Displaying a JLabel in front of another JLabel

Question

 Game(){
    JFrame frame = new JFrame("Display Image");
    JPanel panel = (JPanel)frame.getContentPane();
    frame.setSize(1000,625);
    frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    JLabel label = new JLabel();
    label.setIcon(new ImageIcon("C:/Users/Ragnar/Desktop/GameBoard.png"));
    panel.add(label);
    frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
    frame.pack();
    frame.setVisible(true);
}

So i have this constructor ,and i want to add some new JLabels with Images,but i want them to be displayed on top of first image which is the image of the first jLabel label.Can anyone guide me how to achieve this please?I tryed to add them as usually but they are displayed behind the label.

score 3 · Accepted Answer · edited May 23 '17 at 11:59

If you have a background image and you want to display the JLabel on top of the background image, you can use a JPanel to hold the background image, then add your JLabel.

Usually if you try to let 2 JLabel overlap each other it won't succeed due to the default layout manager used by the container (such as FlowLayout in JPanel or BorderLayout in JFrame).

If you really want to let them over lap, you will have to set the layout as null. But they may introduce new problems as you lose control over the appearance of your components.

Hence, in cases like this I would usually go for custom painting and draw the images you want in any particular order you are interested in.

For example: How to create a background and foreground image which overlaps?

Here is an official example that shows how to have overlapping components, https://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/components/layeredpane.html — matt, Mar 27 '20 at 08:41

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Apr 15 '19 at 07:20

1

If you are working with eclipse, and you have installed the windowbuilder plugin you can use the graphical editing view.

Within this view use the contextual menu to order the elements.

answered Apr 15 '19 at 07:20

Pichitron

159
5

Gabriel · Answer 3 · 2020-03-27T08:20:03.923

What worked for me was, when adding the components with the method add(component), adding them in order from front to back. In the following example I add a lot of components to a JFrame, and the last one to be added is the wallpaper, so it stays at the background.

import java.awt.Image;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;

import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.border.*;




public class LogIn extends JFrame implements ActionListener{
    public static JFrame operador;`enter code here`
    private JLabel logo, foot, mensaje, wallpaper;
    private JTextField fldUser;
    private JPasswordField fldPass;
    private JButton entrar;
    private int ancho =400, largo= 530;
    public static String user="", pass="", name;

    public LogIn() {
        setLayout(null);
        setDefaultCloseOperation(EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        setSize(ancho,largo);
        setResizable(false);
        setTitle("Acceso al sitema");
        setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        setIconImage(getIconImage());

        fldUser = new JTextField();
        fldUser.setHorizontalAlignment(JTextField.CENTER);
        fldUser.setBounds(125,320,150,25);
        fldUser.setBackground(new Color(50,50,255));
        fldUser.setForeground(Color.WHITE);
        fldUser.setBorder(new SoftBevelBorder(BevelBorder.LOWERED));
        add(fldUser);

        fldPass = new JPasswordField();
        fldPass.setHorizontalAlignment(JTextField.CENTER);
        fldPass.setBounds(125,360,150,25);
        fldPass.setBackground(new Color(50,50,255));
        fldPass.setForeground(Color.WHITE);
        fldPass.setBorder(new SoftBevelBorder(BevelBorder.LOWERED));
        add(fldPass);

        mensaje= new JLabel();
        mensaje.setBounds(0,390,ancho,15);
        mensaje.setForeground(Color.RED);
        mensaje.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.CENTER);
        add(mensaje);
        entrar =new JButton("Entrar");
        entrar.setBounds(125,410,150,40);
        entrar.setForeground(new Color(50,50,255));
        //entrar.setBorder(new SoftBevelBorder(BevelBorder.RAISED));
        entrar.addActionListener(this);
        add(entrar);

        logo = new JLabel();
        logo.setBounds(50,0,300,300);
        ImageIcon imgLogo= new ImageIcon("src/images/DS.png");
        Icon iconoLogo = new ImageIcon(imgLogo.getImage().getScaledInstance(logo.getWidth(),logo.getHeight(), Image.SCALE_DEFAULT));
        logo.setIcon(iconoLogo);


        foot = new JLabel("Desarrollado por Gabriel Santos");
        foot.setBounds((ancho-200)/2,largo-60,200,30);

    //When JLabels overlap, the ones that come to the front are the first to be added to the window.
        add(foot);
        add(logo);

        wallpaper = new JLabel();
        wallpaper.setBounds(0,0,window.getWidth(),window.getHeight());
        ImageIcon img = new ImageIcon("src/images/wallpaperPrincipal.jpg");
        Icon icono = new ImageIcon(img.getImage().getScaledInstance(this.getWidth(),this.getHeight(), Image.SCALE_DEFAULT));    
        wallpaper.setIcon(icono);

        add(wallpaper);

        setVisible(true);
    }

}

Hi Gabriel, it would be great if you can post a sample code. Welcome to StackOverflow! Cheers! — Ezekiel Baniaga, Mar 07 '20 at 09:44
Hi Ezequiel, here I copied a rather long part from one of my programs with lots of components added to a JFrame. Do note that the last component to be added is the wallpaper, which is supposed to be on the background. I hope this is clear enough. — Gabriel, Mar 27 '20 at 08:15

Displaying a JLabel in front of another JLabel

3 Answers3