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Java Build a JavaFX Application Build a Pomodoro App Adding Styles

Kyle Baker
Kyle Baker
1,884 Points
Posted by Kyle Baker
Kyle Baker
1,884 Points

Question about adding style via getStyleClass()

So I'm confused about this technique of assigning a style to the VBox. I don't see the logic in it. Using the Pomodoro app as an example, if we insert 'kind' (which would be FOCUS or BREAK) into the style sheet using:

container.getStyleClass().add(kind.toString().toLowerCase());

wouldn't that just be inserting 'focus' into the style sheet? How is that a readable form of a class? How does it know what to do with 'focus' if it's not in the .focus {} format? And regardless, if we're removing all 'kinds' from the style sheet before we do this with:

container.getStyleClass().remove(kind.toString().toLowerCase());

how does it know any of the properties of the .focus class if they've all been removed? If my question is difficult to understand it's because I'm having difficulty understanding...thanks for understanding!

com/example/Controller.java 
package com.example;

import com.example.model.Brand;
import javafx.event.ActionEvent;
import javafx.fxml.FXML;
import javafx.scene.control.Button;
import javafx.scene.layout.VBox;

public class Controller {
    @FXML
    private VBox container;

    public void handlePlay(ActionEvent actionEvent) {
        System.out.println("[MUSIC PLAYING] - I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot the deputy");
    }

    public void switchBrand(Brand brand) {
    clearBrandStyles();  
    addBrandStyles();
    }

   public void addBrandStyles(Brand brand) {
   container.getStyleClass().add(brand.toString().toLowerCase());
   }

    public void clearBrandStyles() {
        for (Brand brand : Brand.values()) {
            container.getStyleClass().remove(brand.toString().toLowerCase());
        }
    }

    public void handleBrandSwitch(ActionEvent actionEvent) {
        // Get a handle on the calling button
        Button btn = (Button) actionEvent.getSource();
        // Get access to the brand like Brand.APPLE by name
        Brand brand = Brand.valueOf(btn.getText().toUpperCase());
        switchBrand(brand);
    }
}
com/example/boombox.css 
/* Brand settings */

.sony {
    -fx-background-color: black;
}

.jvc {
    -fx-background-color: red;
}

.apple {
    -fx-background-color: silver;
}

.coby {
    -fx-background-color: gray;
}

4 Answers

Seth Kroger
Seth Kroger
56,414 Points
Seth Kroger
Seth Kroger
56,414 Points

The stylesheet (the CSS) doesn't get altered at all. The "style class" is a list of classes that you should apply the styles in the stylesheet for. By adding the focus class to the container, you are saying that any CSS styles with the selector ".focus" (such as ".focus { ... }" and others) should be applied to those elements.

This works almost identical to HTML/CSS for web pages. If you had a div with the class of "container" and wanted to add "focus" it be like changing this:

<div class="container">
   ...
</div>

<div class="container focus">
   ...
</div>

If you are unfamiliar with HTML and CSS I suggest looking at the How to Make a Website course for a basic overview: https://teamtreehouse.com/library/how-to-make-a-website It will help tremendously in understanding how JavaFX uses CSS.

Zach Freitag
Zach Freitag
20,341 Points
Zach Freitag
Zach Freitag
20,341 Points

Spoiler Alert!

package com.example;

import com.example.model.Brand;
import javafx.event.ActionEvent;
import javafx.fxml.FXML;
import javafx.scene.control.Button;
import javafx.scene.layout.VBox;

public class Controller {
    @FXML
    private VBox container;

    public void handlePlay(ActionEvent actionEvent) {
        System.out.println("[MUSIC PLAYING] - I shot the sheriff, but I didn't shoot the deputy");
    }

    public void switchBrand(Brand brand) {
        clearBrandStyles();
      container.getStyleClass().add(brand.getDisplayName().toLowerCase());
    }

    public void clearBrandStyles() {
        for (Brand brand : Brand.values()) {
            container.getStyleClass().remove(brand.toString().toLowerCase());
        }
    }

    public void handleBrandSwitch(ActionEvent actionEvent) {
        // Get a handle on the calling button
        Button btn = (Button) actionEvent.getSource();
        // Get access to the brand like Brand.APPLE by name
        Brand brand = Brand.valueOf(btn.getText().toUpperCase());
        switchBrand(brand);
    }
}
Juan Chavez
Juan Chavez
2,995 Points
Juan Chavez
Juan Chavez
2,995 Points

Add brand to addBrandStyles method 

 public void switchBrand(Brand brand) {
    clearBrandStyles();  
    addBrandStyles(brand);
    }
micram1001
micram1001
33,833 Points
micram1001
micram1001
33,833 Points

Thanks, the above info is helpful. Michael