• Foundation/Background:
  • Some aspects of Java that you may not be familiar with
• Application:
  • Using these aspects of Java to create "nifty" (i.e., engaging) programming assignments

• Foundation/Background:
  • The basics of GUI programming
  • The basics of 2-D graphics programming
  • The basics of animation
• Application:
  • An assignment using arithmetic operators and functions to create an automobile dashboard (GUI)
  • An assignment using iteration to calculate wind-chill factors and display them on a map (Graphics)
  • An assignment using recursion to explore a building (Animation)

• Components/Widgets:
  • The parts of a GUI (e.g., buttons, sliders, text fields)
• Containers:
  • "Screen real estate" that contains components/widgets

• JFrame :
  • A main "window" most commonly used by an application
• JApplet :
  • Most commonly a portion of a WWW page (displayed in a browser)

• The JRootPane :
  • JRootPaneContainer objects have a JRootPane that manages layers (if any), menus (if any), and content
  • Should not be used
• The Content Pane:
  • A JRootPane has a Container called the content pane that manages all of the usable "screen real estate"
  • Accessed using the getContentPane() method

• JButton :
  • 
• JCheckBox /JRadioButton :
  • 
• JTextField /JTextArea :
  • 
• JComboBox :
  • 
• JSlider :
  • 

• Organizing GUI components
• Grouping GUI components
• Positioning GUI components

• The Important Concepts:
  • Simple arithmetic operators
  • Functions (i.e., static methods)
  • Integer arithmetic
• The Setting - A Dashboard for U.S. Cars in Europe:
  • Convert the measured speed (in mi/hr) to km/hr
  • Convert the trip distance (in ft) to mi,ft and km
  • Convert the trip distance (in ft) and duration (in hr) to average trip speeds (in mi/hr and km/hr)
• Making the Assignment More Engaging:
  • Instead of displaying the results on the console, display them on a GUI
  • 

• Relative Layout:
  • Components are positioned relative to each other, rather than an absolute position
• Template Layout:
  • Divide the container into sections and place one component in each section
• Hierarchical Template Layout:
  • Subdivide the sections in a template layout
• Constrained Template Layout:
  • Add constraints (e.g., doesn't expand) to sections of a template

1. Determine what events the component generates
2. Identify the interfaces that needs to be implemented
3. Create a class that implements that interfaces
4. Add "application logic" to the appropriate methods

• The Event(s):
  • ActionEvent
• The Interface(s):
  • ActionListener
• The Method(s)/Message(s):
  • void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event)

• Purpose:
  • Determine how to present graphics primitives on a visual output device
• In Java:
  • The rendering engine is a Graphics2D object

• The RGB Model:
  • Begin with black then add red, green, and or blue
  • An additive model
  • Often used for displays/monitors
• The CMYK Model:
  • Begin with white then remove cyan, magenta, and/or yellow
  • A subtractive model
  • Often used for printing

• Coordinates:
  • Quantities (linear and/or angular) that designate the position of a point in relation to a given reference frame
• In Java:
  • 

• Geometric Shapes (see the Shape interface):
  • draw(Shape s)
  • fill(Shape s)
• Strings/Text:
  • drawString(String s, float x, float y)
• Images:
  • drawImage(Image i, int x, int y, null)

• 0-Dimensional:
  • Points (Point2D )
• 1-Dimensional:
  • Lines (Line2D )
  • Curves (CubicCurve2D and QuadCurve2D )
• 2-Dimensional:
  • Rectangles(Rectangle2D )
  • Polygons (GeneralPath )
  • Ellipses (Ellipse2D )

• Stroke:
  • The line "style" (see the Stroke interface)
  • Set using the setStroke method in Graphics2D
• Color:
  • The line color (see the Color class)
  • Set using the setColor method in Graphics2D

• Paint:
  • The fill "style" and color (see the Paint interface)
  • Set using the setPaint method in Graphics2D
• Types:
  • Color
  • GradientPaint
  • TexturePaint

• Font:
  • The "glyphs" used for each character
  • Set using the setFont method in Graphics2D
• Properties:
  • Name
  • Size (in points)
  • Style (plain, italic, bold)

Line Metrics

The x and y passed to drawString(String s, float x, float y) are the left end of the baseline.

• FontRenderContext
  • Keeps information about fonts
• LineMetrics
  • Keeps information about font and line heights

• BufferedImage Class:
  • Extends the abstract Image class
  • Objects can be read from a file using the static read() method in the ImageIO class
• The drawImage(Image i, int x, int y, null) Method:
  • x and y determine where the the upper-left corner of the Image will be rendered

• Motivation:
  • You need a GUI component to render in
  • You can extend any GUI component, you just need to override the public void paint(Graphics g) method
• A Good Class to Extend:
  • JComponent which does very little in its paint() method

• The Important Concepts:
  • Conditionals
  • Iteration
• The Setting - A Wind Chill Calculator:
  • For several locations, convert the temperature and wind speeds to a wind chill value
• Making the Assignment More Engaging:
  • Instead of displaying the results on the console, display them on a map
  • 

• Animate:
  • To give life or motion
• Animation:
  • A group of techniques that can make visual content appear to move

• Sampled Dynamics (a.k.a. Frame Animation)
• Described Dynamics (a.k.a. Sprite Animation)

• Frame Rate:
  • The number of frames per unit time
• Animate:
  • To give life or motion
• Frame Animation:
  • The "play back" of sampled dynamic visual content

• Each frame is thought of as a coherent whole
• Each frame consists of static visual content
• Each frame can be either sampled or described (and is completely independent of the time-based sampling)

• The Concept:
  • Describe the way the visual "stream" changes over time
  • Start with a set of components (i.e., the "participants" in the "action") and then describe component-by-component changes
• Analogy:
  • A play with a script, stage directions, actors, sets, and a stage

• Sprite:
  • Common Usage - an imaginary being or elf
  • Animation - a discrete piece of visual content that can respond to descriptions of changes
• Stage:
  • The "component" that sprites act "on"

• A Timer object that sends actionPerformed() messages
• An ActionListener on the Timer that updates state information each "tick"
• A JComponent that renders itself using the state information

• Mouse Events:
  • A JComponent can have both MouseListener and MouseMotionListener objects
• Keyboard Events:
  • A JComponent can have KeyListener objects

• The Important Concepts:
  • Recursion
• The Setting - A Robot Minesweeper/Vacuum:
  • Search for mines in a building/vacuum a building
• Making the Assignment More Engaging:
  • Instead of displaying the results on the console, animate the robot
  • 

• The Important Concepts:
  • Recursion
• The Setting - People in Purple:
  • Search for aliens in and around JMU
• Making the Assignment More Engaging:
  • Instead of displaying the results on the console, use animated crosshairs
  • 

• The Important Concepts:
  • Objects
• The Setting:
  • Scoring dives in a diving competition
• Making the Assignment More Engaging:
  • Instead of using the console use a scorebaord
  • 

• The Important Concepts:
  • Designing classes
• The Setting:
  • An air quality monitoring system
• Making the Assignment More Engaging:
  • Instead of using the console use a visual report
  • 

• The Important Concepts:
  • Two-dimensional arrays (i.e., arrays of arrays)
• Making the Assignment More Engaging:
  • Add advertisiments to a television broadcast
  • 
• An Advanced Assignment:
  • Add line-of-scrimmage and first-down lines
  •