Displaying a Splash Screen

Question

Hi:
I have an application which takes sometime to load and decided to display a splash screen. The splash screen is a simple JFrame with a JPanel within. The splash screen is displaying but it�s not being painted at all. A grey box with the splash screen size is displayed.
Following is the code from where I�m calling both the splash screen and the application.
    private static void startApplication() {
        SplashScreen splashScreen = new SplashScreen();
        System.out.println("Loading...");
        splashScreen.setUndecorated(true);
        splashScreen.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
        splashScreen.pack();
        splashScreen.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        splashScreen.setVisible(true);
        try {
            Application application = new Application();
            splashScreen.setCompleted(0.2);
            System.out.println("Loading Database...");
            application.initDatabase();
            System.out.println("Loading of Database Complete...");
            splashScreen.setCompleted(0.5);
            application.initActions();
            splashScreen.setCompleted(0.6);
            application.initToolBar();
            splashScreen.setCompleted(0.7);
            application.initMenuBar();
            splashScreen.setCompleted(0.8);
            application.initComponents();
            splashScreen.setCompleted(0.9);
            application.setDefaultCloseOperation(Application.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
            application.setTitle("Password Keeper");
            application.setUndecorated(false);
            application.pack();
            application.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
            splashScreen.setCompleted(1);
            application.setVisible(true);
        }catch(ClassNotFoundException e) {
            System.err.println("Failed to load the required classes.");
            JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(splashScreen, "Failed to load the required classes.", "Loading Application", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
        }catch(SQLException e){
            System.err.println("Failed to load the required classes.");
            JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(splashScreen, "An error occured while connecting with the database.", "Loading Application", JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
        System.out.println("Application Started...");
        splashScreen.setVisible(false);
        splashScreen.dispose();
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
            public void run() {
                startApplication();
    }The problem started to show up when the application was included. This works fine when the splash screen is displayed by itself.
Albert Attard

Answer 1

A grey box with the splash screen size is displayed.would indicate you have your "application which takes sometime to load" in the
EDT, which will prevent painting until loading finishes
use a separate thread to load the data
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/essential/threads/
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/misc/threads.html
http://java.sun.com/products/jfc/tsc/articles/threads/threads1.html