Changing the default fonts via UIManager

[fletcher]

public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            // Set System L&F
            UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
        } catch (UnsupportedLookAndFeelException e) {
            System.out.println("unsupported look and feel exception");
        } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
            System.out.println("Class not found");
        } catch (InstantiationException e) {
            System.out.println("instantiation exception");
        } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
            System.out.println("illegal access exception");
        }

        Font defaultFont = new Font("Arial",Font.PLAIN,12);
        UIManager.put("Label.font", defaultFont);

        ...

My system look and feel is gtk. The default font is hideous. I have changed it on my system so I never see it, but Java still uses it. As far as I can tell this should work (to change the JLabel's), but it doesn't seem to have any effect.

[camickr]

What happens for other LAFs? Maybe GTK doesn't use the UIManager.

[fletcher]

What happens for other LAFs? Maybe GTK doesn't use the UIManager.

When I remove the .setLookAndFeel() method, it works. Does this mean I cannot use this method to set a default font? Do I have to go through my program label by label?

[camickr]

Does this mean I cannot use this method to set a default font? Do I have to go through my program label by label?

I guess. I don't know how the LAF works. You can try the UIManager Defaults program to see if it list any UIDefaults for the GTK LAF:

tips4java.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/uimanager-defaults/

If not, then maybe the LAF itself has some methods that allow you to customize it.

[fletcher]

Apparently the look and feel ignores the UIManager font altogether. I checked using the program you linked and my own code. The default is reading as "MS Sans Serif" (which is the font I set as my system default--I know, sacrilege, but it's a nice font). The look and feel uses something else, I believe the default linux font (can't remember what it's called).