Animation gets slow when program needs a Garbage Collect.

Question

So nonetheless, I should probably develop a new animation algorithm, yes?
I am looping through a seperate thread that calls the setSize() methods a bunch of times. Works really nice when memory isnt bad, but when I need to garbage collect, and apparantly java doesnt agree, it gets really slow. Later one is really able to see when a GC is actually done, and it goes back to normal.
Here is my algorithm,
public static boolean raisePanel(final VCMSComponentFrame p, final boolean anim)
        if (p.getState() == VCMSComponentFrame.State.RAISED ||
            p.getState() == VCMSComponentFrame.State.ANIMATING)
            return false;
        new Thread(new Runnable()
            public void run()
                p.setState(VCMSComponentFrame.State.ANIMATING);
                if (anim)
                    for (int i = p.getHeight(); i <= FULL_PANEL_HEIGHT; i++)
                        try
                            p.setSize(p.getWidth(), i);
                            JComponent parent = (JComponent)p.getParent();
                            int index = findIndex(p);
                            for (int j = index + 1; j < parent.getComponentCount() && j != 0; j++)
                                 parent.getComponent(j).setLocation(parent.getComponent(j).getX(), parent.getComponent(j).getY() + 1);
                            //Viewport Panel
                            parent.setSize(parent.getWidth(), parent.getHeight() + 1);
                            //Structure Frame
                            VCMSStructurePanel panel = (VCMSStructurePanel)parent.getParent();
                            parent.getParent().setSize(panel.getWidth(), panel.getHeight() + 1);
                            //Structure Siblings.
                            JPanel master = (JPanel)panel.getParent();
                            index = findStructureIndex(panel);
                            for (int j = index + 1; j < master.getComponentCount() && j != 0; j++)
                                master.getComponent(j).setLocation(master.getComponent(j).getX(), master.getComponent(j).getY() + 1);
                            Thread.sleep(1);
                        catch (Exception ex)
                else
                    p.setSize(p.getWidth(), FULL_PANEL_HEIGHT);
                    JPanel parent = (JPanel)p.getParent();
                    int index = findIndex(p);
                    //Viewport Panel
                    parent.setSize(parent.getWidth(), parent.getHeight() + FULL_PANEL_HEIGHT - SHORT_PANEL_HEIGHT);
                    //Structure Frame
                    VCMSStructurePanel panel = (VCMSStructurePanel)parent.getParent();
                    parent.getParent().setSize(panel.getWidth(), panel.getHeight() + FULL_PANEL_HEIGHT - SHORT_PANEL_HEIGHT);
                    //Component Siblings
                    for (int j = index + 1; j < parent.getComponentCount() && j != 0; j++)
                        parent.getComponent(j).setLocation((int)parent.getComponents()[j].getLocation().getX(), (int)parent.getComponents()[j].getLocation().getY() + FULL_PANEL_HEIGHT - SHORT_PANEL_HEIGHT);
                    //Structure Grandparent
                    JPanel master = (JPanel)panel.getParent();
                    index = findStructureIndex(panel);
                    for (int j = index + 1; j < master.getComponentCount() && j != 0; j++)
                        master.getComponent(j).setLocation((int)master.getComponent(j).getLocation().getX(), (int)master.getComponent(j).getLocation().getY() + FULL_PANEL_HEIGHT - SHORT_PANEL_HEIGHT);
                p.setState(VCMSComponentFrame.State.RAISED);
        }).start();
        //System.gc();
        return true;
    }any help appreciated!

Answer 1

sierratech wrote:
Only a guess, but this may have something to do with Threads and Swing.
http://java.sun.com/products/jfc/tsc/articles/threads/threads1.html.
Many Swing updates should be called in the Event Dispatch thread, and it looks like you may be calling some of these in your new Thread.
Try using SwingUtilities.invokeLater() and see if that helps. Alternatively, rewrite your code to remove the Thread and do everything in the event Dispatch thread using javax.swing.Timer. Again, just a guessThanks for the Idea, but this option doesnt even show the animation.
One Idea I got from a "Swing Hacks" directory works like this:
Remove the components for animation.
Create an image of the components.
Overide the Paint method.
Animate the images via paint method.
Remove the images.
Add back the components.
But I look at that and my stomach cringes.
Any other Ideas?