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Java apps (based on JSwing) performance consuming?

I'm new to Java Programming. Recently I'm developing a mini game with JSWing. However, after coding for awhile the in-game FPS dropped terribly. When I tracked it on Task Manager I had result like this:
Can someone tell me what's wrong? I only used loops, JLabel with icons, Paint Graphics methods, mouseMotionEvent in my code.
Here is the code in the main game
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.IOException;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
public class Game extends JPanel {
int numb = 2;
int pts = 5;
Kitty[] Kitties = new Kitty[4];
public Game() {
for (int i = 0; i < Kitties.length; i++)
Kitties[i] = new Kitty();
}
#Override
public void paint(Graphics graphics) {
BufferedImage img = null;
try {
img = ImageIO.read(getClass().getResourceAsStream("city.jpg"));
} catch (IOException e) {
System.out.println("java io");
}
graphics.drawImage(img, 0, 0, null);
//paints square objects to the screen
for (int i = 0; i < numb;i++) {
Kitties[i].paint(graphics);
}
}
public void update(TheJPanel frame) {
if (frame.a >= 0 && frame.a < 500) numb = 2;
if (frame.a>= 500) numb = 3;
for (int i = 0; i< numb; i++) {
int disty = 500 - Kitties[i].squareYLocation;
int distx = Kitties[i].squareXLocation - frame.x;
if ( Kitties[i].squareYLocation < 600 && disty <= 5 && disty >= -80 && distx < 260 && distx > -100){
frame.a +=pts;
if (Kitties[i].kittype == 6) frame.a += pts;
if (frame.a >= 500) {
Kitties[i].fallSpeed = Kitties[i].FallSpeedlvl2();
pts = 10;
}
Kitties[i].squareYLocation = -200;
Kitties[i].generateKittype();
Kitties[i].generateRandomXLocation();
Kitties[i].generateRandomFallSpeed();
frame.point.setText("Point:" + String.valueOf(frame.a));
frame.lives.setText("Lives:" + String.valueOf(frame.count));
}
if(Kitties[i].squareYLocation > 610){
frame.count--;
Kitties[i].generateKittype();
Kitties[i].generateRandomXLocation();
Kitties[i].generateRandomFallSpeed();
Kitties[i].squareYLocation = -200;
}
if (Kitties[i].squareYLocation >=605) frame.catFall(Kitties[i].squareXLocation);
if(Kitties[i].squareYLocation <= 610){
Kitties[i].squareYLocation += Kitties[i].fallSpeed;
}
}
}
public static void main(String[] args) throws InterruptedException {
Game game = new Game();
TheJPanel frame = new TheJPanel();
frame.add(game);
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setSize(1000, 1000);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setTitle("Saving kitties");
frame.setResizable(false);
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
while (frame.count>0) {
game.update(frame);
game.repaint();
Thread.sleep(4);
}
if (frame.count == 0) {
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "You lost!", "Game over!", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
game.setVisible(false);
frame.getContentPane().removeAll();
frame.getContentPane().repaint();
frame.bask.setVisible(false);
frame.background.setVisible(false);
}
}
}
Here is the code for the main Jframe
package game;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.event.MouseMotionListener;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import javax.swing.Icon;
import javax.swing.ImageIcon;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.Timer;
/**
*
* #author Imba Store
*/
public class TheJPanel extends JFrame implements MouseMotionListener {
protected int x;
protected int a = 0;
protected int count = 20;
protected JLabel bask = new JLabel();
protected JLabel background = new JLabel();
protected JLabel point = new JLabel();
protected JLabel lives = new JLabel();
Timer fall;
protected int time =0;
public TheJPanel() {
this.addMouseMotionListener(this);
InitContent();
}
protected void InitContent() {
Icon img = new ImageIcon(getClass().getResource("basket.png"));
bask.setIcon(img);
Icon themes = new ImageIcon(getClass().getResource("city2.png"));
background.setIcon(themes);
background.setBounds(0, 699, 1000, 300);
point.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Trebuchet MS", 1, 35));
point.setText("Point:" + String.valueOf(a));
point.setBounds(20,908,240,50);
point.setForeground(Color.white);
lives.setBounds(800, 908,200,50);
lives.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Trebuchet MS", 1, 35));
lives.setForeground(Color.white);
lives.setText("Point:" + String.valueOf(count));
point.setOpaque(false);
add(point);
add(lives);
add(bask);
add(background);
bask.setSize(400,148);
}
#Override
public void mouseMoved (MouseEvent me)
{
x = me.getX();
background.setBounds(0, 699, 1000, 300);
bask.setBounds(x, 700, 400, 148);
}
#Override
public void mouseDragged (MouseEvent me)
{
}
public void catFall(int getX){
Icon fell = new ImageIcon(getClass().getResource("kitty-fall.png"));
JLabel fellcat = new JLabel();
fellcat.setIcon(fell);
fellcat.setBounds(getX, 760, 220, 220);
add(fellcat);
add(background);
fall = new Timer(1500, new ActionListener(){
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae) {
getContentPane().remove(fellcat);
}
});
fall.setRepeats(false);
fall.start();
}
}
And this is the class for the falling cats
package game;
/**
*
* #author Imba Store
*/
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Random;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
public final class Kitty extends JLabel {
protected int squareXLocation;
protected int squareYLocation = -200;
protected int fallSpeed = 1;
protected int kittype;
Random rand = new Random();
public int generateRandomXLocation(){
return squareXLocation = rand.nextInt(800);
}
public int generateRandomFallSpeed(){
return fallSpeed = rand.ints(3, 4).findFirst().getAsInt();
}
public int FallSpeedlvl2() {
return fallSpeed = rand.ints(3,7).findFirst().getAsInt();
}
public int generateKittype() {
return kittype = rand.ints(1,8).findFirst().getAsInt();
}
#Override
public void paint(Graphics g) {
BufferedImage img = null;
BufferedImage thugcat = null;
try {
img = ImageIO.read(getClass().getResourceAsStream("kitty.png"));
thugcat = ImageIO.read(getClass().getResourceAsStream("thug-kitty.png"));
} catch (IOException e) {
System.out.println("Java IO");
}
if (kittype == 6) {
g.drawImage(thugcat, squareXLocation, squareYLocation, null);
}
else g.drawImage(img, squareXLocation,squareYLocation,null);
}
public Kitty(){
generateRandomXLocation();
generateRandomFallSpeed();
generateKittype();
}

