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This may be a stupid question, but I am quite frustareted and want to make sure:

I am writing a tool, which has to have a really nice GUI (gradients, colors, rounded colors,custom tool tip....)

Is there is no option to gain it easily?

must I use SWT, Swing, awt, and try unsuccessfully to apply gradients and to remove all the ugly remaining gray pieces .etc????

EDIT:

ok, not a stupid question.

I've been trying to investigate and came really confused:

I started with javaFX, bit it seemes that the performance for desktop application is horrible.

Tried to install QtJambi - but it does not really seem that there is someone that is maintaining this project, so I wonder if it will be useful.

Am I wrong?

Can you suggest anytihng else? Thanks.

lbalazscs
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sara
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  • You can try JavaFx, SWT than Swings if your priority is for developing hi-quality UI. – Raghav Jun 27 '12 at 10:49
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    You might find that Java FX 2 has a better look and feel by default and makes it easier to do fancy stuff like gradients. See [these tutorials](http://docs.oracle.com/javafx/2/get_started/jfxpub-get_started.htm) for example. – assylias Jun 27 '12 at 10:49
  • @assylias Isn't javafx intended for internet or mobile applications? – sara Jun 27 '12 at 12:57
  • @sara no - it is meant to become a replacement for Swing. The tutorial I linked to in my previous comment is a desktop application. – assylias Jun 27 '12 at 12:59
  • As a primary contributor to QtJambi it maybe easier for you to take a look at the statistics of the project and make a more informed choice over the maintence status. http://www.ohloh.net/p/qt-jambi FYI Qt itself is in the process of being changing how it is maintained as the primary maintainer has decided not to commit as many resources to it as previous years (but I fear not for its future :) – Darryl Miles Jul 02 '12 at 07:20
  • @Darryl Miles seeing that I am trying to install this for two datys, and can't find any normal installation guide hat actually works, and keep getting exceptions - I conclude it is not maintained, or at least - the documentation is not. – sara Jul 02 '12 at 10:27
  • Well it is difficult to speculate in what areas your issues maybe, there are certainly known caveats with some of the relese downloads. However a mailing list and IRC channel that maybe able to help get you started. http://qt-jambi.org/community – Darryl Miles Jul 02 '12 at 20:30

4 Answers4

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You can use Swing, possibly with the SwingX library, and I recommend the "Filthy Rich Clients" book , which is about creating such fancy GUIs with Swing.

An alternative is JavaFX, which is intended to be both for "internet or mobile applications" and a "Swing replacement". Only time can tell, whether it will succeed. At the moment it seems that everybody who loves JavaFX, happens to be employed by Oracle...

lbalazscs
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If you don't want to go the JavaFX route, you can check out the Amino framework. The Amino mission statement says 'Amino is a graphics stack and UI toolkit for desktop apps of the 21st century.' and 'Amino is significantly smaller than JavaFX. It aims to be fast, easy to learn, and very, very lean; at the expense of backwards compatibility and features.'.

Adrian B.
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You can try the substance look & feel for Swing (quite good-looking swingly speaking). Also, SWT let's you style with CSS.

polypiel
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Qt JAMBI is not really given away. There are still 3 skillfull guys behind its maintenance.

My personal experience stipulates that :

  • Java FX is becoming the replacement of Swing (Even though Swing is powerful to develop any level GUI, its look and feel made it less and less adopted, also some obvious things that can be achieved in three lines of code with Qt Jambi or SWT, are achieved in 10 or more lines of code using Swing). JavaFX is not as mature as you think and not as good looking as other GUI frameworks.

  • SWT. Not as powerful as Swing, but LAF is excellent. Yet, SWT design is mediocre and the ideology behind it does not help achieve things quickly.

  • Java-Gnome Bindings: If you're developing a GUI for Linux. Think about Java-Gnome bindings. It allows to you to build GTK+ GUI easily. Its design is very powerful though.

  • Qt-Jambi: Very powerful and yiu've the necessary tools to build high level rich GUI. It offers great features. It requires some days learning the basics. It's somehow different from how Swing Operates its widgets; even though it's all Java code. Again, I don't see why the future is Qt Jambi is dark. I am very optimist for Jambi.

Hanynowsky
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