Change Font at runtime

fonts, java, jcomponent, swing, swingutilities

Solution

For instance: Create a new Font from the FontFamily list, and apply it to your component with c.setFont (font);

A second approach is, to search for TTF-Files (for example), and create new Fonts with the static method Font.createFont (new File ("..."));

This simple app will create a List of Fonts by family, and apply it to a JButton and JTextField.

import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.io.*;
/**
    FontSwitcher

    @author Stefan Wagner
    @date So 13. Mai 03:25:23 CEST 2012    
*/
public class FontSwitcher extends JFrame implements ActionListener
{
    private static final String progname = "FontSwitcher 0.1";

    private JTextField feedback;
    private JButton jb;
    private JList fontList;

    public FontSwitcher ()
    {
        super (progname);
        JPanel mainpanel = new JPanel ();
        mainpanel.setLayout (new BorderLayout ());
        this.getContentPane ().add (mainpanel);

        GraphicsEnvironment ge = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment ();
        String [] fonts = ge.getAvailableFontFamilyNames ();
        fontList = new JList (fonts);
        JScrollPane js = new JScrollPane (fontList);

        feedback = new JTextField ("Feedback");
        jb = new JButton ("apply font");
        jb.addActionListener (this);
        mainpanel.add (feedback, BorderLayout.NORTH);
        mainpanel.add (js, BorderLayout.CENTER);
        mainpanel.add (jb, BorderLayout.SOUTH);

        setSize (400, 800);
        setLocation (100, 100);
        setDefaultCloseOperation (JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        setVisible (true);
    }

    public void actionPerformed (final ActionEvent e)
    {
        SwingWorker worker = new SwingWorker () 
        {
            protected String doInBackground () throws InterruptedException 
            {
                String cmd = e.getActionCommand ();
                if (cmd.equals ("apply font"))
                {
                    String selectedFont = fontList.getSelectedValue ().toString ();
                    Font font = new Font (selectedFont, Font.TRUETYPE_FONT, 14);
                    jb.setFont (font);
                    feedback.setFont (font);
                }
                return "done";
            }
            protected void done () 
            {
                feedback.setText ("done");
            }
        };
        worker.execute ();
    }

    public static void main (final String args[])
    {
        Runnable runner = new Runnable () 
        {
            public void run () 
            {
                new FontSwitcher ();
            }
        };
        EventQueue.invokeLater (runner);
    }
}

