Java Swing feedback button on a tablet touch screen

Question

Is it possible obtain a feedback from JButton in a Java Swing application on a tablet?

I am using Windows 8 and if I switch a physical mouse to the device, motion feedback from JButton is in the typical way, but if I use a finger, the feedback disappears. I have tried overriding methods customizing my inherited JButtons, and a estended etc., but I haven't hoped the goal... I guess it is related with when we touch the screen with a mouse, you only click a point on the screen, but if you touches with a finger, there are several pixels selected.

Any idea?

Thank you so so much!

Answer 1

I've got an acceptable solution. I will try to explain it as simple and complete as possible.

First of all, you have to use a JButton extended class like these:

    import java.awt.Color;
    import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
    import java.awt.event.MouseListener;

    import javax.swing.JButton;

    /**
     * Customized <code>JButton</code> to obtained a feedback user experience of movement.
     * @author Gabriel Moreno.
     */
    public class FeedbackTouchScreenButton extends JButton {

        public FeedbackTouchScreenButton() {
            super();

            this.addMouseListener(new MouseListener() {
                @Override
                public void mouseClicked(final MouseEvent e) {
                        new Thread(new Runnable() {
                            @Override
                            public void run() {
                                Color bg = e.getComponent().getBackground();
                                e.getComponent().setBackground(Color.BLUE); // For example
                                try {
                                    Thread.sleep(100);
                                } catch (InterruptedException e1) {
                                    e1.printStackTrace();
                                }
                                e.getComponent().setBackground(bg);
                            }
                        }).start();
                } // mouseClicked()

                @Override
                public void mouseEntered(MouseEvent e) {}
                @Override
                public void mouseExited(MouseEvent e) {}
                @Override
                public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {}
                @Override
                public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e) {}
            });
        } // FeedbackTouchScreenButton()

    } // FeedbackTouchScreenButton

When you customize the action performed of the concerned button, you will have to throw (carefully) another thread. For example:

    // ---
        btnExample.addActionListener(new java.awt.event.ActionListener() {
            public void actionPerformed(final java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {
                new Thread(new Runnable() {
                    @Override
                    public void run() {
                        btnExampleActionPerformed(evt);
                    } // run()
                }).start();
            }
        });
    // ---

This example apparently works. But actually only it seems... :-)

The reason is because on the tablet screen the 'onPressed' state of the component doesn't works with a finger like with a mouse pointer.

THE KEY: 'onClick' = 'onPressed' + 'onRelease'.

And 'onClick' is correctlty done on the touch screen. It is the moment when the trick is done, when you release your finger from the device.