Module javafx.controls
Package javafx.scene.control

Class DialogPane

java.lang.Object
javafx.scene.Node
javafx.scene.Parent
javafx.scene.layout.Region
javafx.scene.layout.Pane
javafx.scene.control.DialogPane
All Implemented Interfaces:
Styleable, EventTarget
@DefaultProperty("buttonTypes") public class DialogPane extends Pane
DialogPane should be considered to be the root node displayed within a Dialog instance. In this role, the DialogPane is responsible for the placement of headers, graphics, content, and buttons. The default implementation of DialogPane (that is, the DialogPane class itself) handles the layout via the normal Parent.layoutChildren() method. This method may be overridden by subclasses wishing to handle the layout in an alternative fashion).

In addition to the header and content properties, there exists header text and content text properties. The way the *Text properties work is that they are a lower precedence compared to the Node properties, but they are far more convenient for developers in the common case, as it is likely the case that a developer more often than not simply wants to set a string value into the header or content areas of the DialogPane.

It is important to understand the implications of setting non-null values in the header and headerText properties. The key points are as follows:

  1. The header property takes precedence over the headerText property, so if both are set to non-null values, header will be used and headerText will be ignored.
  2. If headerText is set to a non-null value, and a graphic has also been set, the default position for the graphic shifts from being located to the left of the content area to being to the right of the header text.
  3. If header is set to a non-null value, and a graphic has also been set, the graphic is removed from its default position (to the left of the content area), and is not placed to the right of the custom header node. If the graphic is desired, it should be manually added in to the layout of the custom header node manually.

DialogPane operates on the concept of ButtonType. A ButtonType is a descriptor of a single button that should be represented visually in the DialogPane. Developers who create a DialogPane therefore must specify the button types that they want to display, and this is done via the getButtonTypes() method, which returns a modifiable ObservableList, which users can add to and remove from as desired.

The ButtonType class defines a number of pre-defined button types, such as ButtonType.OK and ButtonType.CANCEL. Many users of the JavaFX dialogs API will find that these pre-defined button types meet their needs, particularly due to their built-in support for default and cancel buttons, as well as the benefit of the strings being translated into all languages which JavaFX is translated to. For users that want to define their own ButtonType (most commonly to define a button with custom text), they may do so via the constructors available on the ButtonType class.

Developers will quickly find that the amount of configurability offered via the ButtonType class is minimal. This is intentional, but does not mean that developers can not modify the buttons created by the ButtonType that have been specified. To do this, developers simply call the lookupButton(ButtonType) method with the ButtonType (assuming it has already been set in the getButtonTypes() list. The returned Node is typically of type Button, but this depends on if the createButton(ButtonType) method has been overridden.

The DialogPane class offers a few methods that can be overridden by subclasses, to more easily enable custom functionality. These methods include the following:

These methods are documented, so please take note of the expectations placed on any developer who wishes to override these methods with their own functionality.

Since:
JavaFX 8u40
See Also:

  • Property Details

    • graphic

      public final ObjectProperty<Node> graphicProperty
      The dialog graphic, presented either in the header, if one is showing, or to the left of the content.
      See Also:

    • header

      public final ObjectProperty<Node> headerProperty
      Property representing the header area of the dialog pane. Note that if this header is set to a non-null value, that it will take up the entire top area of the DialogPane. It will also result in the DialogPane switching its layout to the 'header' layout - as outlined in the DialogPane class javadoc.
      See Also:

    • headerText

      public final StringProperty headerTextProperty
      A property representing the header text for the dialog pane. The header text is lower precedence than the header node, meaning that if both the header node and the headerText properties are set, the header text will not be displayed in a default DialogPane instance.

      When headerText is set to a non-null value, this will result in the DialogPane switching its layout to the 'header' layout - as outlined in the DialogPane class javadoc.

      See Also:

    • content

      public final ObjectProperty<Node> contentProperty
      Property representing the content area of the dialog.
      See Also:

    • contentText

      public final StringProperty contentTextProperty
      A property representing the content text for the dialog pane. The content text is lower precedence than the content node, meaning that if both the content node and the contentText properties are set, the content text will not be displayed in a default DialogPane instance.
      See Also:

    • expandableContent

      public final ObjectProperty<Node> expandableContentProperty
      A property that represents the dialog expandable content area. Any Node can be placed in this area, but it will only be shown when the user clicks the 'Show Details' expandable button. This button will be added automatically when the expandable content property is non-null.
      See Also:

    • expanded

      public final BooleanProperty expandedProperty
      Represents whether the dialogPane is expanded.
      See Also:

  • Constructor Details

    • DialogPane

      public DialogPane()
      Creates a new DialogPane instance with a style class of 'dialog-pane'.

  • Method Details

    • graphicProperty

      public final ObjectProperty<Node> graphicProperty()
      The dialog graphic, presented either in the header, if one is showing, or to the left of the content.
      See Also:

    • getGraphic

      public final Node getGraphic()
      Gets the value of the property graphic.
      Property description:
      The dialog graphic, presented either in the header, if one is showing, or to the left of the content.

    • setGraphic

      public final void setGraphic(Node graphic)
      Sets the dialog graphic, which will be displayed either in the header, if one is showing, or to the left of the content.
      Parameters:
      graphic - The new dialog graphic, or null if no graphic should be shown.

    • getHeader

      public final Node getHeader()
      Node which acts as the dialog pane header.
      Returns:
      the header of the dialog pane.

    • setHeader

      public final void setHeader(Node header)
      Assigns the dialog pane header. Any Node can be used.
      Parameters:
      header - The new header of the DialogPane.

