Class NimbusStyle

A SynthStyle implementation used by Nimbus. Each Region that has been registered with the NimbusLookAndFeel will have an associated NimbusStyle. Third party components that are registered with the NimbusLookAndFeel will therefore be handed a NimbusStyle from the look and feel from the #getStyle(JComponent, Region) method.

This class properly reads and retrieves values placed in the UIDefaults according to the standard Nimbus naming conventions. It will create and retrieve painters, fonts, colors, and other data stored there.

NimbusStyle also supports the ability to override settings on a per component basis. NimbusStyle checks the component's client property map for "Nimbus.Overrides". If the value associated with this key is an instance of UIDefaults, then the values in that defaults table will override the standard Nimbus defaults in UIManager, but for that component instance only.

Optionally, you may specify the client property "Nimbus.Overrides.InheritDefaults". If true, this client property indicates that the defaults located in UIManager should first be read, and then replaced with defaults located in the component client properties. If false, then only the defaults located in the component client property map will be used. If not specified, it is assumed to be true.

You must specify "Nimbus.Overrides" for "Nimbus.Overrides.InheritDefaults" to have any effect. "Nimbus.Overrides" indicates whether there are any overrides, while "Nimbus.Overrides.InheritDefaults" indicates whether those overrides should first be initialized with the defaults from UIManager.

The NimbusStyle is reloaded whenever a property change event is fired for a component for "Nimbus.Overrides" or "Nimbus.Overrides.InheritDefaults". So for example, setting a new UIDefaults on a component would cause the style to be reloaded.

The values are only read out of UIManager once, and then cached. If you need to read the values again (for example, if the UI is being reloaded), then discard this NimbusStyle and read a new one from NimbusLookAndFeel using NimbusLookAndFeel.getStyle.

The primary API of interest in this class for 3rd party component authors are the three methods which retrieve painters: #getBackgroundPainter, #getForegroundPainter, and #getBorderPainter.

NimbusStyle allows you to specify custom states, or modify the order of states. Synth (and thus Nimbus) has the concept of a "state". For example, a JButton might be in the "MOUSE_OVER" state, or the "ENABLED" state, or the "DISABLED" state. These are all "standard" states which are defined in synth, and which apply to all synth Regions.

Sometimes, however, you need to have a custom state. For example, you want JButton to render differently if it's parent is a JToolbar. In Nimbus, you specify these custom states by including a special key in UIDefaults. The following UIDefaults entries define three states for this button:

     JButton.States = Enabled, Disabled, Toolbar
     JButton[Enabled].backgroundPainter = somePainter
     JButton[Disabled].background = BLUE
     JButton[Toolbar].backgroundPainter = someOtherPaint
 

As you can see, the JButton.States entry lists the states that the JButton style will support. You then specify the settings for each state. If you do not specify the JButton.States entry, then the standard Synth states will be assumed. If you specify the entry but the list of states is empty or null, then the standard synth states will be assumed.