JButton background not displaying (FRUSTRATING)

[seabass341]

I've been trying to get one of my JButtons to change it's background color for several hours. For some reason, the color I choose shows up behind the actual button.



Here's an excerpt of my code.

colorIcon = new JButton();
colorIcon.setOpaque(true);
colorIcon.setBackground(Color.BLACK);
colorIcon.setForeground(Color.BLACK);

I have tried multiple different settings for the button, including "setContentAreaFilled(true)," but I can't seem to get it to work.

Very frustrating, any ideas? Thanks.

[Grkn]

you have to setOpaque(false) :)
I am always confused in this type of methods :)
OOps sorry wrong info:

if you want to make it in brute force

Graphics g=colorIcon.getGraphics();
g.setColor(Color.BLACK);
g.fillRect(colorIcon.getBounds); //You have to write this bounds
colorIcon.paintComponent(g);

It will fill background.

[Grkn]

you code works in my computer :D

[seabass341]

I found about your "brute force" method about an hour before you posted and have decided to use that.

I know my code should work, not sure why it doesn't. That's why it was so frustrating.

Anyways, it works now, thanks for your help.

[DarrylBurke]

Never never never use getGraphics() of a Component. That way lies grief.

Never never never call paintComponent or any painting method from client code.

The reason you're not seeing the background color is that the default Metal UI for a button uses a Map of colors to draw a gradient which is painted over the background.

Here are three sane approaches to obtaining a button with a background color.

import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.plaf.ButtonUI;
import javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicButtonUI;

public class ColoredButtonsDemo {

  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {

      @Override
      public void run() {
        new ColoredButtonsDemo().makeUI();
      }
    });
  }

  public void makeUI() {
    JButton coloredButton1 = new JButton("One");
    coloredButton1.setUI((ButtonUI) BasicButtonUI.createUI(coloredButton1));
    coloredButton1.setBackground(Color.CYAN);

    JButton coloredButton2 = new JButton("Two");
    coloredButton2.setIcon(new Icon() {

      @Override
      public void paintIcon(Component c, Graphics g, int x, int y) {
        g.setColor(Color.YELLOW);
        g.fillRect(0, 0, c.getWidth(), c.getHeight());
      }

      @Override
      public int getIconWidth() {
        return 0;
      }

      @Override
      public int getIconHeight() {
        return 0;
      }
    });

    JButton coloredButton3 = new JButton("Three") {

      @Override
      protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
        super.paintComponent(g);
        g.setColor(new Color(255, 0, 255, 128)); // semi transparent magenta
        g.fillRect(0, 0, getWidth(), getHeight());
      }
    };

    JPanel panel = new JPanel();
    panel.add(coloredButton1);
    panel.add(coloredButton2);
    panel.add(coloredButton3);
    JFrame frame = new JFrame();
    frame.add(panel);

    frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    frame.setSize(400, 400);
    frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
    frame.setVisible(true);
  }
}

db

[DarrylBurke]

you have to setOpaque(false) :)
I am always confused in this type of methods :)
OOps sorry wrong info:

if you want to make it in brute force

Graphics g=colorIcon.getGraphics();
g.setColor(Color.BLACK);
g.fillRect(colorIcon.getBounds); //You have to write this bounds
colorIcon.paintComponent(g);

It will fill background.

1. As said, never never never use getGraphics() of a Component.
2. Where did you find a method Graphics#fillRect(Rectangle)?
3. How do you call the protected method paintComponent from your code?

Please post compilable advice.

db

[Grkn]

hey I know there are mistakes. Sory
1-) Sometimes it can be neccessary to use getGraphics()
I will give example. Maybe It can be wrong so just tell me what is wrong with it.
I designed a drag and drop menu and item tracks mouse when I moves on the panel
2-)I told him to write bounds clearly near the code
3-)It's written wrong it must be paintComponents();
Also I told him that it is brute force: Not good way to implement code.
If It is desperate then he/she can use
Of course I'm wrong.I won't insist that I wrote the correct code.
I did not check the code and wrote it

[DarrylBurke]

hey I know there are mistakes. Sory
1-) Sometimes it can be neccessary to use getGraphics()
I will give example. Maybe It can be wrong so just tell me what is wrong with it.
I designed a drag and drop menu and item tracks mouse when I moves on the panel
2-)I told him to write bounds clearly near the code
3-)It's written wrong it must be paintComponents();
Also I told him that it is brute force: Not good way to implement code.
If It is desperate then he/she can use
Of course I'm wrong.I won't insist that I wrote the correct code.
I did not check the code and wrote it

It's never recommended to use getGraphics() of a Component except for extremely advanced performance intensive applications.

No idea what you mean by

I told him to write bounds clearly near the code

Please read the documentation and understand the functionality of the different painting methods. Start by reading the API for paintComponents(...) and you will see what it's meant to do. Certainly not for custom-painting a background.

I did not check the code and wrote it

Regrettable. Any time I do that, I specify that the code is untested. But mostly I take the time to test any code I post, except if it's cut from already-working code that I have on record.

db