    • headerProperty

      public final ObjectProperty<Node> headerProperty()
      Property representing the header area of the dialog pane. Note that if this header is set to a non-null value, that it will take up the entire top area of the DialogPane. It will also result in the DialogPane switching its layout to the 'header' layout - as outlined in the DialogPane class javadoc.
      See Also:

    • setHeaderText

      public final void setHeaderText(String headerText)
      Sets the string to show in the dialog header area. Note that the header text is lower precedence than the header node, meaning that if both the header node and the headerText properties are set, the header text will not be displayed in a default DialogPane instance.

      When headerText is set to a non-null value, this will result in the DialogPane switching its layout to the 'header' layout - as outlined in the DialogPane class javadoc.

      Parameters:
      headerText - the string to show in the dialog header area

    • getHeaderText

      public final String getHeaderText()
      Returns the currently-set header text for this DialogPane.
      Returns:
      the currently-set header text for this DialogPane

    • headerTextProperty

      public final StringProperty headerTextProperty()
      A property representing the header text for the dialog pane. The header text is lower precedence than the header node, meaning that if both the header node and the headerText properties are set, the header text will not be displayed in a default DialogPane instance.

      When headerText is set to a non-null value, this will result in the DialogPane switching its layout to the 'header' layout - as outlined in the DialogPane class javadoc.

      See Also:

    • getContent

      public final Node getContent()
      Returns the dialog content as a Node (even if it was set as a String using setContentText(String) - this was simply transformed into a Node (most probably a Label).
      Returns:
      dialog's content

    • setContent

      public final void setContent(Node content)
      Assign dialog content. Any Node can be used
      Parameters:
      content - dialog's content

    • contentProperty

      public final ObjectProperty<Node> contentProperty()
      Property representing the content area of the dialog.
      See Also:

    • setContentText

      public final void setContentText(String contentText)
      Sets the string to show in the dialog content area. Note that the content text is lower precedence than the content node, meaning that if both the content node and the contentText properties are set, the content text will not be displayed in a default DialogPane instance.
      Parameters:
      contentText - the string to show in the dialog content area

    • getContentText

      public final String getContentText()
      Returns the currently-set content text for this DialogPane.
      Returns:
      the currently-set content text for this DialogPane

    • contentTextProperty

      public final StringProperty contentTextProperty()
      A property representing the content text for the dialog pane. The content text is lower precedence than the content node, meaning that if both the content node and the contentText properties are set, the content text will not be displayed in a default DialogPane instance.
      See Also:

    • expandableContentProperty

      public final ObjectProperty<Node> expandableContentProperty()
      A property that represents the dialog expandable content area. Any Node can be placed in this area, but it will only be shown when the user clicks the 'Show Details' expandable button. This button will be added automatically when the expandable content property is non-null.
      See Also:

    • getExpandableContent

      public final Node getExpandableContent()
      Returns the dialog expandable content node, if one is set, or null otherwise.
      Returns:
      the dialog expandable content node

    • setExpandableContent

      public final void setExpandableContent(Node content)
      Sets the dialog expandable content node, or null if no expandable content needs to be shown.
      Parameters:
      content - the dialog expandable content node

    • expandedProperty

      public final BooleanProperty expandedProperty()
      Represents whether the dialogPane is expanded.
      See Also:

    • isExpanded

      public final boolean isExpanded()
      Returns whether or not the dialogPane is expanded.
      Returns:
      true if dialogPane is expanded.

    • setExpanded

      public final void setExpanded(boolean value)
      Sets whether the dialogPane is expanded. This only makes sense when there is expandable content to show.
      Parameters:
      value - true if dialogPane should be expanded.

    • getButtonTypes

      public final ObservableList<ButtonType> getButtonTypes()
      Observable list of button types used for the dialog button bar area (created via the createButtonBar() method). Modifying the contents of this list will immediately change the buttons displayed to the user within the dialog pane.
      Returns:
      The ObservableList of button types available to the user.

    • lookupButton

      public final Node lookupButton(ButtonType buttonType)
      This method provides a way in which developers may retrieve the actual Node for a given ButtonType (assuming it is part of the button types list).
      Parameters:
      buttonType - The ButtonType for which a Node representation is requested.
      Returns:
      The Node used to represent the button type, as created by createButton(ButtonType), and only if the button type is part of the button types list, otherwise null.

    • createButtonBar

      protected Node createButtonBar()
      This method can be overridden by subclasses to provide the button bar. Note that by overriding this method, the developer must take on multiple responsibilities:
      1. The developer must immediately iterate through all button types and call createButton(ButtonType) for each of them in turn.
      2. The developer must add a listener to the button types list, and when this list changes update the button bar as appropriate.
      3. Similarly, the developer must watch for changes to the expandable content property, adding and removing the details button (created via createDetailsButton() method).

      The default implementation of this method creates and returns a new ButtonBar instance.

      Returns:
      the created button bar

    • createButton

      protected Node createButton(ButtonType buttonType)
      This method can be overridden by subclasses to create a custom button that will subsequently inserted into the DialogPane button area (created via the createButtonBar() method, but mostly commonly it is an instance of ButtonBar.
      Parameters:
      buttonType - The ButtonType to create a button from.
      Returns:
      A JavaFX Node that represents the given ButtonType, most commonly an instance of Button.

    • createDetailsButton

      protected Node createDetailsButton()
      This method can be overridden by subclasses to create a custom details button.

      To override this method you must do two things:

      1. The button will need to have its own code set to handle mouse / keyboard interaction and to toggle the state of the expanded property.
      2. If your button changes its visuals based on whether the dialog pane is expanded or collapsed, you should add a listener to the expanded property, so that you may update the button visuals.
      Returns:
      the created details button

    • getClassCssMetaData

      public static List<CssMetaData<? extends Styleable,?>> getClassCssMetaData()
      Returns:
      The CssMetaData associated with this class, which may include the CssMetaData of its superclasses.