public void paint(Graphics graphics) {
BufferedImage img = null;
try {
img = ImageIO.read(getClass().getResourceAsStream("city.jpg"));
Custom painting is done by overriding paintComponent(...) not paint(). The first statement should then be super.paintComponent().
A painting method is for painting only. Don't do I/O in the painting method. This will cause the image to be read every time you repaint the panel.
Thread.sleep(4);
Sleeping for 4ms is not enough. That will attempt to repaint 250 times a second which is too often. There is no need for the frame rate to be that fast.
Kitty[] Kitties = new Kitty[4];
Variable names should not start with an upper case character. Most of your names are correct. Be consistent!
point.setBounds(20,908,240,50);
Don't use setBounds(). Swing was designed to be used with layout managers. Set a layout manager for you background and then add the components.
public int FallSpeedlvl2() {
Methods should NOT start with an upper case character. Again, most are correct. Be Consistent!!!

JLabel not showing up no matter what I do

I have tried a ton of different things to try to get the JLabel to show but I don't understand why it is not working. I have tried resizing it, though that is not what i want to do, I have tried other classes, but I would prefer to stick with this one, and it is starting to get really frustrating. If you have any ideas please help. But please try to keep them simple and explain very clearly as I am still quite new to java. I have only been going for about three or four months. Here is my code:
package com.thefallenpaladin;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
import java.awt.event.KeyListener;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.event.MouseListener;
/**
* Created by darkp_000 on 11/4/2015.
*/
#SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class Game extends JPanel implements KeyListener,MouseListener {
public boolean mainMenu = true;
public int winWidth = 700; //Window Stats
public int winHeight = 600;
public int buttonOneX = 60; // Button Stats
public int buttonOneY = 240;
public int buttonOneW = 100;
public int buttonOneH = 75;
public boolean buttonOne = false;
public int mouseX; // not set because it is set in mouseClicked
public int mouseY;
public static void main(String[] args) {
Game game = new Game();
JFrame window = new JFrame("I hate this");
JLabel onePlayer = new JLabel();
onePlayer.setLocation(0,0/*game.buttonOneX + game.buttonOneX/2,game.buttonOneY + game.buttonOneY/2*/);
window.add(game);
window.setFocusable(true);
window.setResizable(false);
window.setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
window.setSize(700,600); //TODO
window.setVisible(true);
game.requestFocusInWindow();
game.add(onePlayer);
game.addKeyListener(game);
game.addMouseListener(game);
window.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
while(true) { // Main Game loop
onePlayer.setText("One Player");
game.repaint();
game.customUpdate();
}
}
public void customUpdate() {
if(mouseX > buttonOneX && mouseX < buttonOneX+buttonOneX && mouseY > buttonOneY && mouseY < buttonOneY+buttonOneY && mainMenu) {
buttonOne = true;
System.out.print("Starting Game");
}
}
public void paint(Graphics g) {
if(mainMenu) {
g.setColor(Color.CYAN); // Set main menu
g.fillRect(0,0,winWidth,winHeight);
g.setColor(Color.GREEN);
g.fillRect(buttonOneX,buttonOneY,buttonOneW,buttonOneH);
}
if(buttonOne) {
mainMenu = false;
g.setColor(Color.GREEN);
g.fillRect(0,0,winWidth,winHeight);
}
}
public void keyTyped(KeyEvent e) {
}
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e) {
System.out.println(e);
}
public void keyReleased(KeyEvent e) {
}
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) {
}
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {
// System.out.println(e);
mouseX = e.getX();
mouseY = e.getY();
}
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e) {
}
public void mouseEntered(MouseEvent e) {
}
public void mouseExited(MouseEvent e) {
}
}

