{"id":63010,"date":"2022-03-18T09:01:14","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T09:01:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/?p=63010"},"modified":"2022-03-18T09:01:14","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T09:01:14","slug":"how-to-beautify-your-java-applications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/?p=63010","title":{"rendered":"How to beautify your Java applications"},"content":{"rendered":"

How to beautify your Java applications<\/span>
\nSeth Kenlon<\/a><\/span>
\nFri, 03\/18\/2022 – 03:00<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
Up<\/div>\n
Register<\/a> or Login<\/a> to like.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

What’s not to love about Java?<\/p>\n

I love that Java lets me write applications on one platform and run them on other platforms. You don’t have to mess around with platform-specific SDKs, using a different library for that one<\/i> platform, or inserting little code hacks to make that other<\/i> platform behave. To me, that’s how easy all modern programming ought to be. There’s great infrastructure around Java, too, like the Maven build system<\/a> and SDKMan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But there’s one thing about Java I don’t love: the look and feel of its default GUI toolkit, called Swing. While some people feel there’s a charming nostalgia to Swing, for the modern computerist, it can look a little dated.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, that’s an easy problem to solve. Java is a programming language, so if you’re writing an app in Java you can reprogram its look and feel using one of several Java theming libraries.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n
More on Java<\/div>\n
\n
What is enterprise Java programming?<\/a><\/div>\n
Red Hat build of OpenJDK<\/a><\/div>\n
Java cheat sheet<\/a><\/div>\n
Free online course: Developing cloud-native applications with microservices arc\u2026<\/a><\/div>\n
Fresh Java articles<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Default theme of Java Swing<\/h2>\n

The default theme of Java Swing hasn’t changed much in the past decade. This is a screenshot of an example Java app from 2006\u2014or is it 2022?<\/p>\n

Hard to tell.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\"Screenshot<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

You can see a simpler version for yourself with this demo code:<\/p>\n

\n
package<\/span> com.opensource.myexample2app<\/span>;<\/span>

import<\/span> javax.swing.Box<\/span>;<\/span>
import<\/span> javax.swing.BoxLayout<\/span>;<\/span>
import<\/span> javax.swing.JButton<\/span>;<\/span>
import<\/span> javax.swing.JFrame<\/span>;<\/span>
import<\/span> javax.swing.JPanel<\/span>;<\/span>
import<\/span> javax.swing.border.EmptyBorder<\/span>;<\/span>
import<\/span> java.awt.Dimension<\/span>;<\/span>
import<\/span> java.awt.EventQueue<\/span>;<\/span>
import<\/span> java.awt.Insets<\/span>;<\/span>
import<\/span> javax.swing.JRadioButton<\/span>;<\/span>

public<\/span> class<\/span> App extends<\/span> JFrame<\/span><\/a> {<\/span>

\n\u00a0 \u00a0 private<\/span> void<\/span> run(<\/span>)<\/span> {<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 var window =<\/span> new<\/span> JPanel<\/span><\/a>(<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 window.setLayout<\/span>(<\/span>new<\/span> BoxLayout<\/span><\/a>(<\/span>window, BoxLayout<\/span><\/a>.X_AXIS<\/span>)<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 window.setBorder<\/span>(<\/span>new<\/span> EmptyBorder<\/span><\/a>(<\/span>new<\/span> Insets<\/span><\/a>(<\/span>15<\/span>, 15<\/span>, 15<\/span>, 15<\/span>)<\/span>)<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>

\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 JButton<\/span><\/a> btn_hello =<\/span> new<\/span> JButton<\/span><\/a>(<\/span>\"Hello\"<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 btn_hello.setSize<\/span>(<\/span>new<\/span> Dimension<\/span><\/a>(<\/span>80<\/span>, 20<\/span>)<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 window.add<\/span>(<\/span>btn_hello)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 window.add<\/span>(<\/span>Box<\/span><\/a>.createRigidArea<\/span>(<\/span>new<\/span> Dimension<\/span><\/a>(<\/span>10<\/span>, 15<\/span>)<\/span>)<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>

\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 JRadioButton<\/span><\/a> rad_world =<\/span> new<\/span> JRadioButton<\/span><\/a>(<\/span>\"World\"<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 rad_world.setSize<\/span>(<\/span>new<\/span> Dimension<\/span><\/a>(<\/span>80<\/span>, 20<\/span>)<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 window.add<\/span>(<\/span>rad_world)<\/span>;<\/span>

\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 add(<\/span>window)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 pack(<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>

