Method to load images while blocking thread

Question

Hi!
I'm new to Java and have been researching how to do the following for hours with no real success:
I need a way to load an image (jpg/gif/what have you) while blocking the thread it is running in.
I do not really want to use MediaTracker because it feels much too complicated for what I need. Here is a code snippet:
private Thread getImages = new Thread(
          new Runnable(){
               public void run() {
                    while(!imgNameList.isEmpty()){
String imagePath = imgNameList.remove(0);
                         ImageIcon image = new ImageIcon(getDocumentBase(), imagePath);
                         if(image.getImageLoadStatus() == java.awt.MediaTracker.COMPLETE) {
                              imgList.add(image);
                         This thread is initiated by my applet, and I just want it to do something very simple. I want it to load ALL the images from the URLs in imgNameList ArrayList<String> and if they are valid images, add them to the imgList ArrayList<ImageIcon>.
I do not understand why my code does not work.
I have read in multiple places that ImageIcon blocks the thread. But the condition mage.getImageLoadStatus() == java.awt.MediaTracker.COMPLETE is not ever true.
I am totally exasperated by this inexplicable behaviour.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks.

Answer 1

Thanks for the replies.
The URLs were correct.
ImageIcon already implements MediaTracker by itself in the background, so I really don't want to have to do it myself.
The status was always 4.. ERRORED.. even if the image loaded just fine anyway, as in I could display it after.
I suspect it may be some strange thing due to Applet permissions or something of that sort. Eventually I gave up, so I just did as follows:
ImageIcon to load the image.
Get the height of the ImageIcon to do two things:
A) Make sure that the image is actually loaded (not just returning right away like GetImage)
B) Make sure it's a valid image (i.e. height greater than 0)
When I have some time I'll look over this carefully but for now it works so it'll have to do.