Okay so you've made a couple of basic mistakes...
First, JLabel onePlayer = new JLabel(); creates an empty label, with no size (0x0) and since labels are transparent by default, you'd not see it
Next, you've overridden paint of a top level container (JFrame), but failed to honor the paint chain effectively preventing any of the child components from ever getting painted
public void paint(Graphics g) {
if (mainMenu) {
g.setColor(Color.CYAN); // Set main menu
g.fillRect(0, 0, winWidth, winHeight);
g.setColor(Color.GREEN);
g.fillRect(buttonOneX, buttonOneY, buttonOneW, buttonOneH);
}
if (buttonOne) {
mainMenu = false;
g.setColor(Color.GREEN);
g.fillRect(0, 0, winWidth, winHeight);
}
}
So, if I remove your paint method and change JLabel onePlayer = new JLabel(); to JLabel onePlayer = new JLabel("I'm a label"); I get this output...
Also...
while (true) { // Main Game loop
onePlayer.setText("One Player");
game.repaint();
game.customUpdate();
}
has the potential to try screw up your program, you have no guarantee's in what thread your main method is been called and you should not make assumptions.
Start by creating a custom component, extending from something like JPanel and override it's paintComponent method, place your custom painting there. In fact, you should have a panel for each state of your game (menu, running, settings, etc).
Add these to your frame (probably using a CardLayout to enable you to easily switch between them)
Use either a Thread or Swing Timer as a main game loop, one which you create explicitly.
Have a look at Painting in AWT and Swing, Performing Custom Painting, How to Use CardLayout and How to use Swing Timers for some more details
As a "conceptual" example...
import java.awt.CardLayout;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.Font;
import java.awt.FontMetrics;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.GridBagConstraints;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.Timer;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class AwesomeGame {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new AwesomeGame();
}
public AwesomeGame() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(new ContentPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public interface NavigationController {
public void letsPlay();
}
public class ContentPane extends JPanel implements NavigationController {
private CardLayout cardLayout;
private GamePane gamePane;
public ContentPane() {
cardLayout = new CardLayout();
setLayout(cardLayout);
add(new MenuPane(this), "TheMenu");
add((gamePane = new GamePane()), "TheGame");
cardLayout.show(this, "TheMenu");
}
#Override
public void letsPlay() {
cardLayout.show(this, "TheGame");
gamePane.play();
}
}
public class MenuPane extends JPanel {
public MenuPane(NavigationController navigationController) {
JLabel label = new JLabel("My Super Dupa Awesome Game!");
label.setFont(label.getFont().deriveFont(Font.BOLD, 48));
setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridwidth = GridBagConstraints.REMAINDER;
add(label, gbc);
JButton play = new JButton("Play Now!");
play.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
navigationController.letsPlay();
}
});
add(play, gbc);
setBackground(Color.GREEN);
}
}
public class GamePane extends JPanel {
public GamePane() {
setBackground(Color.BLUE);
}
public void play() {
Timer timer = new Timer(500, new ActionListener() {
int count;
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
count++;
if (count % 2 == 0) {
setForeground(Color.BLACK);
} else {
setForeground(Color.RED);
}
repaint();
}
});
timer.start();
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(200, 200);
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
String text = "I bet you're blowen away by it's awesomness!";
FontMetrics fm = g2d.getFontMetrics();
int x = (getWidth() - fm.stringWidth(text)) / 2;
int y = ((getHeight() - fm.getHeight()) / 2) + fm.getAscent();
g2d.drawString(text, x, y);
g2d.dispose();
}
}
}

Repaint without painting every component again

i have an application containing a jframe, this jframe then adds a jpanel which constains an image. the jpanel is displayed for a given time, then removed from the jframe and another jpanel is added.
I want to fade in and out between the images, and ive done this using a timer
private void fadeOut() {
ActionListener fadeOutAc = new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
opacity += 10;
if (opacity >= 255) {
opacity = 255;
fadeOutT.stop();
}
repaint();
}
};
fadeOutT = new Timer(20, fadeOutAc);
fadeOutT.start();
}
private void fadeIn() {
ActionListener fadeInAc = new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
opacity -= 10;
if (opacity <= 0) {
opacity = 0;
fadeInT.stop();
}
repaint();
}
};
fadeInT = new Timer(10, fadeInAc);
fadeInT.setInitialDelay(200);
fadeInT.start();
}
public void paint(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
g.setColor(new Color(picColor.getRed(), picColor.getGreen(), picColor.getBlue(), opacity));
g.fillRect(0, 0, presWin.getWidth(), presWin.getHeight());
}
i recently moved the fading in/out from the jpanel to the jframe instead. The problem is, that in the jpanel, the repaint only had to draw an image, now it has to repaint the entire jpanel each time. Is there a way to call repaint without having the paint the components, only the rectangel?

