Java Swing

Swing Features

Swing provides many new features for those planning to write large-scale applications in Java. Here is an overview of some of the more popular features.

Pluggable Look-and-Feels

One of the most exciting aspects of the Swing classes is the ability to dictate the look-and-feel (L&F) of each of the components, even resetting the look-and-feel at runtime. Look-and-feels have become an important issue in GUI development over the past five years. Most users are familiar with the Motif style of user interface, which was common in Windows 3.1 and is still in wide use on Unix platforms. Microsoft has since deviated from that standard with a much more optimized look-and-feel in their Windows 95/98 and NT 4.0 operating systems. In addition, the Macintosh computer system has its own branded look-and-feel, which most Apple users feel comfortable with.

Swing is capable of emulating several look-and-feels, and currently includes support for Windows 98 and Unix Motif.^[4] This comes in handy when a user would like to work in the L&F environment which he or she is most comfortable with. In addition, Swing can allow the user to switch look-and-feels at runtime without having to close the current application. This way, a user can experiment to see which L&F is best for them with instantaneous feedback. And, if you’re feeling really ambitious as a developer (perhaps a game developer), you can create your own look-and-feel for each one of the Swing components!

Swing comes with a default ...