Setting a player to a different source.

Question

I'm trying to set my player to a different source once some event occurs. I can get the player to load the first file properly and play. Once I trigger the event I call
player.stop();
player.deallocate();then I go through the steps of getting the new MediaSource, and adding my ControllerListener.
     // input file name from html param
     String mediaFile = null;
     // URL for our media file
     MediaLocator mrl = null;
     URL url = null;
     // Get the media filename info.
     // The applet tag should contain the path to the
     // source media file, relative to the html page.
     if ((mediaFile = getParameter("FILE2")) == null)
         Fatal("Invalid media file parameter");
     try {
         url = new URL(getDocumentBase(), mediaFile);
         mediaFile = url.toExternalForm();
     } catch (MalformedURLException mue) {
     try {
         // Create a media locator from the file name
         if ((mrl = new MediaLocator(mediaFile)) == null)
          Fatal("Can't build URL for " + mediaFile);
         // Create an instance of a player for this media
         try {
          player = Manager.createPlayer(mrl);
         } catch (NoPlayerException e) {
          System.out.println(e);
          Fatal("Could not create player for " + mrl);
            System.out.println(mrl.getURL().toString());
         // Add ourselves as a listener for a player's events
         player.addControllerListener(this);
     } catch (MalformedURLException e) {
         Fatal("Invalid media file URL!");
     } catch (IOException e) {
         Fatal("IO exception creating player for " + mrl);
     }Am I using the wrong logic? This type of functionality seems pretty basic. Maybe I'm missing something or perhaps I'm stupid.
Also I use this same routine to initialize the player for the first time.
Can anyone provide me w/ a solution/hint/direction?
Thanks!

