPanel to repaint it
in class JFrame i have a button with private action listener:
class MyListener implements ActionListener{
Siec s;
public MyListener(Siec s){
this.s = s;
}
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {
try {
s.forPaint();
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
method forPaint() in Siec looks like:
public void forPaint(){
setTopography();
try {
Thread.sleep(3000);
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
// TODO Auto-generated catch block
e.printStackTrace();
}
setTopography();
}
public void setTopography() {
for (int i = 0; i < vector.colors.length; i++) {
neurony[i].winner = vector.colors[(int)(random() * 900 % vector.colors.length)];
}
panel.repaint();
}
vector.color is array of Colors
So my problem is: when i click a button i would like to JPanel repaint immediately and then after 3 second repaint one more time. Insted JPanel repaints only one time after 3s delay.
}

You can't sleep, wait, or otherwise pause on the event handling thread, ever. Doing so blocks all events from being processed, including painting events. Your first painting can't occur because you're sleeping on the event thread, preventing it from happening.
The right way to do any kind of animation -- even simple stuff like this -- is to create your own thread. That second thread can call repaint(), sleep for 3 seconds, then call repaint() again. The SwingWorker class is nominally a simpler way to do this, but in all honesty, beginners always find creating their own thread to be easier.

You are scheduling a repaint on the UI thread and then sleeping (blocking) the UI thread for 3seconds and then requesting another repaint again. Those two will either happen really close to each other after this method has finished (after 3 seconds) or be merged into one update (afterwards as well).
Instead of sleep(3000) and then calling your setTopography again you could schedule a setTopography call on the UI thread to happen after 3 seconds.
Have a look at the Swing Timer for example:
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/misc/timer.html
So something along the lines of:
javax.swing.Timer timer = new javax.swing.Timer(3000, new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
setTopography();
}
});
timer.setRepeats(false);
timer.start();

Since your sleep is being performed on the Event Dispatch Thread, the repaint() event cannot be performed until the end of the wait. Do this instead:
private Timer timer = new Timer(); // use java.util.Timer
public void forPaint() {
setTopography();
timer.schedule(new TimerTask() {
#Override
public void run() {
setTopography();
}
}, 3000);
}
public void setTopography() {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
for (int i = 0; i < vector.colors.length; i++) {
neurony[i].winner = vector.colors[(int)(random() * 900 % vector.colors.length)];
}
panel.repaint();
}
});
}
Keep in mind that all modifications to a Swing component (e.g. your JPanel) must happen on the EDT.

Issue with Java join() method

First of all here are some code snippets:
public void startThread() {
this.animationThread = new Thread(this);
this.animationThread.start();
try {
this.animationThread.join();
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
#Override
public void run() {
pirateMainAnimation.animate();
}
public void animate() {
for (int j = 0; j < 9; j++) {
try {
Thread.sleep(250);
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
break;
}
PirateAnimationPanel.getInstance().setCurrent(j);
PirateAnimationPanel.getInstance().repaint();
}
}
I'm trying to animate some images. The thing is that I want the main thread to wait for the animation thread to finish and then to continue. I searched around, read a little bit and decided to use the join() method. It perfectly waits for the thread to finish but I doesn't animate correctly. The repaint() method gets called 2 times instead of nine. I think maybe the problem is because I used singletons. Here is the singleton implementation.
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.MediaTracker;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import uk.ac.aber.dcs.piratehangman.animation.PirateMainAnimation;
import uk.ac.aber.dcs.piratehangman.utilityclasses.AnimationThread;
#SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class PirateAnimationPanel extends JPanel {
private int current;
private MediaTracker mTracker;
private PirateMainAnimation pirateMainAnimation;
private AnimationThread animationThread;
private PirateAnimationPanel() {
this.current = 0;
this.pirateMainAnimation = new PirateMainAnimation();
mTracker = new MediaTracker(this);
this.animationThread = new AnimationThread();
setMediaTracker();
repaint();
}
private void setMediaTracker() {
for (int i = 0; i < 9; i++) {
mTracker.addImage(
this.pirateMainAnimation.getImagesForAnimation()[i],
this.pirateMainAnimation.getImagesForAnimationID()[i]);
try {
mTracker.waitForID(this.pirateMainAnimation
.getImagesForAnimationID()[i]);
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
System.out.println("Error loading image: " + i);
}
}
}
public void playAnimation() {
this.animationThread.startThread();
}
public void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponents(g);
System.out.println("called");
g.drawImage(this.pirateMainAnimation.getImagesForAnimation()[current],
0, 0, this);
}
private static class PirateAnimationPanelHolder {
private static final PirateAnimationPanel pirateAnimationPanel =
new PirateAnimationPanel();
};
public static PirateAnimationPanel getInstance() {
return PirateAnimationPanelHolder.pirateAnimationPanel;
}
public void setCurrent(int current) {
this.current = current;
}
public int getCurrent() {
return current;
}
}

I think you mean that the paintComponent() methods only gets called twice. Also I think you should be able to remove the call to super.paintComponents() if you fill the component to the background color.
The repaint() method only marks the component as dirty and requests a re-render on the next paint.
I would have expected the Swing thread to be able to repaint within the 250ms but I'm not sure what other work is being done/rendered. You might want to put a call to MediaTracker.waitForAll() before the animation.
While the static singleton is not adding much I don't think it is causing a problem (in this case).
Update:
So the problem is that the join() is on the Swing event Thread which is blocking the repainting of the component. I suggested a call like the following to show the "new game dialog after the last animation:
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() { showDialog(); }
})

"Note that events being posted to the EventQueue can be coalesced," which may explain the disparity. Also, be certain to build your GUI on event dispatch thread. See A More Complex Image Icon Example for a more detailed discussion.
Addendum: Improving Perceived Performance When Loading Image Icons has a nice SwingWorker example that may simplify the off-loading.