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| Java™ Platform Standard Ed. 6
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## Package javax.swing.plaf.synth

Synth is a skinnable look and feel in which all painting is delegated.

See:
Description

Interface Summary
SynthConstants | Constants used by Synth.

Class Summary
ColorType | A typesafe enumeration of colors that can be fetched from a style.
Region | A distinct rendering area of a Swing component.
SynthContext | An immutable transient object containing contextual information about a `Region`.
SynthGraphicsUtils | Wrapper for primitive graphics calls.
SynthLookAndFeel | SynthLookAndFeel provides the basis for creating a customized look and feel.
SynthPainter | `SynthPainter` is used for painting portions of `JComponent`s.
SynthStyle | `SynthStyle` is a set of style properties.
SynthStyleFactory | Factory used for obtaining `SynthStyle`s.

## Package javax.swing.plaf.synth Description

Synth is a skinnable look and feel in which all painting is delegated. Synth does not provide a default look. In order to use Synth you need to specify a file, or provide a `SynthStyleFactory`. Both configuration options require an understanding of the synth architecture, which is described below, as well as an understanding of Swing's architecture.

Unless otherwise specified null is not a legal value to any of the methods defined in the synth package and if passed in will result in a `NullPointerException`.

## Synth

Each `ComponentUI` implementation in Synth associates itself with one `SynthStyle` per `Region`, most `Components` only have one `Region` and therefor only one `SynthStyle`. `SynthStyle` is used to access all style related properties: fonts, colors and other `Component` properties. In addition `SynthStyle`s are used to obtain `SynthPainter`s for painting the background, border, focus and other portions of a `Component`. The `ComponentUI`s obtain `SynthStyle`s from a `SynthStyleFactory`. A `SynthStyleFactory` can be provided directly by way of `SynthLookAndFeel.setStyleFactory(javax.swing.plaf.synth.SynthStyleFactory)`, or indirectly by way of `SynthLookAndFeel.load(java.io.InputStream, java.lang.Class)`. The following example uses the `SynthLookAndFeel.load()` method to configure a `SynthLookAndFeel` and sets it as the current look and feel:

      SynthLookAndFeel laf = new SynthLookAndFeel();
      laf.load(MyClass.class.getResourceAsStream("laf.xml"), MyClass.class);
      UIManager.setLookAndFeel(laf);

Many `JComponent`s are broken down into smaller pieces and identified by the type safe enumeration in `Region`. For example, a `JTabbedPane` consists of a `Region` for the `JTabbedPane` (`Region.TABBED_PANE`), the content area (`Region.TABBED_PANE_CONTENT`), the area behind the tabs (`Region.TABBED_PANE_TAB_AREA`), and the tabs (`Region.TABBED_PANE_TAB`). Each `Region` of each `JComponent` will have a `SynthStyle`. This allows you to customize individual pieces of each region of each `JComponent`.

Many of the Synth methods take a `SynthContext`. This is used to provide information about the current `Component` and includes: the `SynthStyle` associated with the current `Region`, the state of the `Component` as a bitmask (refer to `SynthConstants` for the valid states), and a `Region` identifying the portion of the `Component` being painted.

All text rendering by non-`JTextComponent`s is delegated to a `SynthGraphicsUtils`, which is obtained using the `SynthStyle` method `SynthStyle.getGraphicsUtils(javax.swing.plaf.synth.SynthContext)`. You can customize text rendering by supplying your own `SynthGraphicsUtils`.

## Notes on specific components

### JTree

Synth provides a region for the cells of a tree: `Region.TREE_CELL`. To specify the colors of the renderer you'll want to provide a style for the `TREE_CELL` region. The following illustrates this:

      <style id="treeCellStyle">
        <opaque value="TRUE"/>
        <state>
          <color value="WHITE" type="TEXT_FOREGROUND"/>
          <color value="RED" type="TEXT_BACKGROUND"/>
        </state>
        <state value="SELECTED">
          <color value="RED" type="TEXT_FOREGROUND"/>
          <color value="WHITE" type="BACKGROUND"/>
        </state>
      </style>
      <bind style="treeCellStyle" type="region" key="TreeCell"/>

This specifies a color combination of red on white, when selected, and white on red when not selected. To see the background you need to specify that labels are not opaque. The following XML fragment does that:

      <style id="labelStyle">
        <opaque value="FALSE"/>
      </style>
      <bind style="labelStyle" type="region" key="Label"/>

### JList and JTable

The colors that the renderers for JList and JTable use are specified by way of the list and table Regions. The following XML fragment illustrates how to specify red on white, when selected, and white on red when not selected:

      <style id="style">
        <opaque value="TRUE"/>
        <state>
          <color value="WHITE" type="TEXT_FOREGROUND"/>
          <color value="RED" type="TEXT_BACKGROUND"/>
          <color value="RED" type="BACKGROUND"/>
        </state>
        <state value="SELECTED">
          <color value="RED" type="TEXT_FOREGROUND"/>
          <color value="WHITE" type="TEXT_BACKGROUND"/>
        </state>
      </style>
      <bind style="style" type="region" key="Table"/>
      <bind style="style" type="region" key="List"/>

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For further API reference and developer documentation, see Java SE Developer Documentation. That documentation contains more detailed, developer-targeted descriptions, with conceptual overviews, definitions of terms, workarounds, and working code examples.

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