Answer 1

Mani --
Here is the entire applet. I just pulled this applet example from the JMF site and wanted to modify it. Do I need to create a new ControllerListener when I deallocate my player?
The "reload" function is doing the same thing as the "init()" function. I just deallocate the player.
Anyhow any guidance you could provide would be much appreciated!
-Sundhar
public class SimplePlayerApplet extends JApplet implements ControllerListener {
    // media Player
    Player player = null;
    // component in which video is playing
    Component visualComponent = null;
    // controls gain, position, start, stop
    Component controlComponent = null;
    // displays progress during download
    Component progressBar = null;
    boolean firstTime = true;
    long CachingSize = 0L;
    Panel panel = null;
    int controlPanelHeight = 0;
    int videoWidth = 0;
    int videoHeight = 0;
     * Read the applet file parameter and create the media
     * player.
    public void init() {
     System.out.println("Applet.init() is called");
        Container contentpane = this.getContentPane();
     contentpane.setLayout(null);
     contentpane.setBackground(Color.white);
     panel = new Panel();
     panel.setLayout( null );
     contentpane.add(panel);
     panel.setBounds(0, 0, 320, 240);
     // input file name from html param
     String mediaFile = null;
     // URL for our media file
     MediaLocator mrl = null;
     URL url = null;
     // Get the media filename info.
     // The applet tag should contain the path to the
     // source media file, relative to the html page.
     if ((mediaFile = getParameter("FILE")) == null)
         Fatal("Invalid media file parameter");
     try {
         url = new URL(getDocumentBase(), mediaFile);
         mediaFile = url.toExternalForm();
     } catch (MalformedURLException mue) {
     try {
         // Create a media locator from the file name
         if ((mrl = new MediaLocator(mediaFile)) == null)
          Fatal("Can't build URL for " + mediaFile);
         // Create an instance of a player for this media
         try {
          player = Manager.createPlayer(mrl);
         } catch (NoPlayerException e) {
          System.out.println(e);
          Fatal("Could not create player for " + mrl);
            System.out.println(mrl.getURL().toString());
         // Add ourselves as a listener for a player's events
         player.addControllerListener(this);
     } catch (MalformedURLException e) {
         Fatal("Invalid media file URL!");
     } catch (IOException e) {
         Fatal("IO exception creating player for " + mrl);
     // This applet assumes that its start() calls
     // player.start(). This causes the player to become
     // realized. Once realized, the applet will get
     // the visual and control panel components and add
     // them to the Applet. These components are not added
     // during init() because they are long operations that
     // would make us appear unresposive to the user.
    public void playerStart(){
      System.out.println("Attempting to restart...");
      player.start();
    public void reload(){
        if(player!=null){
          System.out.println("player stopping...");
          //player.removeController((Controller) controlComponent);
          player.stop();
          System.out.println("player deallocating...");
          player.deallocate();
          player.close();
          player = null;
        System.out.println("attempting to load different filee....");
     // input file name from html param
     String mediaFile = null;
     // URL for our media file
     MediaLocator mrl = null;
     URL url = null;
     // Get the media filename info.
     // The applet tag should contain the path to the
     // source media file, relative to the html page.
     if ((mediaFile = getParameter("FILE2")) == null)
         Fatal("Invalid media file parameter");
     try {
         url = new URL(getDocumentBase(), mediaFile);
         mediaFile = url.toExternalForm();
     } catch (MalformedURLException mue) {
     try {
         // Create a media locator from the file name
         if ((mrl = new MediaLocator(mediaFile)) == null)
          Fatal("Can't build URL for " + mediaFile);
         // Create an instance of a player for this media
         try {
          player = Manager.createPlayer(mrl);
         } catch (NoPlayerException e) {
          System.out.println(e);
          Fatal("Could not create player for " + mrl);
            System.out.println(mrl.getURL().toString());
         // Add ourselves as a listener for a player's events
         player.addControllerListener(this);
     } catch (MalformedURLException e) {
         Fatal("Invalid media file URL!");
     } catch (IOException e) {
         Fatal("IO exception creating player for " + mrl);
        player.realize();
        player.start();
     // This applet assumes that its start() calls
     // player.start(). This causes the player to become
     // realized. Once realized, the applet will get
     // the visual and control panel components and add
     // them to the Applet. These components are not added
     // during init() because they are long operations that
     // would make us appear unresposive to the user.
     * Start media file playback. This function is called the
     * first time that the Applet runs and every
     * time the user re-enters the page.
    public void start() {
     System.out.println("Applet.start() is called");
        // Call start() to prefetch and start the player.
        /*if (player != null)
         player.start();*/
     * Stop media file playback and release resource before
     * leaving the page.
    public void stop() {
     System.out.println("Applet.stop() is called");
        if (player != null) {
            player.stop();
            player.deallocate();
    public void destroy() {
     System.out.println("Applet.destroy() is called");
     player.close();
     * This controllerUpdate function must be defined in order to
     * implement a ControllerListener interface. This
     * function will be called whenever there is a media event
    public synchronized void controllerUpdate(ControllerEvent event) {
     // If we're getting messages from a dead player,
     // just leave
     if (player == null)
         return;
     // When the player is Realized, get the visual
     // and control components and add them to the Applet
     if (event instanceof RealizeCompleteEvent) {
            System.out.println("Realize Complete Event");
         if (progressBar != null) {
          panel.remove(progressBar);
          progressBar = null;
         int width = 320;
         int height = 0;
         if (controlComponent == null)
          if (( controlComponent =
                player.getControlPanelComponent()) != null) {
              controlPanelHeight = controlComponent.getPreferredSize().height;
              panel.add(controlComponent);
              height += controlPanelHeight;
         if (visualComponent == null)
          if (( visualComponent =
                player.getVisualComponent())!= null) {
              panel.add(visualComponent);
              Dimension videoSize = visualComponent.getPreferredSize();
              videoWidth = videoSize.width;
              videoHeight = videoSize.height;
              width = videoWidth;
              height += videoHeight;
              visualComponent.setBounds(0, 0, videoWidth, videoHeight);
         panel.setBounds(0, 0, width, height);
         if (controlComponent != null) {
          controlComponent.setBounds(0, videoHeight,
                            width, controlPanelHeight);
          controlComponent.invalidate();
     } else if (event instanceof CachingControlEvent) {
            System.out.println("Caching Event");
         if (player.getState() > Controller.Realizing)
          return;
         // Put a progress bar up when downloading starts,
         // take it down when downloading ends.
         CachingControlEvent e = (CachingControlEvent) event;
         CachingControl cc = e.getCachingControl();
         // Add the bar if not already there ...
         if (progressBar == null) {
             if ((progressBar = cc.getControlComponent()) != null) {
              panel.add(progressBar);
              panel.setSize(progressBar.getPreferredSize());
              validate();
     } else if (event instanceof EndOfMediaEvent) {
         // We've reached the end of the media; rewind and
         // start over
            System.out.println("End of Media Event");
         player.setMediaTime(new Time(0));
         player.start();
     } else if (event instanceof ControllerErrorEvent) {
            System.out.println("Controller Error Event");
         // Tell TypicalPlayerApplet.start() to call it a day
         player = null;
         Fatal(((ControllerErrorEvent)event).getMessage());
        } else if (event instanceof ControllerClosedEvent) {
            System.out.println("Caching Event");
         panel.removeAll();
    void Fatal (String s) {
     // Applications will make various choices about what
     // to do here. We print a message
     System.err.println("FATAL ERROR: " + s);
     throw new Error(s); // Invoke the uncaught exception
                   // handler System.exit() is another
                   // choice.
}