JavaFX using multiple classes in a TableView?

Question

I have a problem: I need to create a TableView where i display all the number of deaths by different diseases within a year. The problem is that, in each row, i need to specify the Province field that is stored in the Deaths Class. When i try to build the different columns of the TableView i use every field of Deaths but with the field Province i need to use a specific method/field inside Province that is getName()/name.

 @FXML
private TableView<DecessiAnnuali> decessiTableView;

@FXML
private TableColumn<DecessiAnnuali,Integer> decessiIdColumn;

@FXML
private TableColumn<DecessiAnnuali, String> decessiProvinciaColumn;

@FXML
private TableColumn<DecessiAnnuali,Integer> decessiAnnoColumn;

@FXML
private TableColumn<DecessiAnnuali,Integer> decessiIncidentiStradaliColumn;

@FXML
private TableColumn<DecessiAnnuali,Integer> decessiMalattieTumoraliColumn;

@FXML
private TableColumn<DecessiAnnuali,Integer> decessiMalattieCardiovascolariColumn;

@FXML
private TableColumn<DecessiAnnuali,Integer> decessiMalattieContagioseColumn;

private final DecessiAnnualiService decessiAnnualiService = new DecessiAnnualiService();


@Override
public void initialize(URL location, ResourceBundle resources) {
    decessiIdColumn.setCellValueFactory(new PropertyValueFactory<>("id"));
    decessiAnnoColumn.setCellValueFactory(new PropertyValueFactory<>("anno"));
    decessiProvinciaColumn.setCellValueFactory(new PropertyValueFactory<>("provincia"));
    decessiIncidentiStradaliColumn.setCellValueFactory(new PropertyValueFactory<>("incidentiStradali"));
    decessiMalattieTumoraliColumn.setCellValueFactory(new PropertyValueFactory<>("malattieTumorali"));
    decessiMalattieContagioseColumn.setCellValueFactory(new PropertyValueFactory<>("malattieContagiose"));
    decessiMalattieCardiovascolariColumn.setCellValueFactory(new PropertyValueFactory<>("malattieCardiovascolari"));}

As you can see, there is a column that cointains "provincia" (Province in english). When i display the table it obviously prints the toString() String of Province(contained in DecessiAnnuali(AnnualDeaths in english)). I just need to get the name field contained in Province, not the whole toString.

Answer 1

I'm assuming you have a Provincia class, and the getProvincia() method in DecessiAnnuali returns an instance of the Provincia class.

Given this, you first need to fix the type of your column:

@FXML
private TableColumn<DecessiAnnuali, Provincia> decessiProvinciaColumn;

Then you can define a cellFactory for your provincia column, in addition to the cellValueFactory. (The cellValueFactory determines what to display in the cell, the cellFactory determines how to display it.)

decessiProvinciaColumn.setCellValueFactory(new PropertyValueFactory<>("provincia"));
decessiProvinciaColumn.setCellFactory(column -> new TableCell<DecessiAnnuali, Provincia>() {
    @Override
    protected void updateItem(Provincia provincia, boolean empty) {
        super.updateItem(provincia, empty);
        if (empty || provincia == null) {
            setText("");
        else {
            setText(provincia.getName());
        }
    }
});