An easier alternative to JFrames (in full screen)? - java

Right now, I have a full screen application which spawns several full screen JFrames based on a configuration file (so I can never predict exactly how many frames I will have). These JFrames are in full-screen mode, like this:
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DO_NOTHING_ON_CLOSE);
setUndecorated(true);
Dimension screenSize = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getScreenSize();
setBounds(0,0,screenSize.width, screenSize.height);
The problem is, these JFrames are misbehaving in a Linux environment. I struggled a whole lot with requestFocus, requestFocusInWindow, toFront, setVisible, etc. But nothing seems to get it to work properly in Linux. The issue lies in the fact that I have several frames and I need to be able to switch between them when I click on a button (it's basically a menu).
So I'm starting to think a JFrame isn't the best object to use. Would it be easier to manager multiple frames if they were, say optionPanes? Or something similar? Whatever the solution, I need to be able to DO_NOTHING_ON_CLOSE and setUndecorated (or something similar).
Note: If you don't see a reason I need to change my JFrame and would know how I can switch focus/view easily, please let me know. This would also be an answer to my problem.

i dont see your call to set the screen to fullscreen ?
http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/extra/fullscreen/exclusivemode.html

I have decided to use the cardLayout and changing my code around a little bit.

Related

Simulating a Mouse Event on A Minimized Window Java

So I want to be able to simulate mouse clicks on my window/frame, but in the background. This means I cant use the Robot class because it takes control of the OSes mouse which is not what I want (please guys, I know of and use the Robot class, it's not what I need).
I want the program to think I clicked on part of it (x,y on the frame) even when minimized (doesnt have to minimized but at least out of focus). I dont want it to take over my computer since it should ideally be a background task.
I did a little bit of research before posting and I read that I could make an Applet and then use the "reflection class"(?) and mouselisteners to invoke mouse events on the frame itself rather than through the OS. Not sure if itll work cause the explanation was pretty meh and the guy said they could communicate individually if he had problems :/.
Kind of wondering if it's possible at this point. If it cant be done in java, I know a little python, so if there's a solution for it in python, that could work to.
TLDR: Need to simulate mouseclicks on my frame, but it cant use the os mouse and should ideally work when the application is out of focus/in the background.
Thanks in advance :D

Java graphic as an object/class

I'm sorry this is probably way too basic to be on here, but it's a subject I've been struggling with for about a month now and I don't know where else to go (as far as I know there is no "noob overflow", lol).
I'm trying to create a class that would:
1. put an image on a window (a JFrame, JPanel or other container)
2. be able to support keyboard and mouse listeners
3. could have multiple instances in the same container
So anyway I've tried all the usual places - Google, YouTube, the official Java site (sorry forgot the URL) and of course here on Stack Overflow - but haven't been able to find anything even remotely similar to what I'm trying to do.
Of course, I've also considered the possiblity that maybe it can't be done at all. There doesn't seem to be any kind of standard "JImage" or "JGraphic" that works like JButton or JLabel, and for whatever reason graphics requires a completely different list of (extremely involved) processes and procedures. As an example, in this post: How to "really" draw images in a Java app - it took me 60+ lines of code and 2 classes to just come close. That project didn't work in the end because for some reason it would only let me create one instance (even it you created 2-4 in the main method, it would only display the last one you told it to add).
But anyway, assuming that I'm not trying to "re-invent the wheel" here and it is actually possible (in Java), does anyone have an idea as to how (or at least know of a better site to study it)? Unfortunately most of the sites I've visited tend to assume you know all the inner workings of images (I know what a pixel is but that's about it - Buffers, Rastars etc. are still beyond me). It would be absolutely outstanding if there were a site that would explain it in layman's terms, if such a site exists. Thanks in advance.
Just use a plain old JLabel.
Regarding your requirements:
put an image on a window (a JFrame, JPanel or other container).
You can give a JLabel an ImageIcon of the image of interest and it will display it. This can then be easily placed in any other container such as a JPanel or JFrame.
be able to support keyboard and mouse listeners
Any component that extends JComponent, such as a JLabel allows for use of MouseListener, MouseMotionListener and can listen for keyboard input via Key Bindings.
could have multiple instances in the same container
You can add as many as you'd like to any container. Just be cognizant and respectful of the layout managers in use.