To me, it seems a bit silly to put the functionality in the JFrame when what you seem to want is a container which can fade it's content in and out. This way you can isolate the responsibility to a single container/class which can be placed or used in what ever way you want in isolation to the rest of the UI.
Basically, this example uses a FadingPane (based on a JPanel) to control the fading process, but onto which I place JLabel which holds the actual images.
Fading is controlled through the use of a AlphaComposite, meaning that this panel will actually physically fade in and out, not just change fill color ;)
There is also a FadingListener which provides additional notifications about the fading process, really only interested in fadeOutDidComplete, so you can switch the images and fade the panel back in, but you never know...
import java.awt.AlphaComposite;
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileFilter;
import java.io.IOException;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import javax.swing.ImageIcon;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.Timer;
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();
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(new TestPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class TestPane extends JPanel {
private JLabel label;
private FadingPane fadingPane;
private File[] pictures;
private int index;
public TestPane() {
// Just for show
setBackground(Color.RED);
fadingPane = new FadingPane(new FadeListener() {
#Override
public void fadeDidStart(FadingPane panel) {
}
#Override
public void fadeDidStop(FadingPane panel) {
}
#Override
public void fadeOutDidComplete(FadingPane panel) {
nextPicture();
fadingPane.fadeIn();
}
#Override
public void fadeInDidComplete(FadingPane panel) {
}
});
setLayout(new BorderLayout());
fadingPane.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
label = new JLabel();
fadingPane.add(label);
add(fadingPane);
JButton next = new JButton("Next");
add(next, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
next.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
fadingPane.fadeOut();
}
});
pictures = new File("/Volumes/Disk02/Dropbox/MegaTokyo/thumnails").listFiles(new FileFilter() {
#Override
public boolean accept(File pathname) {
String name = pathname.getName().toLowerCase();
return name.endsWith(".jpg") || name.endsWith(".png");
}
});
nextPicture();
}
protected void nextPicture() {
index++;
if (index >= pictures.length) {
index = 0;
}
try {
BufferedImage img = ImageIO.read(pictures[index]);
label.setIcon(new ImageIcon(img));
} catch (IOException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
public interface FadeListener {
public void fadeDidStart(FadingPane panel);
public void fadeDidStop(FadingPane panel);
public void fadeOutDidComplete(FadingPane panel);
public void fadeInDidComplete(FadingPane panel);
}
public class FadingPane extends JPanel {
private float delta;
private float alpha = 1f;
private Timer timer;
private FadeListener fadeListener;
public FadingPane(FadeListener fadeListener) {
this.fadeListener = fadeListener;
// This is important, as we may not always be opaque
// and we don't want to stuff up the painting process
setOpaque(false);
timer = new Timer(40, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
float alpha = getAlpha() + delta;
if (alpha < 0.001f) {
alpha = 0f;
timer.stop();
fadeListener.fadeOutDidComplete(FadingPane.this);
} else if (alpha >= 1.0f) {
alpha = 1.0f;
timer.stop();
fadeListener.fadeInDidComplete(FadingPane.this);
}
setAlpha(alpha);
}
});
}
public float getAlpha() {
return alpha;
}
public void setAlpha(float value) {
if (alpha != value) {
this.alpha = Math.min(1.0f, Math.max(0.0f, value));
repaint();
}
}
#Override
public void paint(Graphics g) {
// I don't normally recomamned overriding paint, but in this case,
// I want to affect EVERYTHING that might be added to this panel
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
g2d.setComposite(AlphaComposite.SrcOver.derive(getAlpha()));
super.paint(g2d);
g2d.dispose();
}
public void fadeIn() {
timer.stop();
fadeListener.fadeDidStop(FadingPane.this);
delta = 0.05f;
timer.restart();
fadeListener.fadeDidStart(FadingPane.this);
}
public void fadeOut() {
timer.stop();
fadeListener.fadeDidStop(FadingPane.this);
delta = -0.05f;
timer.restart();
fadeListener.fadeDidStart(FadingPane.this);
}
}
}

Thats totaly normal, moving your function to the JFrame and calling repaint function would actualy call repaint of your JFrame.
I think the best solution would be to pass panel as an argument to your fadeIn and fadeOut function and call its repaint methode for example fadeIn :
private void fadeIn(JPanel panelParam) {
ActionListener fadeInAc = new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
opacity -= 10;
if (opacity <= 0) {
opacity = 0;
fadeInT.stop();
}
panelParam.repaint(); // here call repaint of the panel.
}
};
fadeInT = new Timer(10, fadeInAc);
fadeInT.setInitialDelay(200);
fadeInT.start();
}
With that you can apply your effect on any other panel.
Hope it helped.