Problem

Please is there another way how to change Font at runtime as using FontUIResource, for the whole AWT/Swing GUI, without any knowledge / interest about if there are local variables and type of JComponents ``` import java.awt.*; import java.awt.event.*; import java.util.Locale; import java.util.logging.Level; import java.util.logging.Logger; import javax.swing.*; import javax.swing.plaf.FontUIResource; import javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicComboBoxRenderer; public class SystemFontDisplayer extends JFrame { private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; private JFrame frame = new JFrame("Nimbus UIDeafaults and Font"); private JComboBox fontsBox; private javax.swing.Timer timer = null; private JButton testButton = new JButton("testButton"); private JTextField testTextField = new JTextField("testTextField"); private JLabel testLabel = new JLabel("testLabel"); public SystemFontDisplayer() { GraphicsEnvironment ge = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment(); String[] fontFamilyNames = ge.getAvailableFontFamilyNames(Locale.getDefault()); fontsBox = new JComboBox(fontFamilyNames); fontsBox.setSelectedItem(0); fontsBox.setRenderer(new ComboRenderer()); fontsBox.addItemListener(new ItemListener() { @Override public void itemStateChanged(ItemEvent e) { if (e.getStateChange() == ItemEvent.SELECTED) { final String fontName = fontsBox.getSelectedItem().toString(); fontsBox.setFont(new Font(fontName, Font.PLAIN, 16)); start(); } } }); fontsBox.setSelectedItem(0); fontsBox.getEditor().selectAll(); frame.setLayout(new GridLayout(4, 0, 20, 20)); frame.add(fontsBox); frame.add(testButton); frame.add(testTextField); frame.add(testLabel); frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE); frame.setLocation(200, 105); frame.pack(); java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() { @Override public void run() { fontsBox.setPopupVisible(true); fontsBox.setPopupVisible(false); } }); frame.setVisible(true); } private void start() { timer = new javax.swing.Timer(750, updateCol()); timer.setRepeats(false); timer.start(); } public Action updateCol() { return new AbstractAction("text load action") { private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; @Override public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) { final Font fnt = new Font(fontsBox.getSelectedItem().toString(), Font.PLAIN, 12); /*try { LookAndFeel lnf = UIManager.getLookAndFeel().getClass().newInstance(); final FontUIResource res = new FontUIResource(fnt); UIDefaults uiDefaults = lnf.getDefaults(); uiDefaults.put("Button.font", res); uiDefaults.put("TextField.font", res); uiDefaults.put("Label.font", res); UIManager.getLookAndFeel().uninitialize(); UIManager.setLookAndFeel(lnf); } catch (InstantiationException ex) { Logger.getLogger(SystemFontDisplayer.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex); } catch (IllegalAccessException ex) { Logger.getLogger(SystemFontDisplayer.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex); } catch (UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) { Logger.getLogger(SystemFontDisplayer.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex); } UIDefaults defaults = UIManager.getDefaults(); final FontUIResource res = new FontUIResource(fnt); defaults.put("Button.font", res); defaults.put("TextField.font", res); defaults.put("Label.font", res); SwingUtilities.updateComponentTreeUI(frame);*/ final FontUIResource res = new FontUIResource(fnt); UIManager.getLookAndFeelDefaults().put("Button.font", res); UIManager.getLookAndFeelDefaults().put("TextField.font", res); UIManager.getLookAndFeelDefaults().put("Label.font", res); SwingUtilities.updateComponentTreeUI(frame); } }; } public static void main(String arg[]) { /*try { for (UIManager.LookAndFeelInfo laf : UIManager.getInstalledLookAndFeels()) { if ("Nimbus".equals(laf.getName())) { UIManager.setLookAndFeel(laf.getClassName()); } } } catch (Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); }*/ java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() { @Override public void run() { SystemFontDisplayer systemFontDisplayer = new SystemFontDisplayer(); } }); } private class ComboRenderer extends BasicComboBoxRenderer { private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; @Override public Component getListCellRendererComponent(JList list, Object value, int index, boolean isSelected, boolean cellHasFocus) { super.getListCellRendererComponent(list, value, index, isSelected, cellHasFocus); final Object fntObj = value; final String fontFamilyName = (String) fntObj; setFont(new Font(fontFamilyName, Font.PLAIN, 16)); return this; } } } ``` . EDIT: I posted narrative with Nimbus, then code for Nimbus ``` import java.awt.*; import java.awt.event.*; import java.util.Locale; import java.util.logging.Level; import java.util.logging.Logger; import javax.swing.*; import javax.swing.plaf.FontUIResource; import javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicComboBoxRenderer; public class SystemFontDisplayer extends JFrame { private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; private JFrame frame = new JFrame("Nimbus UIDeafaults and Font"); private JComboBox fontsBox; private javax.swing.Timer timer = null; private JButton testButton = new JButton("testButton"); private JTextField testTextField = new JTextField("testTextField"); private JLabel testLabel = new JLabel("testLabel"); public SystemFontDisplayer() { GraphicsEnvironment ge = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment(); String[] fontFamilyNames = ge.getAvailableFontFamilyNames(Locale.getDefault()); fontsBox = new JComboBox(fontFamilyNames); fontsBox.setSelectedItem(0); fontsBox.setRenderer(new ComboRenderer()); fontsBox.addItemListener(new ItemListener() { @Override public void itemStateChanged(ItemEvent e) { if (e.getStateChange() == ItemEvent.SELECTED) { final String fontName = fontsBox.getSelectedItem().toString(); fontsBox.setFont(new Font(fontName, Font.PLAIN, 16)); start(); } } }); fontsBox.setSelectedItem(0); fontsBox.getEditor().selectAll(); frame.setLayout(new GridLayout(4, 0, 20, 20)); frame.add(fontsBox); frame.add(testButton); frame.add(testTextField); frame.add(testLabel); frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE); frame.setLocation(200, 105); frame.pack(); java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() { @Override public void run() { fontsBox.setPopupVisible(true); fontsBox.setPopupVisible(false); } }); frame.setVisible(true); } private void start() { timer = new javax.swing.Timer(750, updateCol()); timer.setRepeats(false); timer.start(); } public Action updateCol() { return new AbstractAction("text load action") { private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; @Override public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) { final Font fnt = new Font(fontsBox.getSelectedItem().toString(), Font.PLAIN, 12); try { LookAndFeel lnf = UIManager.getLookAndFeel().getClass().newInstance(); final FontUIResource res = new FontUIResource(fnt); UIDefaults uiDefaults = lnf.getDefaults(); uiDefaults.put("Button.font", res); uiDefaults.put("TextField.font", res); uiDefaults.put("Label.font", res); UIManager.getLookAndFeel().uninitialize(); UIManager.setLookAndFeel(lnf); } catch (InstantiationException ex) { Logger.getLogger(SystemFontDisplayer.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex); } catch (IllegalAccessException ex) { Logger.getLogger(SystemFontDisplayer.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex); } catch (UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) { Logger.getLogger(SystemFontDisplayer.class.getName()).log(Level.SEVERE, null, ex); } UIDefaults defaults = UIManager.getDefaults(); final FontUIResource res = new FontUIResource(fnt); defaults.put("Button.font", res); defaults.put("TextField.font", res); defaults.put("Label.font", res); SwingUtilities.updateComponentTreeUI(frame); /*final FontUIResource res = new FontUIResource(fnt); UIManager.getLookAndFeelDefaults().put("Button.font", res); UIManager.getLookAndFeelDefaults().put("TextField.font", res); UIManager.getLookAndFeelDefaults().put("Label.font", res); SwingUtilities.updateComponentTreeUI(frame);*/ } }; } public static void main(String arg[]) { try { for (UIManager.LookAndFeelInfo laf : UIManager.getInstalledLookAndFeels()) { if ("Nimbus".equals(laf.getName())) { UIManager.setLookAndFeel(laf.getClassName()); } } } catch (Exception e) { e.printStackTrace(); } java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() { @Override public void run() { SystemFontDisplayer systemFontDisplayer = new SystemFontDisplayer(); } }); } private class ComboRenderer extends BasicComboBoxRenderer { private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L; @Override public Component getListCellRendererComponent(JList list, Object value, int index, boolean isSelected, boolean cellHasFocus) { super.getListCellRendererComponent(list, value, index, isSelected, cellHasFocus); final Object fntObj = value; final String fontFamilyName = (String) fntObj; setFont(new Font(fontFamilyName, Font.PLAIN, 16)); return this; } } } ```

Original source