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JTable Alternate Row Background

2007-03-15 in Java / Legacy tagged Color / Java / JTable / Legacy by Marc Nuri | Last updated: 2023-08-11

Java tables are great but complex. The good thing about them is that you can do with them whatever you want. Even more, the view is completely separated from the model, so you can even play more.

JTables in brief (bad thing) are just a bunch of components put together. So anything you can de to a Component you can do in a JTable.

To make a JTable render each row in a different color, you just have to extend the JTable's prepareRender method.

Main.java
JTable table = new JTable() {
public Component prepareRenderer(TableCellRenderer renderer, int row, int column) {
  Component returnComp = super.prepareRenderer(renderer, row, column);
  Color alternateColor = new Color(252,242,206);
  Color whiteColor = Color.WHITE;
  if (!returnComp.getBackground().equals(getSelectionBackground())){
    Color bg = (row % 2 == 0 ? alternateColor : whiteColor);
    returnComp .setBackground(bg);
    bg = null;
  }
  return returnComp;
};
An image of a JTable with alternate row colors
An image of a JTable with alternate row colors

The above code simply gets the component that was going to be rendered and changes its background so that it fits the user needs. Here we've just set the background using two alternate colors, but there are many more things you can do, just use your imagination. Try using getModel(row, column) to get the values of what the cell contains and make the component behave depending on the values it contains.

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Comments in "JTable Alternate Row Background"

  • Avatar for Giselle
    Giselle
    2007-04-09 16:48
    Excelent method!!!
  • Avatar for Christian Ullenboom
    Christian Ullenboom
    2007-05-07 12:55
    Two other options are:

    * JXTable (http://swinglabs.org/)

    * Renderpack Pipelines (https://srenderpack.dev.java.net/)

    One can add a JXTable from SwingX a Highlighter which is describes here: http://www.javalobby.org/java/forums/t18819.html.
  • Avatar for Kjk
    Kjk
    2007-06-01 08:46
    Thanks !
  • Avatar for Kjk
    Kjk
    2007-06-01 08:46
    Thanks !
  • Avatar for ekarkou
    ekarkou
    2008-09-26 11:10
    Brilliant!! thanks
  • Avatar for estathe
    estathe
    2009-04-09 15:09
    Brilliant!! thanks
  • Avatar for mars
    mars
    2011-06-22 04:07
    will I just copy paste that code? and it will work? i already have my table.

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