MULTITHREADING AND PARALLEL PROGRAMMING - Introduction to Java Programming: Comprehensive Version - page 1105

30.5 Case Study: Flashing Text
You can use a thread to control an animation.

Key
Point

The use of a Timeline object to control animations was introduced in Section 15.11, Ani-
mation. Alternatively, you can also use a thread to control animation. Listing 30.2 gives an
example that displays flashing text on a label, as shown in Figure 30.6.

F IGURE 30.6

The text “Welcome” blinks.

L ISTING 30.2

FlashText.java
1 import javafx.application.Application;
2 import javafx.application.Platform;
3 import javafx.scene.Scene;
4 import javafx.scene.control.Label;
5 import javafx.scene.layout.StackPane;
6 import javafx.stage.Stage;
7
8 public class FlashText extends Application {
9 private String text = "" ;

10
11 @Override // Override the start method in the Application class
12 public void start(Stage primaryStage) {
13 StackPane pane = new StackPane();
14 Label lblText = new Label( "Programming is fun" ); create a label

label in a pane 15 pane.getChildren().add(lblText);

16
17 new Thread( new Runnable() {
18 @Override
19

create a thread

public void run() {

run thread

20 try {

21 while ( true ) {

22 if (lblText.getText().trim().length() == 0 )

change text

23 text = "Welcome" ;

24 else

25 text = "" ;

26
27 Platform.runLater( new Runnable() { // Run from JavaFX GUI
28 @Override
29 public void run() {
30 lblText.setText(text);
31 }
32 });
33
34 Thread.sleep( 200 );
35 }
36 }
37 catch (InterruptedException ex) {
38 }
39 }
40

Platform.runLater

update GUI

sleep

}).start();

41