Java: How do you style Swing components?

Question

I'm writing my first Java project.

I was wondering if it's possible to style the Swing components (set a background color, remove the borders from the buttons, etc.)

Answer 1

If it's as simple as just changing the font, the background, the borders etc. Swing can do all these by default. I.e. for a JButton:

JButton aButton ...
aButton.setBackground(new Color(...));  
aButton.setForeground(new Color(...));  
aButton.setFont(new Font(...));  
aButton.setBorder(null);  

Have a look at most of these methods at the JComponent. Or, for more component-specific methods, at the component's javadoc.

I would recommend you to read some basics in The Java Tutorial or the JComponent API or even a book such as Filthy Rich Clients or Java HowTo Program.

A custom Look and Feel would be a little too much. I suggest to first see if the above solutions don't fit your needs and then go for that.

Answer 2

It's certainly possible to do significant customisations because that is what the different look and feel options do.

You could look at the pluggable look and feel architecture, though this may be way overkill for what you want.

Alternatively you could perhaps subclass the existing components and use/override their existing methods, if it is only minor tweaks you need.