Ashok rai

13 Apr 2024

The Synth Look and Feel (The Synth Architecture)
It can be difficult to change an existing look and feel or to create a custom one. It takes a lot less work to develop a unique appearance and feel with the javax.swing.plaf.synth package. A Synth look and feel can be produced programmatically or by using an external XML file. The next discussion focuses on using an external XML file to create a synth look and feel. The documentation for the API talks about how to create a Synth c programmatically. The Synth feel and look give you the "look." It is the synth that gives the "feel." The Synth L&F can therefore be thought of as a "skin."
I am gonna demonstrate a basic difference between Default java looks and "synth look and feel"
1. Normal java code to create JFrame and JButton.
/**
* @(#)normalSwing.java
*
*
* @author Ashok Rai
* @version 1.00 2025/3/16
*/
import javax.swing.*;
public class normalSwing {

public normalSwing()
{
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Without Synth");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation
     (JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLayout(null);
frame.setSize(400,200);
JButton button = new JButton("Click Me");
button.setBounds(100,50,90,25);
frame.add(button);
frame.setVisible(true);
}

public static void main(String args[])
{
new normalSwing();
}


}
Output:

2. Using Synth Looks
   2.1. Creating withSynth.java

/**
* @(#)withSynth.java
*
*
* @author Ashok Rai
* @version 1.00 2025/3/16
*/

import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.plaf.synth.*;

public class withSynth {

public withSynth()
{
SynthLookAndFeel lookAndFeel =
     new SynthLookAndFeel();
try
{
  lookAndFeel.load
     (withSynth.class.getResourceAsStream
     ("buttonSkin.xml"),
     withSynth.class); UIManager.setLookAndFeel(lookAndFeel);
}
catch (Exception e)
{
e.printStackTrace();
}
JFrame.setDefaultLookAndFeelDecorated
     (true);
JFrame frame = new JFrame("With Synth");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation
     (JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLayout(null);
frame.setSize(400,200);
JButton button = new JButton("Click Me");
button.setBounds(100,50,90,25);
frame.add(button);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args)
{
new withSynth();
}
}
2.2. Creating buttonSkin.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<!--
Document : buttonSkin.xml
Created on : 2025/3/16
Author : Ashok Rai
-->

<synth>
<style id="backingStyle">
<opaque value="TRUE"/>
<font name="Dialog" size="12"/>
<state>
<color value="#D8D987"
     type="BACKGROUND"/>
<color value="BLACK"
     type="FOREGROUND"/>
</state>
</style>
<     type="region" key=".*"/>
<style id="buttonStyle">
<property key="Button.textShiftOffset"
     type="integer" value="1"/>
<insets top="15" left="20" right="20" bottom="15"/>
<state>
<imagePainter method="buttonBackground" path="button.png" sourceInsets="10 10 10 10"/>
</state>

<state value="PRESSED">
<imagePainter method="buttonBackground" path="button2.png" sourceInsets="10 10 10 10"/>
</state>

<state value="MOUSE_OVER">
<imagePainter method="buttonBackground" path="button3.png" sourceInsets="10 10 10 10"/>
</state>

</style>
<bind style="buttonStyle" type="region" key="button"/>
</synth>

Output:

 

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