What is wrong with my syntax calling a stylesheet (css) from an FXML file?

Question

I am working in NetBeans 8, with Java 8 / JavaFX and FXML.

In the first controller (an AnchorPane) in my FXML document, I have this, that works:

stylesheets="file:///C:/Users/me/Documents/NetBeansProjects/MyApp/src/myApp/myStyle.css"

However, when I attempt to replace that with any type of relative path, I get the following error at runtime:

com.sun.javafx.css.StyleManager loadStylesheetUnPrivileged
WARNING: Resource "myStyle.css" not found.

I tried

stylesheets="myStyle.css"
stylesheets="file://myStyle.css"
stylesheets="./myStyle.css"
stylesheets="css/myStyle.css"

(where I put a copy of the css file in a subdirectory from where it was)

...and maybe 50 other permutations. Every time I get the same error.

The reason I care is that I am having a second problem. In the first version, that works on my machine... when I take my jar file to another machine, the css is not applied when the application is run... It's like the resource file isn't copied.

Help?

Thanks!

-Adeena

Solution 1

Let me consider your project structure as follows

MyApp
  |
  |_ src
      |
      |_controllers (Controllers)
      |_view (FXML)
      |_style (css)
          |_myStyle.css

You can specific the relative path in the FXML using

<stylesheets>
   <URL value="@../style/myStyle.css" />
</stylesheets>

In your controller, you can add it as follows

layout.getStylesheets().add(getClass().
         getResource("/style/myStyle.css")).toExternalForm();

Solution 2

This is how it works for me:

<?import java.net.*?>

<fx:root type="javafx.scene.layout.BorderPane" ... xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml">
  <stylesheets>
    <URL value="@myStyle.css" />
  </stylesheets>
</fx:root>

The css file is in the same package (folder) as the FXML. Also my root happens to be <fx:root>, I expect it to work the same for your <AnchorPane>.

Check out the docs, search for "Location Resolution" for details.

Comments

[adeena]

Thanks! This worked for the stylesheets. Any other advice about referencing files in general? I'm having a different, but similar issue with referencing files. My file is in the same location as the src java, but "filename.jpg" (it's not a jpg but something proprietary) doesn't work, but referencing the absolute path does.

[ItachiUchiha]

Can you show me a piece of code. For loading images in styles folder I would use something similar Image image = new Image(getClass().getResourceAsStream("/style/edit.png"));

[adeena]

Unfortunately, I can't send this piece of code. The concept of getClass().getResourceAsStream("style/edit.png") doesn't work because it's only expecting a String.

[ItachiUchiha]

@adeena The code I gave you is for loading images and not files. If its just files and not images that you are loading then you will first have to make a File and then read it. I am not sure what type of file it is, so I am actually in a fix how to help you out !

[adeena]

That's okay - thank you so much for trying! :) The original answer did answer my original question. :)

[ItachiUchiha]

@adeena may be you could just tell me the file type that you are trying to read ?

[adeena]

It's a ".g" file. It's a proprietary graphic. :)

[ItachiUchiha]

Never heard of the file type :P . But, IMHO, there must be some Java API to read such files !

[adeena]

let us continue this discussion in chat