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Custom ToolBar with Java Swing for Desktop

I have created a GUI with Java Swing and wanting to create a custom toolbar according to my modules. Below are the images am wanting to use:
These images are placed in the same level as the src folder within my application. I am aware that I can perhaps create a jar with these images so that I can easily access them from within my application but do not know how. I have spent hours trying to make this work.
Below is my GUI that I have created ad wanting to beautify with these images for the toolbar else create an array of labels that will act as a navigation but either approach I couldn't get it to work.
The code below was my last attempt on this:
JToolBar toolbar1 = new JToolBar();
ImageIcon client = new ImageIcon("clients.png");
ImageIcon timesheet = new ImageIcon("timesheets.png");
JButton clientTB = new JButton(client);
JButton timesheetTB = new JButton(timesheet);
toolbar1.add(clientTB );
toolbar1.add(timesheetTB);
add(toolbar1, BorderLayout.NORTH);
I even moved these images and placed them within the class that's calling them.
What could I be doing wrong, please help?

You have a look at the JavaDocs for ImageIcon(String), the String value is "a String specifying a filename or path"
This is a problem, because your images aren't actually files, any more, they have been embedded within your application (typically within the resulting jar file) and no longer be treated like "normal files".
Instead, you need to use Class#getResource which searches the application's classpath for the named resource, something like...
// This assumes that the images are in the default package
// (or the root of the src directory)
ImageIcon client = new ImageIcon(getClass().getResource("/clients.png"));
Now, I have a personal dislike for ImageIcon, because it won't tell you when the image is loaded for some reason, like it can't be found or it's the wrong format.
Instead, I'd use ImageIO to read the image
ImageIcon client = new ImageIcon(ImageIO.read(getClass().getResource("/clients.png")));
which will do two things, first, it will throw a IOException if the image can't be loaded for some reason and two, it won't return until the image is fully loaded, which is helpful.
See Reading/Loading an Image for more details

How to change java icon in a JFrame

Ok so I've been researching this one quiet a bit. I am fairly new to java but thought that this one would be easy. Ive tried just about every way that has been answered on this site and still no luck, and usually when I look here I am able to find a answer that fits what I am looking for. Does anyone know how to change the Java icon in the top corner of the JFrame. I'm pretty positive that its not my file path either because all my images are in the same folder and they all work, this is the only one that I can't seem to get to work.
This is the first part my code for the main menu of my program, everything works except when i try to add the icon image. The code I've entered below does not have anything in it for the JFrame IconImage, I removed it since it didn't work. So if there is someone who knows how to get it working with this code that would be highly appreciated, thank you very much in advanced!
public class MainFrame
{
private MyPanel main;
private MyPanel2 create;
private MyPanel3 update;
private MyPanel4 find;
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Main Menu:");
public void displayGUI()
{
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
JPanel contentPane = new JPanel();
contentPane.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(0, 0, 0, 0));
contentPane.setLayout(new CardLayout());
main = new MyPanel(contentPane, this);
create = new MyPanel2(contentPane);
update = new MyPanel3(contentPane);
find = new MyPanel4(contentPane);
contentPane.add(main, "Main Menu");
contentPane.add(create, "Create Part");
contentPane.add(update, "Update Part");
contentPane.add(find, "Find Part");
frame.setLocation(200, 200);
frame.setSize(700, 580);
frame.setContentPane(contentPane);
frame.setVisible(true);
}

I have an answer for you. First, make sure that the images are in a folder, not a package. Next, insert this line of code:
Image image = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getImage(getClass().getResource("path/to/image.png"));
ImageIcon icon = new ImageIcon( );
setIconImage(icon.getImage());
This code gets the image from the class path, and returns it as a image icon, and then it sets it. This should add the image icon to the application. If it doesn't, then tell me.
EDIT: After you told me that that didn't work then I decided to take a second crack at it...
First, put your images into a completely separate folder. I usually call this /res. Next, put your image in there. Now, for loading I took a completely different route. I decided to use ImageIO instead of default loading. To load the image, you use this code:
try {
frame.setIconImage(ImageIO.read(new File("res/icon.png")));
}
catch (IOException exc) {
exc.printStackTrace();
}
ImageIO works a lot better for loading images. If this still doesn't work then please tell me.
If you want to export this as a JAR then put a folder the same name as you used in the program in the same directory as the JAR.

