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{{Outdated as of | topic = Links to Java.net, Examples of Looks and Feels, | year = 2020 | month = 05 | day = 2 }}
'''Pluggable look and feel''' is a mechanism used in the [[Java (programming language)|Java]] [[Swing (Java)|Swing]] [[Widget toolkit|widget toolkit]] allowing to change the [[Look and feel#Look and Feel in Widget Toolkits|look and feel]] of the [[Graphical user interface|graphical user interface]] at runtime.

Swing allows an application to specialize the look and feel of widgets by modifying the default (via runtime parameters), deriving from an existing one, by creating one from scratch, or, beginning with '''J2SE 5.0''', by using the [[Skin (computing)|skinnable]] [[Synth Look and Feel|synth]] look and feel, which is configured with an [[XML]] property file. The look and feel can be changed at runtime.

==Architecture==
The corresponding [[Application programming interface|API]] includes:

* [[Hooking|Hooks]] in [[Swing (Java)|Swing]] widgets to interact with their look and feel. Each widget defined in Swing can delegate its "painting" to its associated [[Graphical user interface|user interface]] classes called ''UI delegates''.
* An API to manage existing look-and-feel definitions. This API allow to set the look and feel or switch from look and feels at runtime.
* Another API to define a specific look and feel, or derive a look and feel from an existing one.

==Examples of look and feels==

===Platform look and feels===
[[File:Gui-widgets.png|thumb|300px|right|The default OceanTheme Metal look and feel in JDK 5]]
The Java platform comes with several bundled look and feels:<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/lookandfeel/nimbus.html#available
| title=Java Tutorials: Available Look and Feels
| publisher=[[Company:Sun Microsystems|Sun Microsystems]] 
| date=2008-02-14
| accessdate=2008-05-25}}</ref>

* A default cross-platform look and feel, called ''Metal'' (see {{Javadoc:SE|javax/swing/plaf/metal|MetalLookAndFeel|module=java.desktop}}). This look and feel comes with several [[Theme (computing)|themes]]:
** The {{Javadoc:SE|javax/swing/plaf/metal|DefaultMetalTheme|module=java.desktop}}, which was historically the first Swing default theme.
** The smoother {{Javadoc:SE|javax/swing/plaf/metal|OceanTheme|module=java.desktop}}, which became the default theme for [[Java version history#Java SE 5|Java 5.0]].
* Other cross-platform look and feels:
** A [[Skin (computing)|skinnable]] look and feel called [[Synth Look and Feel|synth]] (see {{Javadoc:SE|package=synth|javax/swing/plaf/synth|module=java.desktop}}), which is configured with an [[XML]] property file.
** The {{Javadoc:SE|package=Nimbus|javax/swing/plaf/nimbus|module=java.desktop}} look and feel (based on ''synth''), which is added for the [[Java version history#Java SE 6|Java SE 6 Update 10]].<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://www.jasperpotts.com/blog/category/nimbus/
| title=Nimbus Category
| first=Jasper|last=Potts 
| date=2007-12-07
| accessdate=2008-05-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url=http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/ea/6u10/nimbus.jsp
| title=Nimbus
| publisher=[[Company:Sun Microsystems|Sun Microsystems]]
| accessdate=2008-05-25 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080513022451/http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/ea/6u10/nimbus.jsp <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2008-05-13}}</ref>
* Platform-dependent look and feels:<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/lookandfeel/plaf.html#available
| title=Available Look and Feels
| publisher=[[Company:Sun Microsystems|Sun Microsystems]] 
| accessdate=2008-05-25}}</ref> Look and feels that aim to be the closest as possible to the platform native GUI. The fidelity to the native look-and-feel theming has been improved in recent Java versions by leveraging the platform native GUI [[Theme (computing)|theming]] library when possible<ref>{{cite web
| url=http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=6185456
| title=GTK Native L&F Fidelity
| publisher=[[Company:Sun Microsystems|Sun Microsystems]] 
| accessdate=2008-05-25}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url=http://bugs.sun.com/bugdatabase/view_bug.do?bug_id=5106661
| title=XP L&F does not work on Windows Vista (Longhorn) - needs to use uxtheme api
| publisher=[[Company:Sun Microsystems|Sun Microsystems]] 
| accessdate=2008-05-25}}</ref>
** A [[Software:Microsoft Windows|Windows]] look and feel (this look and feel depends on the version of the Windows Operating System),
** A Motif or [[Software:GTK+|GTK+]] (for newer distributions) look and feel on [[Software:Linux|Linux]] or [[Software:Solaris (operating system)|Solaris]],
** A specific vendor look and feel for [[Software:IBM AIX|IBM AIX]], [[Software:HP-UX|HP-UX]], and [[Software:Mac OS X|Mac OS X]].

===Third-party look and feels===
Numerous other look and feels have been developed by third parties, such as:
* [https://www.formdev.com/flatlaf/ FlatLaf], open-source, "looks almost flat", themed, scales on HiDPI displays, for JDK8+
* [http://shemnon.com/speling/ Insubstantial], a maintenance fork of Substance
* [http://www.jgoodies.com JGoodies], Windows and plastic look and feels
* [http://java.net/projects/liquidlnf Liquid], which aim to look like the ''Liquid'' theme for [[Organization:KDE|KDE]]
* [http://napkinlaf.sourceforge.net/ Napkin], which can be used to make GUI work look provisional
* [https://java.net/projects/substance Substance], a [[Skin (computing)|skinnable]] look and feel
* [http://www.javasoft.de/jsf/public/products/synthetica Synthetica], based on [[Synth Look and Feel|synth]]

==See also==
* [[Look and feel]]
* [[Swing (Java)|Swing]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://www.java2s.com/Product/Java/Swing/Look-And-Feel-LaF.htm List of Java look and feels]
* [http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/lookandfeel/plaf.html Oracle's tutorial on setting the look and feel in Java]
* [http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/ui/features/plaf.html Oracle's tutorial overview of the pluggable look and feel mechanism]
* [http://java.sun.com/products/jfc/tsc/articles/architecture/index.html#pluggable Swing pluggable look and feel architecture]
* {{dmoz|Computers/Programming/Languages/Java/Class_Libraries/Graphics/User_Interface_Classes/Look_and_Feels|Swing pluggable look and feel links}}


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