Positioning a Slider in a JPanel using Java

Ok, like with everything I find it easier to learn when jumping into the deep end (Java, PHP, Air Traffic Controlling) I just try not to kill anybody in the process; however, I cannot find any information of how to specifically position a slider (JSlider)... I want to add it to my JPanel and at the stage I am at, setBounds would be the most logical but it doesn't like it!
I have set up the slider as follows
sensitivitySlider = new JSlider (sensitivitySlider.HORIZONTAL, 1, 1000, 500);
and initiated the variable at the beginning of the program, no problems compiling and too much of a brief (easy to most) question to find a definitive answer from googling.
Sorry if this is a little bit dumb
Essentially the problem was that I was not placing it on a panel, I was trying to position it directly on the main frame however I was calling for it to be placed on the mainPanel which didnt exist. Sorry for wasting server space without properly checking for the errors myself...

Swing GUI - Creating a 'Settings' Window (Properly)

I am working on an application that uses Swing. I have successfully created a main GUI for the user to work from. However, I would like to allow the user to change his/her settings. How should I go about creating the settings window? Would using a new JFrame called 'Settings' be the best way to handle this, or is there something better to use than a second JFrame?
(Note: The settings JFrame, on exit, will not close the main GUI, it will use the DISPOSE method)
I would like to handle this in a way that consumes the least amount of memory, but maintaining a professionalized look to the application.
Have you considered a CardLayout? http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/layout/card.html
Personally, I find the use of a separate dialogue to be a bit dated for configuration settings. I prefer tabbed layouts, which are card layouts decorated with a tab bar across the top.
You could easily wrap your application in a near-top-level card layout and add a menu action to switch to the configuration card, with the "acknowledgement" or "cancel" buttons switching back to the main application card.
In the end, it is really about what your users prefer, but remember a lot of them might prefer what they know, even if it is not a better solution. You have to find a balance, and if your implementation rocks, then eventually they will want your approach to the problem to be used in other applications.
A perfect example of this is tabbed browsing, as opposed to multiple windows. Personally, I can't imagine going back to multiple-window browsing now that I have become accustomed to browsing tabs, but at one point in time, multiple windows was the only game in town.
In the end, if you find out you made the wrong choice, keep you code clean enough to easily implement with either solution. As long as your configuration screen is just a plain JPanel (or wrapped in just a JPanel), it shouldn't be very hard to do.
here is a class that does just this kind of thing:
http://tus.svn.sourceforge.net/viewvc/tus/tjacobs/ui/dialogs/ParamDialog.java?view=log
you have to look at the ApplicationListener interface, especially at the 'handlePreferences' method of that interface.

Netbeans 6.7.1 mainPanel resizing problem

I've created a small gui app in Netbeans. As I was adding in some buttons and text areas the mainPanel resized itself. Now it is really wide [probably 4x as wide as I want] but when I try to drag the edge in it won't resize back down. If I drag it out, making it bigger, it takes that change. I would just like to return the mainPanel back to a reasonable size. Not sure what I'm doing wrong here. I've tried to change the min size, max size, and preferred size settings for the mainPanel with no success. I've even tried to change the menuBar & statusPanel settings at the same time as the mainPanel [thinking that one of them was making the others too big] without success.
Any ideas?
Netbeans does do really stupid things like that sometimes, and I generally get around them using either of these two methods:
First thing to try is to change the layout used. Try the Grid Bag Layout, or any of the others and see if you get better results.
If that doesn't work, then probably the easiest thing to do is to change stuff in the code. You will notice that Netbeans automatically adds a call to initComponents(); in the constructor (you have to switch to Code view from Design view). And if you look at initComponents, it will have a whole heap of auto-generated code to create the GUI. Do NOT edit this, because it's just a matter of time before Netbeans overwrites your changes. What I do is to create a new method initComponentsFix, and call that immeidtaely after initComponents in the constructor. In initComponentsFix, I would add the code to resize the component to the preferred size, and any other things you you want to fix.
BTW I empathise with you - Netbeans' GUI editor is still in need of much work. However, it's code auto-generation is still very useful, so I wouldn't recommend coding the GUI the good ol' fashioned way. That's why I'm advocating using it up until you start felling its limitations, after which you "take control".
There is also a third way, which I would not recommend, is to edit the file that Netbeans stores the Design view in, which is basically shares the same file name as your frame's class' source code, except with a .form extension.
This file is XML, and is pretty easy to edit. I don't recommend this because it is sorta going around the back door, but as a last resort, you can still try it.

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