For example in a NetBeans project, create a resources folder in the src folder.
Put your images (jpg, ...) in there.
Whether you use ImageIO or Toolkit (including getResource),
you must include a leading / in your path to the image file:
Image image = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getImage(getClass().getResource("/resources/agfa_icon.jpg"));
setIconImage(image);
If this code is inside your JFrame class, the image is added to the frame as an icon in your title bar.

This works pretty fine for me.
Just add this after you've created your JFrame.
try {
Image image = new ImageIcon("/icons/image.jpg").getImage();
frame.setIconImage(image);
}catch(Exception e){
System.out.println("Application icon not found");
}

Paste your image icon (fav.png) in the same package first,
Write following code in constructor of JFrame:
setIconImage(Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getImage(getClass().getResource("fav.png")));
Note:- fav.png is the name of icon

this.setIconImage(new ImageIcon(getClass().getResource("/iconsfolder/iconsname.jpg")).getImage());
// sets the Global icon for the system
try this code put after this code:
public void displayGUI()
{

Using JLabel for a background image

When I run the code it just opens an empty window
I also important whatever is necessary
relevant parts of the code:
public class Game extends JFrame implements ActionListener,KeyListener{
private JLabel background;
....
public Game(){
background=new JLabel(new ImageIcon("/graphics/board.gif"));
...
this.add(background);
this.setSize(800,600);
this.setVisible(true);...
I tried adding the JLabel to a JPanel and then add it to the frame but it still shows nothing in the window

Originally the code was:
JLabel background = new JLabel("/graphics/board.gif");
This would not set the image at the path described, Suggest that the following method is used (this could be simplified to just use a different JLabel constructor but steps shown for clarity)
Create and load the image and then set the icon for the Label As follows
ImageIcon icon = new ImageIcon("/graphics/board.gif");
JLabel background = new JLabel();
background.setIcon(icon);
Link to ImageIcon Java Doc

It is important to set in the layout the order in which the elements are displayed , maybe you have something that is displayed over the label..

I'm guessing you have a directory structure something like:
-c:\java
- source (for source and class files)
- graphic (for your images)
background=new JLabel(new ImageIcon("/graphics/board.gif"));
Don't specify the leading "/" in the file name. That tells Java to look at the root of the C drive, not at the directory where your class is executing from.
Also, don't use:
this.setSize(800,600);
The image does not stretch to fill the size of the frame. Intead you should be using:
this.pack();
so the frame will be the size of the image.

Why is there no image when running from a .jar file?

I'm trying to make my panel show image as background. I already can do that in NetBeans, but when I build my jar and run it image doesn't show there. I know I have to access it differently. I have seen many tutorials but every one of them shows how to do it with ImageIcon, but I don't need that, I need just Image. Can anyone point out what piece of code do I need to do this? Thanks.
This is my code for backgrounded JPanel:
public class JPanelWB extends JPanel { // Creates JPanel with given image as background.
private Image backgroundImage;
public JPanelWB(String fileName){
try {
backgroundImage = ImageIO.read(new File(fileName));
} catch (IOException ex) {
new JDialog().add(new Label("Could not open image."+ex.getMessage()));
}
}
#Override
public void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
super.paintComponent(g);
// Draw the background image.
g.drawImage(backgroundImage, 0, 0, getWidth(),getHeight(),this);
}
}

Yeah, you're trying to read in the image as a file -- don't do that since files don't exist within a Jar file. Instead read it in as a resource.
Something like so:
public JPanelWB(String resourceName){
try {
// backgroundImage = ImageIO.read(new File(resourceName));
backgroundImage = ImageIO.read(getClass().getResource(resourceName));
} catch (IOException ex) {
new JDialog().add(new Label("Could not open image."+ex.getMessage()));
}
}
But note that resource path is different from file path. The resource path is relative to the location of your class files.

