Highlighter addHighlight not changing text color

Question

I have a JTextArea in which I highlight some text using the addHighlight method of the Highlighter I get from the JTextArea. It highlights the text but it does not change the text color of the highlighted text to the selectedTextColor I have set.

Here is an example:

import java.awt.Color;

import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
import javax.swing.JTextArea;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import javax.swing.text.BadLocationException;
import javax.swing.text.DefaultHighlighter;
import javax.swing.text.Highlighter;
import javax.swing.text.Highlighter.HighlightPainter;

public class SSCCE {

    private JFrame frame;
    private JTextArea textArea;

    public SSCCE() {
        frame = new JFrame();
        frame.setTitle("Huge Text");
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);

        textArea = new JTextArea("abcd abcd abcd");
        textArea.setBackground(Color.DARK_GRAY);
        textArea.setForeground(Color.LIGHT_GRAY);
        textArea.setSelectionColor(Color.LIGHT_GRAY);
        textArea.setSelectedTextColor(Color.DARK_GRAY);
        Highlighter highLighter = textArea.getHighlighter();
        HighlightPainter highLightPainter = new DefaultHighlighter.DefaultHighlightPainter(textArea.getSelectionColor());
        try {
            highLighter.addHighlight(0, 10, highLightPainter);
        } catch (BadLocationException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
        frame.add(new JScrollPane(textArea));

        frame.setSize(400, 350);
        frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        frame.setVisible(true);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
            public void run() {
                new SSCCE();
            }
        });
    }

}

Highlighting and selection are to different things, th highlighter doesn't effect the text color — MadProgrammer, May 31 '14 at 00:15

score 0 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 12:05

0

Worth reading about Using Text Components

If you intend to use an unstyled text component then choose text field, password field, formatted text field, or text area.
If you intend to use a styled text component, see How to Use Editor Panes and Text Panes

enter image description here

JTextArea doesn't support this functionality to style a sub set of the entire content. It applies styles but across the entire content.

Find a sample code here change specific text color in java

edited May 23 '17 at 12:05

Community

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answered May 30 '14 at 20:45

Braj

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Actually, JTextArea does have highlighter support, as demonstrated [here](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/22676024/select-text-in-2-jtextarea-at-the-same-time/22676432#22676432) and [here](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/17985808/search-text-file-and-display-results-in-a-jpanel/17988175#17988175) – MadProgrammer May 30 '14 at 21:41
@MadProgrammer Can I change the color and font of the selected text only in JTextArea? In second sample code it just highlighted. It works fine if OP do a single change to `textArea.setForeground(Color.BLUE);` to differentiate it with selection color. – Braj May 30 '14 at 21:47
No, but the OP isn't doing this, they are are using a highlighter ;) – MadProgrammer May 30 '14 at 21:49
OP says *the text color of the highlighted text to the selectedTextColor* – Braj May 30 '14 at 21:49
foreground color is light gray and OP wants dark gray foreground color for selected text only. – Braj May 30 '14 at 21:51
See my previous edits in my post itself. I have answered same but then I noticed that OP is not looking into it hence I have updated my post. – Braj May 30 '14 at 21:53

Highlighter addHighlight not changing text color

1 Answers1