Swing Enhancements in Java SE 7
JLayer is a flexible and powerful decorator for Swing
components. It enables you to draw on components and respond to
component events without modifying the underlying component
directly. For more information, read
How to Decorate Components with JLayer in the Java Tutorial.
The Nimbus Look & Feel (L&F) has moved from
com.sun.java.swing to a standard API namespace,
javax.swing. Although it is not the default L&F,
you can easily use it. Consult the
Nimbus Look and Feel section in the Java Tutorial for more
information and examples of three simple methods for using Nimbus
in your applications.
Historically, mixing heavyweight (AWT) and lightweight (Swing)
components in the same container has been problematic. However, as
of the JDK 6 Update 12 and JDK 7 build 19 releases, mixing
heavyweight and lightweight components is easy to accomplish. The
Mixing Heavyweight and Lightweight Components article shows you
how.
The Java SE 7 release supports windows with transparency and
non-rectangular shapes. This feature was first introduced in Java
SE 6u10, and is described in
How to Create Translucent and Shaped Windows, part of the Java
Tutorial.
