Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Pluggable look and feel
open-in-new
<h2 id="architecture">Architecture</h2> <p>The corresponding <a href="/facts/Application_programming_interface/GMlN4vUr">API</a> includes: </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Hooking/FJlTwAmd">Hooks</a> in <a href="/facts/Swing_(Java)/xFbyDcjS">Swing</a> <a href="/facts/GUI_widget/SuVeScB2">widgets</a> to interact with their look and feel. Each widget defined in Swing can delegate its "painting" to its associated <a href="/facts/Graphical_user_interface/wBlQFWDP">user interface</a> classes called <i>UI delegates</i>.</li> <li>An API to manage existing look-and-feel definitions. This API allow to set the look and feel or switch from look and feels at runtime.</li> <li>Another API to define a specific look and feel, or derive a look and feel from an existing one.</li></ul> <h2 id="examples-of-look-and-feels">Examples of look and feels</h2> <h3>Platform look and feels</h3> <p>The <a href="/facts/Java_platform/fpn6x8WL">Java platform</a> comes with several bundled look and feels:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> </p> <ul><li>A default <a href="/facts/Cross-platform/16zqdvNR">cross-platform</a> look and feel, called <i>Metal</i> (see <a href="https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/19/docs/api/java.desktop/javax/swing/plaf/metal/MetalLookAndFeel.html">MetalLookAndFeel</a>). This look and feel comes with several <a href="/facts/Theme_(computing)/N08U51pq">themes</a>: <ul><li>The <a href="https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/19/docs/api/java.desktop/javax/swing/plaf/metal/DefaultMetalTheme.html">DefaultMetalTheme</a>, which was historically the first Swing default theme.</li> <li>The smoother <a href="https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/19/docs/api/java.desktop/javax/swing/plaf/metal/OceanTheme.html">OceanTheme</a>, which became the default theme for <a href="/facts/Java_version_history/Br6eHSP8">Java 5.0</a>.</li></ul></li> <li>Other cross-platform look and feels: <ul><li>A <a href="/facts/Skin_(computing)/AY6fzl9H">skinnable</a> look and feel called <a href="/facts/Synth_Look_and_Feel/VQekbjMv">synth</a> (see <a href="https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/19/docs/api/java.desktop/javax/swing/plaf/synth/package-summary.html">synth</a>), which is configured with an <a href="/facts/XML/clNgUfWk">XML</a> property file.</li> <li>The <a href="https://docs.oracle.com/en/java/javase/19/docs/api/java.desktop/javax/swing/plaf/nimbus/package-summary.html">Nimbus</a> look and feel (based on <i>synth</i>), which is added for the <a href="/facts/Java_version_history/Br6eHSP8">Java SE 6 Update 10</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a></li></ul></li> <li>Platform-dependent look and feels:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> Look and feels that aim to be the closest as possible to the platform native GUI. The fidelity to the native look-and-feel theming has been improved in recent Java versions by leveraging the platform native GUI <a href="/facts/Theme_(computing)/N08U51pq">theming</a> library when possible<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> <ul><li>A <a href="/facts/Microsoft_Windows/bwhAhuSL">Windows</a> look and feel (this look and feel depends on the version of the Windows Operating System),</li> <li>A <a href="/facts/Motif_(software)/zEwd49VX">Motif</a> or <a href="/facts/GTK%252B/oLpVm9pp">GTK+</a> (for newer distributions) look and feel on <a href="/facts/Linux/9FvCKSTq">Linux</a> or <a href="/facts/Solaris_(operating_system)/KPfT98EJ">Solaris</a>,</li> <li>A specific vendor look and feel for <a href="/facts/IBM_AIX/cRWERua2">IBM AIX</a>, <a href="/facts/HP-UX/hIvLDdJF">HP-UX</a>, and <a href="/facts/Mac_OS_X/Y93vVpTm">Mac OS X</a>.</li></ul></li></ul> <h3>Third-party look and feels</h3> <p>Numerous other look and feels have been developed by third parties, such as: </p> <ul><li><a href="https://www.formdev.com/flatlaf/">FlatLaf</a>, open-source, "looks almost flat", themed, scales on HiDPI displays, for JDK8+</li> <li><a href="http://shemnon.com/speling/">Insubstantial</a>, a maintenance fork of Substance</li> <li><a href="http://www.jgoodies.com">JGoodies</a>, Windows and plastic look and feels</li> <li><a href="http://java.net/projects/liquidlnf">Liquid</a>, which aim to look like the <i>Liquid</i> theme for <a href="/facts/KDE/PCh32IWA">KDE</a></li> <li><a href="http://napkinlaf.sourceforge.net/">Napkin</a>, which can be used to make GUI work look provisional</li> <li><a href="https://java.net/projects/substance">Substance</a>, a <a href="/facts/Skin_(computing)/AY6fzl9H">skinnable</a> look and feel</li> <li><a href="http://www.javasoft.de/jsf/public/products/synthetica">Synthetica</a>, based on <a href="/facts/Synth_Look_and_Feel/VQekbjMv">synth</a></li></ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Look_and_feel/Uo3RcETT">Look and feel</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Swing_(Java)/xFbyDcjS">Swing</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><a href="http://www.java2s.com/Product/Java/Swing/Look-And-Feel-LaF.htm">List of Java look and feels</a></li> <li><a href="http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/lookandfeel/plaf.html">Oracle's tutorial on setting the look and feel in Java</a></li> <li><a href="http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/ui/features/plaf.html">Oracle's tutorial overview of the pluggable look and feel mechanism</a></li> <li><a href="http://java.sun.com/products/jfc/tsc/articles/architecture/index.html#pluggable">Swing pluggable look and feel architecture</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Java Tutorials: Available Look and Feels". Sun Microsystems. 2008-02-14. Archived from the original on 2010-08-22. Retrieved 2008-05-25. <a href="http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/lookandfeel/nimbus.html#available" target="_blank">http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/lookandfeel/nimbus.html#available</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Potts, Jasper (2007-12-07). "Nimbus Category". Archived from the original on 2008-05-17. Retrieved 2008-05-25. <a href="http://www.jasperpotts.com/blog/category/nimbus/" target="_blank">http://www.jasperpotts.com/blog/category/nimbus/</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Nimbus". Sun Microsystems. Archived from the original on 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2008-05-25. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080513022451/http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/ea/6u10/nimbus.jsp" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20080513022451/http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/ea/6u10/nimbus.jsp</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"Available Look and Feels". Sun Microsystems. Archived from the original on 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2008-05-25. <a href="http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/lookandfeel/plaf.html#available" target="_blank">http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/lookandfeel/plaf.html#available</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"GTK Native L&F Fidelity". Sun Microsystems. Archived from the original on 2008-04-29. Retrieved 2008-05-25. <a href="http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=6185456" target="_blank">http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=6185456</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>"XP L&F does not work on Windows Vista (Longhorn) - needs to use uxtheme api". Sun Microsystems. Archived from the original on 2008-04-29. Retrieved 2008-05-25. <a href="http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=5106661" target="_blank">http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=5106661</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>