Add visibility effect to images in Java JFrame

I'm using Java's JFrame to show a .jpeg image. I need to start horizontal sliding effect to an image when a checkbox is selected. So basically when the checkbox is selected, the image will start sliding from left to right, taking a few seconds and when finished, start again forever until the checkbox is unchecked. How can I add I this feature?
EDIT: Actually I do not mean the picture itself is moving; I mean the picture is stable and static, but the image will start to get visible with a horizontal sliding effect, from left to right and restart. I hope it is clear enough.
Assume here is my code to show images and checkboxes (got from Java tutorial):
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
/*
* CheckBoxDemo.java requires 16 image files in the images/geek
* directory:
* geek-----.gif, geek-c---.gif, geek--g--.gif, geek---h-.gif, geek----t.gif,
* geek-cg--.gif, ..., geek-cght.gif.
*/
public class CheckBoxDemo extends JPanel
implements ItemListener {
JCheckBox chinButton;
JCheckBox glassesButton;
JCheckBox hairButton;
JCheckBox teethButton;
/*
* Four accessory choices provide for 16 different
* combinations. The image for each combination is
* contained in a separate image file whose name indicates
* the accessories. The filenames are "geek-XXXX.gif"
* where XXXX can be one of the following 16 choices.
* The "choices" StringBuffer contains the string that
* indicates the current selection and is used to generate
* the file name of the image to display.
---- //zero accessories
c--- //one accessory
-g--
--h-
---t
cg-- //two accessories
c-h-
c--t
-gh-
-g-t
--ht
-ght //three accessories
c-ht
cg-t
cgh-
cght //all accessories
*/
StringBuffer choices;
JLabel pictureLabel;
public CheckBoxDemo() {
super(new BorderLayout());
//Create the check boxes.
chinButton = new JCheckBox("Chin");
chinButton.setMnemonic(KeyEvent.VK_C);
chinButton.setSelected(true);
glassesButton = new JCheckBox("Glasses");
glassesButton.setMnemonic(KeyEvent.VK_G);
glassesButton.setSelected(true);
hairButton = new JCheckBox("Hair");
hairButton.setMnemonic(KeyEvent.VK_H);
hairButton.setSelected(true);
teethButton = new JCheckBox("Teeth");
teethButton.setMnemonic(KeyEvent.VK_T);
teethButton.setSelected(true);
//Register a listener for the check boxes.
chinButton.addItemListener(this);
glassesButton.addItemListener(this);
hairButton.addItemListener(this);
teethButton.addItemListener(this);
//Indicates what's on the geek.
choices = new StringBuffer("cght");
//Set up the picture label
pictureLabel = new JLabel();
pictureLabel.setFont(pictureLabel.getFont().deriveFont(Font.ITALIC));
updatePicture();
//Put the check boxes in a column in a panel
JPanel checkPanel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(0, 1));
checkPanel.add(chinButton);
checkPanel.add(glassesButton);
checkPanel.add(hairButton);
checkPanel.add(teethButton);
add(checkPanel, BorderLayout.LINE_START);
add(pictureLabel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(20,20,20,20));
}
/** Listens to the check boxes. */
public void itemStateChanged(ItemEvent e) {
int index = 0;
char c = '-';
Object source = e.getItemSelectable();
if (source == chinButton) {
index = 0;
c = 'c';
} else if (source == glassesButton) {
index = 1;
c = 'g';
} else if (source == hairButton) {
index = 2;
c = 'h';
} else if (source == teethButton) {
index = 3;
c = 't';
}
//Now that we know which button was pushed, find out
//whether it was selected or deselected.
if (e.getStateChange() == ItemEvent.DESELECTED) {
c = '-';
}
//Apply the change to the string.
choices.setCharAt(index, c);
updatePicture();
}
protected void updatePicture() {
//Get the icon corresponding to the image.
ImageIcon icon = createImageIcon(
"images/geek/geek-"
+ choices.toString()
+ ".gif");
pictureLabel.setIcon(icon);
pictureLabel.setToolTipText(choices.toString());
if (icon == null) {
pictureLabel.setText("Missing Image");
} else {
pictureLabel.setText(null);
}
}
/** Returns an ImageIcon, or null if the path was invalid. */
protected static ImageIcon createImageIcon(String path) {
java.net.URL imgURL = CheckBoxDemo.class.getResource(path);
if (imgURL != null) {
return new ImageIcon(imgURL);
} else {
System.err.println("Couldn't find file: " + path);
return null;
}
}
/**
* Create the GUI and show it. For thread safety,
* this method should be invoked from the
* event-dispatching thread.
*/
private static void createAndShowGUI() {
//Create and set up the window.
JFrame frame = new JFrame("CheckBoxDemo");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
//Create and set up the content pane.
JComponent newContentPane = new CheckBoxDemo();
newContentPane.setOpaque(true); //content panes must be opaque
frame.setContentPane(newContentPane);
//Display the window.
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
//Schedule a job for the event-dispatching thread:
//creating and showing this application's GUI.
javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
createAndShowGUI();
}
});
}
}

