Java Tutorial/Swing/Look and Feel

14. Changing the Look and Feel

import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JComboBox;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JOptionPane;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
public class ChangeLook {
  public static void main(String args[]) {
    final JFrame frame = new JFrame("Change Look");
    frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    ActionListener actionListener = new ActionListener() {
      public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent actionEvent) {
        String lafClassName = null;
        lafClassName = actionEvent.getActionCommand();
        String finalLafClassName = lafClassName;
        try {
          UIManager.setLookAndFeel(finalLafClassName);
          SwingUtilities.updateComponentTreeUI(frame);
        } catch (Exception exception) {
          JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(frame, "Can"t change look and feel", "Invalid PLAF",
              JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
        }
      }
    };
    UIManager.LookAndFeelInfo looks[] = UIManager.getInstalledLookAndFeels();
    JComboBox comboBox = new JComboBox(new String[] { "a", "b" });
    JPanel panel = new JPanel();
    for (int i = 0, n = looks.length; i < n; i++) {
      JButton button = new JButton(looks[i].getName());
      button.setActionCommand(looks[i].getClassName());
      button.addActionListener(actionListener);
      panel.add(button);
    }
    frame.add(comboBox, BorderLayout.NORTH);
    frame.add(panel, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
    frame.setSize(350, 150);
    frame.setVisible(true);
  }
}

14. Changing the Look and Feel to MotifLookAndFeel

import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
public class ChangeLookFeelToMotifLookAndFeel {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    try {
      UIManager.setLookAndFeel("com.sun.java.swing.plaf.motif.MotifLookAndFeel");
    } catch (Exception e) {
      System.err.println("Look and feel not set.");
    }
    JFrame aWindow = new JFrame("This is the Window Title");
    aWindow.setBounds(50, 100, 300,300); 
    aWindow.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    aWindow.setVisible(true);
  }
}

14. Default look and feel can be set in a file called "swing.properties" located in the "<JAVAHOME>/lib" directory.

# Specify the default look and feel
swing.defaultlaf=com.sun.java.swing.plaf.windows.WindowsLookAndFeel

14. Demonstrating the new GTK look and feel

import java.awt.Dimension;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JList;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import javax.swing.JTree;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
public class GTKLookAndFeelDemo {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    try {
      UIManager.setLookAndFeel("com.sun.java.swing.plaf.gtk.GTKLookAndFeel");
    } catch (Exception e) {
      e.printStackTrace();
    }
    JLabel label = new JLabel("Label");
    JTextField field = new JTextField("www.jexp.ru!");
    JList list = new JList(new String[] { "A", "B", "C" });
    JScrollPane listPane = new JScrollPane(list);
    listPane.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(250, 100));
    JScrollPane treePane = new JScrollPane(new JTree());
    treePane.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(250, 100));
    JButton button = new JButton("Click me");
    JPanel cp = new JPanel();
    cp.add(label);
    cp.add(field);
    cp.add(listPane);
    cp.add(treePane);
    cp.add(button);
    JFrame frame = new JFrame();
    frame.setTitle("Windows Look and Feel Demo");
    frame.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(280, 300));
    frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    frame.setContentPane(cp);
    frame.pack();
    frame.setVisible(true);
  }
}

14. Get the system look and feel

import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    JFrame frame = new JFrame();
    frame.setSize(300, 300);
    frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    frame.setTitle("System LAF Demo");
    try {
      UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
    } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
      e.printStackTrace();
    } catch (InstantiationException e) {
      e.printStackTrace();
    } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
      e.printStackTrace();
    } catch (UnsupportedLookAndFeelException e) {
      e.printStackTrace();
    }
    SwingUtilities.updateComponentTreeUI(frame);
    frame.setVisible(true);
  }
}

14. Install Cross Platform Look And Feel

import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
public class GetCrossPlatformLookAnd {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    try {
      UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getCrossPlatformLookAndFeelClassName());
    } catch (Exception e) {
      System.err.println("Look and feel not set.");
    }
    JFrame aWindow = new JFrame("This is the Window Title");
    aWindow.setBounds(50, 100, 300, 300);
    aWindow.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    aWindow.setVisible(true);
  }
}

14. Late loading of icon image files: public Object makeIcon(Class baseClass, String imageFile).

Object iconObject = LookAndFeel.makeIcon(this.getClass(), "World.gif");
UIManager.put("Tree.leafIcon", iconObject);

14. Listing the names of the look-and-feel classes that are installed with the JDK

import javax.swing.UIManager;
public class MainClass {
  public static void main(String[] a) {
    UIManager.LookAndFeelInfo[] looks = UIManager.getInstalledLookAndFeels();
    for (UIManager.LookAndFeelInfo look : looks) {
      System.out.println(look.getClassName());
    }
  }
}

javax.swing.plaf.metal.MetalLookAndFeel
com.sun.java.swing.plaf.motif.MotifLookAndFeel
com.sun.java.swing.plaf.windows.WindowsLookAndFeel
com.sun.java.swing.plaf.windows.WindowsClassicLookAndFeel

14. LookAndFeel Introduction

The default JDK has provided a few subclass of LookAndFeel that you can use as the argument to setLookAndFeel.

1. com.sun.java.swing.plaf.gtk.GTKLookAndFeel
2. javax.swing.plaf.metal.MetalLookAndFeel
3. com.sun.java.swing.plaf.windows.WindowsLookAndFeel
4. com.sun.java.swing.plaf.motif.MotifLookAndFeel

For instance, the following code forces the application to use the Motif look and feel.

UIManager.setLookAndFeel ("com.sun.java.swing.plaf.motif.MotifLookAndFeel");

14. Start up a program from the command line with a new look and feel.

java -Dswing.defaultlaf=com.sun.java.swing.plaf.motif.MotifLookAndFeel ChangeLook

14. Windows look and feel in Java 6

import java.awt.Dimension;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JList;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import javax.swing.JTree;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
public class WindowsLookAndFeelDemo {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    try {
      UIManager.setLookAndFeel("com.sun.java.swing.plaf.windows.WindowsLookAndFeel");
    } catch (Exception e) {
      e.printStackTrace();
    }
    JLabel label = new JLabel("Label");
    JTextField field = new JTextField("www.jexp.ru!");
    JList list = new JList(new String[] { "A", "B", "C" });
    JScrollPane listPane = new JScrollPane(list);
    listPane.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(250, 100));
    JScrollPane treePane = new JScrollPane(new JTree());
    treePane.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(250, 100));
    JButton button = new JButton("Click me");
    JPanel cp = new JPanel();
    cp.add(label);
    cp.add(field);
    cp.add(listPane);
    cp.add(treePane);
    cp.add(button);
    JFrame frame = new JFrame();
    frame.setTitle("Windows Look and Feel Demo");
    frame.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(280, 300));
    frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    frame.setContentPane(cp);
    frame.pack();
    frame.setVisible(true);
  }
}