Making a JTableHeader Sortable Renderer for Windows

Question

I have implemented sorting for a spreadsheet (using the Tame Library). The user can sort by a partciluar column by sorting on the Table Header cell for that column. I replaced the JTableHeader default cell renderer (which is based on Jlabel) with a different renderer basd on a JButton because I need to get it to respond to event, show it has been pressed and so on.
Functionally this works fine but using JButtons on Windows with Windows LAF doesnt look anything like the table headers you get on something like Windows Explorer. Has anybody managed to create a renderer which looks more like the Windows Explorer stuuf please.

Answer 1

use TableSorter(version 2.0 02/27/04)
The JavaTM Tutorial
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/components/example-1dot4/TableSorter.java
import java.util.*;
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class TestPanel extends JPanel {
  public TestPanel() {
    super(new BorderLayout());
    TestModel model = new TestModel();
    TableSorter sorter = new TableSorter(model);
    JTable table = new JTable(sorter);
    sorter.setTableHeader(table.getTableHeader());
    table.setPreferredScrollableViewportSize(new Dimension(500, 70));
    model.addTest(new Test("name1", "asdfasd"));
    model.addTest(new Test("name2", "qerqwerwq"));
    model.addTest(new Test("named", ""));
    model.addTest(new Test("namec", "zxcvxzcvzxcv"));
    model.addTest(new Test("nameb", "fasdfasd"));
    model.addTest(new Test("namea", ""));
    model.addTest(new Test("name0", "12341234"));
    model.addTest(new Test("name0", ""));
    JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane(table);
    add(scrollPane);
  class TestModel extends javax.swing.table.DefaultTableModel {
    public static final String NUMBER  = "aaa";
    public static final String MASTER  = "sss";
    public static final String COMMENT = "ddd";
    private String[] columnNames = {NUMBER, MASTER, COMMENT};
    private final Vector list = new Vector();
    public boolean isCellEditable(int row, int column) {
      if(column<1) {
        return false;
      return true;
    public void addTest(Test tst) {
      list.add(tst);
      Integer num = new Integer(list.size());
      Object[] obj = {num, tst.getName(), tst.getComment()};
      super.addRow(obj);
    public Test getTest(int index) {
      Integer num = (Integer)getValueAt(index, 0);
      return (Test)list.elementAt(num.intValue()-1);
    public int getColumnCount() {
      return columnNames.length;
    public String getColumnName(int col) {
      return columnNames[col];
  class Test {
    private String name;
    private String comment;
    public Test(String name_, String comment_) {
      name = name_;
      comment = comment_;
    public void setName(String str) {
      name = str;
    public void setComment(String str) {
      comment = str;
    public String getName() {
      return name;
    public String getComment() {
      return comment;
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
        createAndShowGUI();
  public static void createAndShowGUI() {
    try{
      UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
    }catch (Exception e) {
      throw new InternalError(e.toString());
    final JFrame frame = new JFrame("title");
    frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    frame.getContentPane().add(new TestPanel());
    frame.pack();
    frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
    frame.setVisible(true);
}