The simplest solution would be to roll your own using something like a javax.swing.Timer, for example...
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.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.Timer;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class SlidingAnimation {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new SlidingAnimation();
}
public SlidingAnimation() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(new TestPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class TestPane extends JPanel {
private BufferedImage img;
private int x = 0;
private Timer timer;
private long startTime = -1;
private int playTime = 4000;
public TestPane() {
try {
img = ImageIO.read(new File("..."));
} catch (IOException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
timer = new Timer(40, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
float progress = 0f;
if (startTime == -1) {
startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
} else {
long currentTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
long diff = currentTime - startTime;
if (diff >= playTime) {
diff = 0;
startTime = -1;
}
progress = diff / (float)playTime;
}
x = (int)((getWidth() - img.getWidth()) * progress);
repaint();
}
});
timer.start();
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return img == null ? new Dimension(200, 200) : new Dimension(img.getWidth() * 2, img.getHeight());
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
if (img != null) {
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
int y = (getHeight() - img.getHeight()) / 2;
g2d.drawImage(img, x, y, this);
g2d.dispose();
}
}
}
}
This is a two second loop, which calculates the current position based on the difference between a start time and the current time and the total area that the animation needs to move. This does make it flexible, but it is a straight linear animation, it does not have the nice ease-in and ease-out which gives animation a more realistic movement...
For more advanced animation effects, I would strongly encourage you have a look at
The Timing Framework. Provides good access to the core to do unusual things, but also has the ability to change an objects properties over time
Trident. Provides the ability to change the properties of objects over time
Universal Tween Engine which I haven't used but looks really good.
You might also want to take a look at Performing Custom Painting for more details about how custom painting is done in Swing
Updated
So, if I understand your comments, you want to do a cross fade effect. Now there are a few ways to do this, you could use BufferedImage#subImage to get a "cropped" version of the original image and show that, but that, IMHO, doesn't produce such a nice effect...
Instead, you could use a masking technique which allows you to produce a fading effect...
import java.awt.AlphaComposite;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.LinearGradientPaint;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.geom.Point2D;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.Timer;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class SlidingAnimation {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new SlidingAnimation();
}
public SlidingAnimation() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(new TestPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class TestPane extends JPanel {
private BufferedImage img;
private Timer timer;
private long startTime = -1;
private int playTime = 4000;
private float progress;
public TestPane() {
try {
img = ImageIO.read(new File("..."));
} catch (IOException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
timer = new Timer(40, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if (startTime == -1) {
startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
} else {
long currentTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
long diff = currentTime - startTime;
if (diff >= playTime) {
diff = 0;
startTime = -1;
}
progress = diff / (float) playTime;
}
repaint();
}
});
timer.start();
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return img == null ? new Dimension(200, 200) : new Dimension(img.getWidth(), img.getHeight());
}
protected BufferedImage generateImage() {
BufferedImage buffer = new BufferedImage(img.getWidth(), img.getHeight(), BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB);
Graphics2D g2d = buffer.createGraphics();
g2d.setBackground(new Color(0, 0, 0, 0));
g2d.clearRect(0, 0, buffer.getWidth(), buffer.getHeight());
g2d.drawImage(img, 0, 0, this);
float startAt = progress - 0.05f;
float endAt = progress + 0.05f;
if (endAt <= 0.1f) {
startAt = 0;
endAt = Math.max(0.1f, progress);
} else if (endAt >= 1f) {
endAt = 1f;
startAt = progress;
}
LinearGradientPaint lgp = new LinearGradientPaint(
new Point2D.Float(0, 0),
new Point2D.Float(img.getWidth(), 0),
new float[]{startAt, endAt},
new Color[]{new Color(0, 0, 0, 0), Color.RED});
g2d.setPaint(lgp);
g2d.setComposite(AlphaComposite.DstOut.derive(1f));
g2d.fill(new Rectangle(0, 0, img.getWidth(), img.getHeight()));
g2d.dispose();
return buffer;
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
if (img != null) {
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
int y = (getHeight() - img.getHeight()) / 2;
int x = (getWidth() - img.getWidth()) / 2;
g2d.drawImage(generateImage(), x, y, this);
g2d.dispose();
}
}
}
}

How do I implement Java swing GUI start screen for a game with drawString and drawImage?