If you want to read new image and import it as background, people smarter than me already answered your question.
But, if your problem is similar to mine, then this migh help:
If you already have images to show, then the point is to call them from absolute path. Executable class form JAR will read drive created inside virtual machine, not the physical drive in your computer.
Put images in short-pathed folder like
C:\J\proj\img\
and call them with absolute path like
"C:\\J\\proj\\img\\your_image.png" // (Don't forget the double backslashes.)
(If you don't mind path lenght, leave them in image folder inside your project package, and call them from there.)
NetBeans will pack them into JAR with absolute path. On execution JRE will create JVM with that path in it, take the images from JAR and put them to that virtual path. Class will be able to find them, because it doesn't read path from physical drive, but from own virtual one newly created inside JVM.
In that case avoiding ImageIcon is just more clutter, not less.
You can add "blackBoard" as JLabel to be background to your JFrame, set its layout to null, something like this:
private JLabel blackBoard;
private JLabel noteToSelf;
//.....
blackBoard = new JLabel();
noteToSelf = new JLabel();
//.....
// putting JLabel "blackBoard" as background into JFrame
blackBoard.setIcon(new ImageIcon("c:\\Java\\images\\MarbleTable.png"));
getContentPane().add(blackBoard);
blackBoard.setBounds(1, 1, 400, 440);
blackBoard.setLayout(null);
and then add components into "blackBoard" instead of your JFrame, like this.
// putting JLabel "noteToSelf" onto background
noteToSelf.setIcon(new ImageIcon("c:\\Java\\images\\Sticker_a1.png"));
// or: noteToSelf.setText("Remind me at 6:30am...");
blackBoard.add(noteToSelf);
noteToSelf.setBounds(noteX, noteY, 64, 48);
Now your JFrame is table board and "blackBoard" is table sheet on it.
Hope this helps.

Having difficulty add a custom icon to a JFrame

I have been trying to change the icon in the frame. I have virtually tried everything:
The icon is 16x16 which is the right size ....doesn't work
I've trying PNG,GIF and JPG formats none of them work.
Tried different way of setting the icon....doesn't work.
I've tried relative (local paths) e.g. "icon.gif" and absolute paths e.g. "c:\work\java\icon.gif" ...doesn't work
Here is my code and see if you can figure it out
Thanks
Oli
import javax.swing.*;
public class androidDriver
{
public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException
{
JFrame f = new JFrame("Android Data Viewer");
f.setResizable(false);
f.setSize(300,300);
f.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
f.setVisible(true);
f.setIconImage(new ImageIcon("androidIcon2.gif").getImage());
}
}

If you put the image in the same directory as the class file then the following should work for you:
f.setIconImage(new ImageIcon(androidDriver.class.getResource("androidIcon2.gif")).getImage());
Also would suggest setting the icon image before you make the frame visible
f.setIconImage(new ImageIcon(androidDriver.class.getResource("androidIcon2.gif")).getImage());
f.setVisible(true);

I suspect you may have to actually wait for the image to load using a MediaTracker. It's likely that the image is still loading at the point the frame setIconImage references it, so it does nothing.

Have you tried using Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getImage("androidIcon2.gif")
And two other things:
Does the image exist? The code you posted will fail silently.
Is it formatted properly? (though I assume Java could handle it if it wasn't)

Make a separate folder next to the source folder then put your image in there, and then use ImageIO to get the image like so:
f.setIconImage(ImageIO.read(new File("res/androidIcon2.gif")));
Also, if that doesn't work, try saving the image as a .png instead of a .gif.