\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 setTitle(<\/span>\"Hello world\"<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 setDefaultCloseOperation(<\/span>JFrame<\/span><\/a>.EXIT_ON_CLOSE<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 setLocationRelativeTo(<\/span>null<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 }<\/span>

\n\u00a0 \u00a0 public<\/span> static<\/span> void<\/span> main(<\/span>String<\/span><\/a>[<\/span>]<\/span> args)<\/span> {<\/span>

\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 EventQueue<\/span><\/a>.invokeLater<\/span>(<\/span>(<\/span>)<\/span> -><\/span> {<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 var app =<\/span> new<\/span> App(<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 app.run<\/span>(<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 app.setVisible<\/span>(<\/span>true<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 }<\/span>)<\/span>;<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 }<\/span>
}<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/pre>\n
Run that in the Java IDE<\/a> of your choice or with Java directly:<\/p>\n
\n$ <\/span>java<\/span> App.java<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n
The result is simple but demonstrative:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
  \"screenshot<\/div>\n<\/article>\n
Look and Feel Java libraries<\/h2>\n
Java Swing gets its theme from Look and Feel (LAF) libraries.<\/p>\n
The few that are bundled with Java suffice in a pinch, but newer ones are available, and you can bundle those libraries with your code to give your application a different theme. You can find LAF libraries by searching for “laf” on sites like Mvnrepository.com<\/a>, or on popular coding sites like GitLab or GitHub.<\/p>\n
My favorite is FlatLaf, but there are very good themes by NetBeans, IntelliJ, and many others under a variety of different licenses to fit any project.<\/p>\n
The easiest way to use one of these libraries is to add it to Maven, then make minor modifications to your code to invoke the theme.<\/p>\n
First, add the library to Maven:<\/p>\n
\n
<dependencies><\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0 <dependency><\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 <groupId><\/span><\/span><\/span>com.formdev<\/groupId><\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 <artifactId><\/span><\/span><\/span>flatlaf<\/artifactId><\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 <version><\/span><\/span><\/span>2.0.1<\/version><\/span><\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0 <\/dependency><\/span><\/span><\/span>
<\/dependencies><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/pre>\n
Next, import the Java UIManager<\/code> library and the LAF theme you’re using to your project.<\/p>\n
\n
import<\/span> com.formdev.flatlaf.FlatLightLaf<\/span>;<\/span>
import<\/span> javax.swing.UIManager<\/span>;<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/pre>\n
In the class that creates your GUI, use UIManager<\/code> to set the application’s look and feel:<\/p>\n
\n
try<\/span> {<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 UIManager<\/span><\/a>.setLookAndFeel<\/span>(<\/span> new<\/span> FlatLightLaf(<\/span>)<\/span> )<\/span>;<\/span>
}<\/span> catch<\/span>(<\/span> Exception<\/span><\/a> ex )<\/span> {<\/span>
\n\u00a0 \u00a0 System<\/span><\/a>.err<\/span>.println<\/span>(<\/span> \"Failed to initialize theme. Using fallback.\"<\/span> )<\/span>;<\/span>
}<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/pre>\n
That’s it! Launch your application to see the new look and feel.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
  \"Screenshot<\/div>\n<\/article>\n
Flatlaf happens to have variant themes, so you can change FlatLightLaf<\/code> to FlatDarkLaf<\/code> for a dark theme:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
  \"Screenshot<\/div>\n<\/article>\n
Or use FlatIntelliJLaf<\/code> for an IntelliJ-like look and feel:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
  \"Screenshot<\/div>\n<\/article>\n
Or FlatDarculaLaf<\/code> for a dark IntelliJ look and feel:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n
  \"Screenshot<\/div>\n<\/article>\n
Looking good, Java<\/h2>\n
Java Swing is an easy toolkit to use. It’s been well maintained for two decades, and it provides a great desktop experience.<\/p>\n
With look and feel libraries, Swing can look good, too.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Programming in Java doesn’t have to be ugly. Follow these simple steps to spruce up Java Swing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
  \"Person<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n
\n
Java<\/a><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
What to read next<\/div>\n

\n        \"Creative<\/a>This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License.<\/div>\n
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How to beautify your Java applications Seth Kenlon Fri, 03\/18\/2022 – 03:00 Up Register or Login to like. What’s not to love about Java? I love that Java lets me write applications on one platform and run them on other platforms. You don’t have to mess around with platform-specific SDKs, using a different library for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":63011,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[307],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63010","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-open-source"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63010","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=63010"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63010\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/63011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=63010"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=63010"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cryptocabaret.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=63010"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}