I'm not sure how I would fix the errors in my program and how I would highlight the option the user is hovering on. I want it to highlight the code for each position, i.e position 1 would be highlighted(as a different color) to start game,etc. and up/down would change position and I would change the position with up ,down, left, right. This is what I have so far. At the moment its bugged and when compiled with my window it comes out as:
Which works for the main game and altered for this titleboard, what am I doing wrong and how do I fix it?
TitleBoard class
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.awt.geom.*;
import java.util.ArrayList;
//sound + file opening
import java.io.*;
import javax.sound.sampled.*;
public class TitleBoard extends JPanel implements ActionListener{
private ArrayList<String> OptionList;
private Image background;
private ImageIcon bgImageIcon;
private String cheatString;
private int position;
private Timer timer;
public TitleBoard(){
setFocusable(true);
addKeyListener(new TAdapter());
bgImageIcon = new ImageIcon("");
background = bgImageIcon.getImage();
String[] options = {"Start Game","Options","Quit"};
OptionList = new ArrayList<String>();
optionSetup(options);
position = 1;
timer = new Timer(8, this);
timer.start();
/*
1 mod 3 =>1 highlight on start
2 mod 3 =>2 highlight on options
3 mod 3 =>0 highlight on quit
*/
try{
Font numFont = Font.createFont(Font.TRUETYPE_FONT,new File("TwistedStallions.ttf"));
GraphicsEnvironment ge = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment();
ge.registerFont(numFont);
setFont(numFont.deriveFont(24f)); //adjusthislater
}catch(IOException|FontFormatException e){
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
private void optionSetup(String[] s){
for(int i=0; i<s.length;i++) {
OptionList.add(s[i]);
}
}
public void paint(Graphics g){
super.paint(g);
Graphics g2d = (Graphics2D)g;
g2d.drawImage(background,0,0,this);
for (int i=0;i<OptionList.size();i++){
g2d.drawString(OptionList.get(i),200,120+120*i);
}/*
g2d.drawString(OptionList.get(1),400,240);
g2d.drawString(OptionList.get(2),400,360);
//instructions on start screen maybe??
//800x500
//highlighting*/
Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().sync();
g.dispose();
}
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e){
repaint();
}
public class TAdapter extends KeyAdapter {
public void keyPressed(KeyEvent e){
if(e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_UP||
e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_RIGHT){
position++;
}
if(e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_DOWN||
e.getKeyCode() == KeyEvent.VK_LEFT){
position--;
}
}
}
}
Window Class
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
public class Window extends JFrame{
public Window(){
int width = 800, height = 600;
//TO DO: make a panel in TITLE MODE
///////////////////////////////////
//panel in GAME MODE.
add(new TitleBoard());
//set default close
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
setSize(width,height);
//centers window
setLocationRelativeTo(null);
setTitle("Title");
setResizable(false);
setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args){
new Window();
}
}

There are any number of ways you might achieve this, for example, you could use some kind of delegation model.
That is, rather then trying to mange of each element in a single method (or methods), you could devise a delegate which provide a simple interface method that the paint method would call and it would know how to do the rest.
For example, Swing uses this type of concept with it's cell renderers for JList, JTable and JTree.
For example...
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.FontMetrics;
import java.awt.Graphics;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
import java.awt.event.MouseAdapter;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;
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 MyAwesomeMenu {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new MyAwesomeMenu();
}
public MyAwesomeMenu() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(new TestPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class TestPane extends JPanel {
private List<String> menuItems;
private String selectMenuItem;
private String focusedItem;
private MenuItemPainter painter;
private Map<String, Rectangle> menuBounds;
public TestPane() {
setBackground(Color.BLACK);
painter = new SimpleMenuItemPainter();
menuItems = new ArrayList<>(25);
menuItems.add("Start Game");
menuItems.add("Options");
menuItems.add("Exit");
selectMenuItem = menuItems.get(0);
MouseAdapter ma = new MouseAdapter() {
#Override
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) {
String newItem = null;
for (String text : menuItems) {
Rectangle bounds = menuBounds.get(text);
if (bounds.contains(e.getPoint())) {
newItem = text;
break;
}
}
if (newItem != null && !newItem.equals(selectMenuItem)) {
selectMenuItem = newItem;
repaint();
}
}
#Override
public void mouseMoved(MouseEvent e) {
focusedItem = null;
for (String text : menuItems) {
Rectangle bounds = menuBounds.get(text);
if (bounds.contains(e.getPoint())) {
focusedItem = text;
repaint();
break;
}
}
}
};
addMouseListener(ma);
addMouseMotionListener(ma);
InputMap im = getInputMap(WHEN_IN_FOCUSED_WINDOW);
ActionMap am = getActionMap();
im.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_DOWN, 0), "arrowDown");
im.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(KeyEvent.VK_UP, 0), "arrowUp");
am.put("arrowDown", new MenuAction(1));
am.put("arrowUp", new MenuAction(-1));
}
#Override
public void invalidate() {
menuBounds = null;
super.invalidate();
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(200, 200);
}
#Override
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
Graphics2D g2d = (Graphics2D) g.create();
if (menuBounds == null) {
menuBounds = new HashMap<>(menuItems.size());
int width = 0;
int height = 0;
for (String text : menuItems) {
Dimension dim = painter.getPreferredSize(g2d, text);
width = Math.max(width, dim.width);
height = Math.max(height, dim.height);
}
int x = (getWidth() - (width + 10)) / 2;
int totalHeight = (height + 10) * menuItems.size();
totalHeight += 5 * (menuItems.size() - 1);
int y = (getHeight() - totalHeight) / 2;
for (String text : menuItems) {
menuBounds.put(text, new Rectangle(x, y, width + 10, height + 10));
y += height + 10 + 5;
}
}
for (String text : menuItems) {
Rectangle bounds = menuBounds.get(text);
boolean isSelected = text.equals(selectMenuItem);
boolean isFocused = text.equals(focusedItem);
painter.paint(g2d, text, bounds, isSelected, isFocused);
}
g2d.dispose();
}
public class MenuAction extends AbstractAction {
private final int delta;
public MenuAction(int delta) {
this.delta = delta;
}
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
int index = menuItems.indexOf(selectMenuItem);
if (index < 0) {
selectMenuItem = menuItems.get(0);
}
index += delta;
if (index < 0) {
selectMenuItem = menuItems.get(menuItems.size() - 1);
} else if (index >= menuItems.size()) {
selectMenuItem = menuItems.get(0);
} else {
selectMenuItem = menuItems.get(index);
}
repaint();
}
}
}
public interface MenuItemPainter {
public void paint(Graphics2D g2d, String text, Rectangle bounds, boolean isSelected, boolean isFocused);
public Dimension getPreferredSize(Graphics2D g2d, String text);
}
public class SimpleMenuItemPainter implements MenuItemPainter {
public Dimension getPreferredSize(Graphics2D g2d, String text) {
return g2d.getFontMetrics().getStringBounds(text, g2d).getBounds().getSize();
}
#Override
public void paint(Graphics2D g2d, String text, Rectangle bounds, boolean isSelected, boolean isFocused) {
FontMetrics fm = g2d.getFontMetrics();
if (isSelected) {
paintBackground(g2d, bounds, Color.BLUE, Color.WHITE);
} else if (isFocused) {
paintBackground(g2d, bounds, Color.MAGENTA, Color.BLACK);
} else {
paintBackground(g2d, bounds, Color.DARK_GRAY, Color.LIGHT_GRAY);
}
int x = bounds.x + ((bounds.width - fm.stringWidth(text)) / 2);
int y = bounds.y + ((bounds.height - fm.getHeight()) / 2) + fm.getAscent();
g2d.setColor(isSelected ? Color.WHITE : Color.LIGHT_GRAY);
g2d.drawString(text, x, y);
}
protected void paintBackground(Graphics2D g2d, Rectangle bounds, Color background, Color foreground) {
g2d.setColor(background);
g2d.fill(bounds);
g2d.setColor(foreground);
g2d.draw(bounds);
}
}
}
For here, you could add ActionListener

