Can't change the background of my content pane

[jiffi]

Hello,
I have come across this stupid little bug: I can't change the background color of my content pane.

I wanted to change it depending on RGB sliders, but even using the setBackground(Color.A_COLOR) doesn't work.
Any suggestions?

[Fubarable]

It's impossible to tell what you're doing wrong based on the information provided. Consider telling and showing us more.

[jiffi]

Basically, the user chooses 3 values between 0 and 255 with JSliders. I then get the value from those sliders, use a UImanager and set the background color of the content pane to those color when he presses ok ((0,0,0) = black, (255,255,255) = white for example. )

But when he presses ok, nothing happens. so I tried setting the color with a predifined color (contentPane.setBackground(Color.white);), but even that doesn't work. The button IS pressed, but the color doesn't change

[Fubarable]

Since you're still not showing code, well, about all I can do is say, best of luck with that.

[jiffi]

public void processJButton (String buttonText)
{
if (buttonText.equalsIgnoreCase("choose color"))
        {
            contentPane.setBackground(Color.white);
        }
}

That's basically the whole problem. The color doesn't change

[Fubarable]

Changing the background color of a top-level window's contentPane works for me, so again your code must have a bug.

A guess based on the limited code presented so far: the variable contentPane is not referring to the actual contentPane of your GUI.

[jiffi]

I am not sure what you mean by

the variable contentPane is not referring to the actual contentPane of your GUI.

It is the same variable that I used to declare it and to initialize it

[Fubarable]

I am not sure what you mean by

What I mean is that I'm sure that contentPane refers to some component (else you'd have a NPE on your hands), but that there's a good chance that it doesn't refer to the component that is the current top window's contentPane.

It is the same variable that I used to declare it and to initialize it

Which means nothing to us since you're not showing us the code that demonstrates this (again!). You can make no assumptions about the veracity of your code until you've fixed the bug.

[jiffi]

public Container  contentPane;
public GUI()
    {
        setSize(FRAME_WIDTH,FRAME_HEIGHT);
        setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        setDefaultCloseOperation(DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);

        contentPane = getContentPane();   
        contentPane.setLayout(null);
        contentPane.setBackground(Color.DARK_GRAY);

setting the color here works, setting it later doesn't.

[Fubarable]

public Container  contentPane;
public GUI()
    {
        setSize(FRAME_WIDTH,FRAME_HEIGHT);
        setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        setDefaultCloseOperation(DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);

        contentPane = getContentPane();   
        contentPane.setLayout(null);
        contentPane.setBackground(Color.DARK_GRAY);

setting the color here works, setting it later doesn't.

In your code above, the contentPane variable refers to the top level window's contentPane. Elsewhere in your code it may not.

[Fubarable]

I'm sure that this thread is getting frustrating for you, and I know that it's frustrating for me since I constantly have to try to tease information out of you that you're reluctant to post for some reason. This would probably have all been answered quickly and accurately if you had created and posted an SSCCE to start with. Just saying.

[jiffi]

here is an SSCCE, but the problem is that it works… whereas my code doesn't. and i have not done anything different then i usually do.

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;

public class BackgroundFrame extends JFrame implements ActionListener {

    private JButton red,blue; 
    private Container cp; 

    public BackgroundFrame( ) 
    {
        setSize(300,300);
        setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        setDefaultCloseOperation(EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        setTitle(getClass().getName());
        
        red = new JButton("Red");
        blue = new JButton("Blue");
        red.addActionListener(this);
        blue.addActionListener(this);

        cp = getContentPane();
        cp.setBackground(Color.pink);
        cp.setLayout(new FlowLayout());
        cp.add(red);
        cp.add(blue);

        
    }

    public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
        JButton s = (JButton) e.getSource();   //get the source of the event
        if ( s == red)
        {
            cp.setBackground(Color.red);
        }
        else if ( s == blue) 
        {
            cp.setBackground ( Color.blue);
        }

    }

    public static void main (String[] args) {
        BackgroundFrame f = new BackgroundFrame();
        f.setVisible(true);
    }

}

[Fubarable]

That's because in your SSCCE cp refers to the actual contentPane whereas in your program it doesn't. You'll need to figure out what's wrong. We're not dealing with the same two JFrames issue from before are we where you're changing the properties of the current JFrame but it has no effect on a second one?

[jiffi]

no we are not. the frame is one and the same.

I still don't get what you mean by

That's because in your SSCCE cp refers to the actual contentPane whereas in your program it doesn't.

other then the variables, the syntax is exactly the same..

[Fubarable]

no we are not. the frame is one and the same.

I still don't get what you mean by
other then the variables, the syntax is exactly the same..

I'm sorry but I can't see code that reproduces the error, so I can't say what's causing it. You'll probably want to do some debugging of your original program. How big is it by the way?

[jiffi]

this is not the same program that the other question was for. this one is rather short, maybe 500 lines total, and it's mostly GUI right now, not much logic.
I have just found something weird though. If I change the color in the ActionPerformed method, the color changes. now if I call another method from the ActionPerformed, it doesn't change. But Any other actions (like System.out.println() ) work when i call another method from the ActionPerformed.

After verification, if I use an If-then statement, the color doesn't change for some reason.

[jiffi]

package.bluej.zip
I think if I give you my whole project you might be able to understand better my problem..

[Fubarable]

That's not your project as all it contains is a single file "package.bluej" and no .java files.

[jiffi]

Attachment 2250

Sorry, my bad on this one

[Fubarable]

Your latest attachment is not valid. It needs to be a zip file.