Most applications use text in one form or another, and the Java^TM Development Kit (JDK) 1.2 APIs provide a wide range of classes and packages to display, edit, internationalize, and otherwise handle text in applications.

The APIs encompass everything from simple text string and character handling, to foreign language support and stylized graphical text.

You might not design anything as elaborate as this illuminated manuscript from Renaissance France (follow the link to see others), but the JDK 1.2 APIs, especially Java 2D, provide what you would need to do something similar.

This page presents an overview of JDK 1.2 text classes and packages, and links to tutorials where you can learn more.

What is Application Text?

The Java platform provides the following rich assortment of packages and classes for handling text in all its many forms in applications. All JDK 1.2 text classs support the The Unicode Standard--a global character coding system for handling diverse modern, classical, and historical languages.

• The java.lang package provides String and Character classes for basic string and character manipulation.

• The java.util package implements text-related classes for handling dates, time, string parsing, system properties, and localization.

• The java.text package implements classes and interfaces for internationalizing a Java application.

• The com.sun.java.swing package includes text packages to support editable and static text components (com.sun.java.swing.text), and to create HTML or rich-text-format (RTF) text editors (com.sun.java.swing.text.html and com.sun.java.swing.text.rtf).

• The java.awt package provides component classes for displaying static and editable text.

• The java.awt.Font class and java.awt.font package provide sophisticated text styling capabilities for stylized graphical text.

Where Are the Tutorials?

Internationalization

The textual data such as messages and GUI component labels, and other culturally-dependent data such as dates and currencies are isolated from the rest of the application in sets of files where one set contains the text for a given language and region. For example, there might be a set of files for French and another set for Canadian French, and because the language code is specified at run time, the same application can be distributed to Canada and France with no modifications to the executable code. By isolating the text to be translated, you also save translation costs.

Swing

Read How to Use Text Components and How to Use Text Fields in the The Java Tutorial.

Note: The Swing tutorials are a work in progress.

Abstract Window Toolkit (AWT)

• Text-oriented components:
  • Read How to Use Labels to add labels to a user interface.

  • Read How to Use Text Areas and Text Fields to create multiple lines of editable or static text.

  • Read How to Use Text Areas and Text Fields to create a single line of editable or static text.

• Graphical and Stylized Text:
  • Read Working with Text to draw text and choose fonts.

  • Read Java 2D: A Tutorial on Styled Text to access all the fonts on the system, and draw stylized text with hit detection, selection highlighting, and in foreign languages.

Monica Pawlan is a staff writer on the JDC team. She has a background in 2D and 3D graphics, security, database products, and loves to explore emerging technologies.

Reader Feedback