When a GUI needs a button, use a JButton! The JButton API allows the possibility to add icons for many different circumstances. This example shows different icons for the standard icon, the hover icon, and the pressed icon. Your GUI would obviously use icons with text on them for the required effect.
The icons are pulled directly (hot-linked) from Example images for code and mark-up Q&As.
Standard
Hover over triangle
Press triangle
Code
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.border.EmptyBorder;
import java.net.URL;
public class IconHoverFocusIndication {
// the GUI as seen by the user (without frame)
// swap the 1 and 0 for single column
JPanel gui = new JPanel(new GridLayout(1,0,50,50));
public static final int GREEN = 0, YELLOW = 1, RED = 2;
String[][] urls = {
{
"http://i.stack.imgur.com/T5uTa.png",
"http://i.stack.imgur.com/IHARa.png",
"http://i.stack.imgur.com/wCF8S.png"
},
{
"http://i.stack.imgur.com/gYxHm.png",
"http://i.stack.imgur.com/8BGfi.png",
"http://i.stack.imgur.com/5v2TX.png"
},
{
"http://i.stack.imgur.com/1lgtq.png",
"http://i.stack.imgur.com/6ZXhi.png",
"http://i.stack.imgur.com/F0JHK.png"
}
};
IconHoverFocusIndication() throws Exception {
// adjust to requirement..
gui.setBorder(new EmptyBorder(15, 30, 15, 30));
gui.setBackground(Color.BLACK);
Insets zeroMargin = new Insets(0,0,0,0);
for (int ii = 0; ii < 3; ii++) {
JButton b = new JButton();
b.setBorderPainted(false);
b.setMargin(zeroMargin);
b.setContentAreaFilled(false);
gui.add(b);
URL url1 = new URL(urls[ii][GREEN]);
BufferedImage bi1 = ImageIO.read(url1);
b.setIcon(new ImageIcon(bi1));
URL url2 = new URL(urls[ii][YELLOW]);
BufferedImage bi2 = ImageIO.read(url2);
b.setRolloverIcon(new ImageIcon(bi2));
URL url3 = new URL(urls[ii][RED]);
BufferedImage bi3 = ImageIO.read(url3);
b.setPressedIcon(new ImageIcon(bi3));
}
}
public JComponent getGUI() {
return gui;
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
Runnable r = new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
IconHoverFocusIndication ihfi =
new IconHoverFocusIndication();
JFrame f = new JFrame("Button Icons");
f.add(ihfi.getGUI());
// Ensures JVM closes after frame(s) closed and
// all non-daemon threads are finished
f.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
// See https://stackoverflow.com/a/7143398/418556 for demo.
f.setLocationByPlatform(true);
// ensures the frame is the minimum size it needs to be
// in order display the components within it
f.pack();
// should be done last, to avoid flickering, moving,
// resizing artifacts.
f.setVisible(true);
} catch (Exception ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
}
};
// Swing GUIs should be created and updated on the EDT
// http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/concurrency
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(r);
}
}