Swing Hacks helps Java developers move beyond the basics of Swing, the graphical user interface (GUI) standard since Java 2. The unique Hacks format provides short advanced tricks that you can instantly apply to increase your competency with interface-building tools. Example hacks include how to filter lists, power-up trees and tables, and add drag-and-drop supportFull Description
Swing Hacks helps Java developers move beyond the basics of Swing, the graphical user interface (GUI) standard since Java 2. If you're a Java developer looking to build enterprise applications with a first-class look and feel, Swing is definitely one skill you need to master. This latest title from O'Reilly is a reference to the cool stuff in Swing. It's about the interesting things you learn over the years--creative, original, even weird hacks--the things that make you say, 'I didn't know you could even do that with Swing!'
Swing Hacks will show you how to extend Swing's rich component set in advanced and sometimes non-obvious ways. The book touches upon the entire Swing gamut-tables, trees, sliders, spinners, progress bars, internal frames, and text components. Detail is also provided on JTable/JTree, threaded component models, and translucent windows. You'll learn how to filter lists, power-up trees and tables, and add drag-and-drop support.
Swing Hacks will show you how to do fun things that will directly enhance your own applications. Some are visual enhancements to make your software look better. Some are functional improvements to make your software do something it couldn't do before. Some are even just plain silly, in print only to prove it could be done. The book will also give you give you a small glimpse of the applications coming in the future. New technology is streaming into the Java community at a blistering rate, and it gives application developers a whole new set of blocks to play with.
With its profusion of tips and tricks, Swing Hacks isn't just for the developer who wants to build a better user interface. It's also ideally suited for client-side Java developers who want to deliver polished applications, enthusiasts who want to push Java client application boundaries, and coders who want to bring powerful techniques to their own applications.
Whatever your programming needs, Swing Hacks is packed with programming lessons that increase your competency with interface-building tools.
Table of Contents
Credits
Preface
Chapter 1. Basic JComponents
1. Create Image-Themed Components
2. Don't Settle for Boring Text Labels
3. Fill Your Borders with Pretty Pictures
4. Display Dates in a Custom Calendar
5. Add a Watermark to a Text Component
6. Watermark Your Scroll Panes
7. Put a NASA Photo into the Background of a Text Area
8. Animate Transitions Between Tabs
9. Blur Disabled Components
10. Building a Drop-Down Menu Button
11. Create Menus with Drop Shadows
12. Add Translucence to Menus
Chapter 2. Lists and Combos
13. Filter JLists
14. Add a Filter History
15. Make JLists Checkable
16. Make Different List Items Look Different
17. Reorder a JList with Drag-and-Drop
18. Animate Your JList Selections
19. Turn Methods into List Renderers
20. Create a Collections-Aware JComboBox
Chapter 3. Tables and Trees
21. Size Your Columns to Suit Your JTable's Contents
22. Add Column Selection to JTables
23. Let Your JTables Do the Sorting
24. Create a JDBC Table Model
25. Export Table Data to an Excel Spreadsheet
26. Search Through JTables Easily
27. Animate JTree Drops
Chapter 4. File Choosers
28. Add a Right-Click Context Menu to the JFileChooser
29. Display Shortcuts in the JFileChooser
30. Real Windows Shortcut Support
31. Add Image Preview to File Choosers
32. Preview ZIP and JAR Files
Chapter 5. Windows, Dialogs, and Frames
33. Window Snapping
34. Make a Draggable Window
35. Add Windows Resize Icons
36. Add Status Bars to Windows
37. Save Window Settings
38. Earthquake Dialog
39. Spin Open a Detail Pane
40. Minimize to a Mini-Frame
Chapter 6. Transparent and Animated Windows
41. Transparent Windows
42. Make Your Frame Dissolve
43. Create Custom Tool Tips
44. Turn Dialogs into Frame-Anchored Sheets
45. Animating a Sheet Dialog
46. Slide Notes Out from the Taskbar
47. Indefinite Progress Indicator
Chapter 7. Text
48. Make Text Components Searchable
49. Force Text Input into Specific Formats
50. Auto-Completing Text Fields
51. Write Backward Text
52. Use HTML and CSS in Text Components
53. Use Global Anti-Aliased Fonts
54. Anti-Aliased Text Without Code
55. Anti-Aliased Text with a Custom Look and Feel
Chapter 8. Rendering
56. Create a Magnifying Glass Component
57. Create a Global Right-Click
58. Block a Window Without a Modal Dialog
59. Create a Color Eyedropper
60. Changing Fonts Throughout Your Application
61. Load New Fonts at Runtime
62. Build a Colorful Vector-Based Button
63. Add a Third Dimension to Swing
64. Turn the Spotlight on Swing
Chapter 9. Drag-and-Drop
65. Drag-and-Drop with Files
66. Handle Dropped URLs
67. Handle Dropped Images
68. Handling Dropped Picts on Mac OS X
69. Translucent Drag-and-Drop
Chapter 10. Audio
70. Play a Sound in an Applet
71. Play a Sound with JavaSound
72. Play a Sound with Java Media Framework
73. Play a Sound with QuickTime for Java
74. Add MP3 Support to JMF
75. Build an Audio Waveform Display
76. Play Non-Trivial Audio
77. Show Audio Information While Playing Sound
78. Provide Audio Controls During Playback
Chapter 11. Native Integration and Packaging
79. Launch External Programs on Windows
80. Open Files, Directories, and URLs on Mac OS X
81. Make Mac Applications Behave Normally
82. Control iTunes on Mac OS X
83. Control iTunes Under Windows
84. Construct Single-Launch Applications
85. Stuff Stuff in JARs
86. Make Quick Look and Feel Changes
87. Create an Inverse Black-and-White Theme
Chapter 12. Miscellany
88. Display a Busy Cursor
89. Fun with Keyboard Lights
90. Create Demonstrations with the Robot Class
91. Check Your Mail with Swing
92. Don't Block the GUI
93. Code Models That Don't Block
94. Fire Events and Stay Bug Free
95. Debug Your GUI
96. Debug Components with a Custom Glass Pane
97. Mirror an Application
98. Add Velocity for Dynamic HTML
99. Get Large File Icons
100. Make Frames Resize Dynamically
Index
