Module java.desktop
Package java.awt

Class Scrollbar

java.lang.Object
java.awt.Component
java.awt.Scrollbar
All Implemented Interfaces:
Adjustable, ImageObserver, MenuContainer, Serializable, Accessible
public class Scrollbar extends Component implements Adjustable, Accessible
The Scrollbar class embodies a scroll bar, a familiar user-interface object. A scroll bar provides a convenient means for allowing a user to select from a range of values. The following three vertical scroll bars could be used as slider controls to pick the red, green, and blue components of a color:

Image shows 3 vertical sliders, side-by-side.

Each scroll bar in this example could be created with code similar to the following: 

 redSlider=new Scrollbar(Scrollbar.VERTICAL, 0, 1, 0, 255);
 add(redSlider);

Alternatively, a scroll bar can represent a range of values. For example, if a scroll bar is used for scrolling through text, the width of the "bubble" (also called the "thumb" or "scroll box") can be used to represent the amount of text that is visible. Here is an example of a scroll bar that represents a range:

Image shows horizontal slider with starting range of 0 and ending range of 300. The slider thumb is labeled 60.

The value range represented by the bubble in this example is the visible amount. The horizontal scroll bar in this example could be created with code like the following: 

 ranger = new Scrollbar(Scrollbar.HORIZONTAL, 0, 60, 0, 300);
 add(ranger);

Note that the actual maximum value of the scroll bar is the maximum minus the visible amount. In the previous example, because the maximum is 300 and the visible amount is 60, the actual maximum value is 240. The range of the scrollbar track is 0 - 300. The left side of the bubble indicates the value of the scroll bar.

Normally, the user changes the value of the scroll bar by making a gesture with the mouse. For example, the user can drag the scroll bar's bubble up and down, or click in the scroll bar's unit increment or block increment areas. Keyboard gestures can also be mapped to the scroll bar. By convention, the Page Up and Page Down keys are equivalent to clicking in the scroll bar's block increment and block decrement areas.

When the user changes the value of the scroll bar, the scroll bar receives an instance of AdjustmentEvent. The scroll bar processes this event, passing it along to any registered listeners.

Any object that wishes to be notified of changes to the scroll bar's value should implement AdjustmentListener, an interface defined in the package java.awt.event. Listeners can be added and removed dynamically by calling the methods addAdjustmentListener and removeAdjustmentListener.

The AdjustmentEvent class defines five types of adjustment event, listed here:

  • AdjustmentEvent.TRACK is sent out when the user drags the scroll bar's bubble.
  • AdjustmentEvent.UNIT_INCREMENT is sent out when the user clicks in the left arrow of a horizontal scroll bar, or the top arrow of a vertical scroll bar, or makes the equivalent gesture from the keyboard.
  • AdjustmentEvent.UNIT_DECREMENT is sent out when the user clicks in the right arrow of a horizontal scroll bar, or the bottom arrow of a vertical scroll bar, or makes the equivalent gesture from the keyboard.
  • AdjustmentEvent.BLOCK_INCREMENT is sent out when the user clicks in the track, to the left of the bubble on a horizontal scroll bar, or above the bubble on a vertical scroll bar. By convention, the Page Up key is equivalent, if the user is using a keyboard that defines a Page Up key.
  • AdjustmentEvent.BLOCK_DECREMENT is sent out when the user clicks in the track, to the right of the bubble on a horizontal scroll bar, or below the bubble on a vertical scroll bar. By convention, the Page Down key is equivalent, if the user is using a keyboard that defines a Page Down key.

The JDK 1.0 event system is supported for backwards compatibility, but its use with newer versions of the platform is discouraged. The five types of adjustment events introduced with JDK 1.1 correspond to the five event types that are associated with scroll bars in previous platform versions. The following list gives the adjustment event type, and the corresponding JDK 1.0 event type it replaces.

  • AdjustmentEvent.TRACK replaces Event.SCROLL_ABSOLUTE
  • AdjustmentEvent.UNIT_INCREMENT replaces Event.SCROLL_LINE_UP
  • AdjustmentEvent.UNIT_DECREMENT replaces Event.SCROLL_LINE_DOWN
  • AdjustmentEvent.BLOCK_INCREMENT replaces Event.SCROLL_PAGE_UP
  • AdjustmentEvent.BLOCK_DECREMENT replaces Event.SCROLL_PAGE_DOWN

Note: We recommend using a Scrollbar for value selection only. If you want to implement a scrollable component inside a container, we recommend you use a ScrollPane. If you use a Scrollbar for this purpose, you are likely to encounter issues with painting, key handling, sizing and positioning.

Since:
1.0
See Also: