Java: Swing: Text components and Document: AttributeSet properties

AttributeSet properties

Most attributes defined in StyleConstants also have utility methods for setting and accessing, but not for removing. Removing must be done directly. These methods also introduce a global default value, which is questionable.

Field Name	Definition class (or inner class of StyleConstants)	Value type	Description / Comments	Direct use	Default value (if StyleConstants method)	StyleConstants use	View support (implies StyleConstants use unless from document)
ResolveAttribute	StyleConstants (also AttributeSet)	AttributeSet	resolver, for internal use only As a client, you shouldn't care where the value comes from.	internal (StyleContext, implementations) MinimalHTMLWriter: class attribute for <p>
NameAttribute	StyleConstants (also AttributeSet)	Object (maybe String would make more sense, but HTML packages uses HTML.Tag)	name maybe intended to have the same value as Style.getName()	StyleContext: uses it to store the name of the Style (a String) HTML package: a lot
ElementNameAttribute	AbstractDocument	String	if this attribute is set on an AbstractElement, it returns the value as its name. Custom elements (or documents) must support it for embedded Components/Icons (at least in theAttributeSet given to insertString()).	transient AbstractDocument: see comments DefaultStyledDocument (set): used to change the name of an element StyleConstants (add): setComponent, setIcon
RUN_DIRECTION	TextAttribute	Boolean	run direction left to right or not?	AbstractDocument: inspected on paragraph elements for bidi structure DefaultStyledDocument: setParagraphAttributes: if present (and i18n on Document), update bidi structure (this is deactivated in HTMLDocument)
BidiLevel	CharacterConstants	Integer	Unicode bidirectional level	AbstractDocument.BidiElement: set	0	AbstractDocument: TextLayoutStrategy:
ComposedTextAttribute	StyleConstants	AttributedString	composed text (input method)	transient AbstractDocument: JTextComponent: Utilities:
Background	ColorConstants	Color	Background color	LG (see below)	black (why?)	SC	LG by document JTextComponent: ComposedTextCaret by document
Foreground	ColorConstants	Color	Foreground color	from component	black	from component SC action BasicHTML (set): set special color so that it is taken from component	LG by document html/ImageView by document
Family	FontConstants	String	Font name	from component	Monospaced	from component SC action	LG by document html/CommentView/HiddenTagView by document
Size	FontConstants	Integer (should be Number)	Font size	from component	12	from component SC action html/CSS	LG by document
Bold	FontConstants	Boolean?		from component	false	from component SC action Utilities: paintComposedText html tags	LG by document
Italic	FontConstants	Boolean?		from component	false	from component SC action Utilities: paintComposedText html tags	LG by document
Underline	CharacterConstants	Boolean			false	action html tags	LG
StrikeThrough	CharacterConstants	Boolean			false	LG
Subscript	CharacterConstants	Boolean			false	SC	LG
Superscript	CharacterConstants	Boolean			false	SC	LG
LeftIndent	ParagraphConstants	Float (points)	left margin		0		CompositeView (latent)
RightIndent	ParagraphConstants	Float (points)	left margin		0		CompositeView (latent)
SpaceAbove	ParagraphConstants	Float (points)	left margin		0		CompositeView (latent)
SpaceBelow	ParagraphConstants	Float (points)	left margin		0		CompositeView (latent)
FirstLineIndent	ParagraphConstants	Float (points)	indention of first line may be <0		0		ParagraphView
LineSpacing	ParagraphConstants	Float (points)	additional line spacing		0		ParagraphView
Alignment	ParagraphConstants	Integer (enum)	paragraph alignment		ALIGN_LEFT	action	ParagraphView html/HRuleView html/LineView
TabSet	ParagraphConstants	TabSet	tabulator settings		null		ParagraphView
Orientation	ParagraphConstants	undocumented		unused
ComponentAttribute	CharacterConstants	Component	embedded component	transient special view	null	JTextPane (set): insertComponent	ComponentView
IconAttribute	CharacterConstants	Icon	embedded icon	transient special view	null	JTextPane (set): insertIcon	IconView
ModelAttribute	StyleConstants	Object	Model for embedded views	only HTML package

Abbreviations and further comments

LG = LabelView / GlyphView

and background: test for isDefined() and only then call getBackground(). Probably to avoid repainting inherited backgrounds, but does it work?

SC = StyleContext

StyleContext methods getForeground(), getBackground(), getFont() convert the attributes into the corresponding Object. Sub/superscript decrease the font size by 2. In JDK1.2, getBackground() accidently used Foreground as key and thus returned the foreground color.

They can be used to support the corresponding methods in StyledDocument, and that's what DefaultStyledDocument does.

transient

StyledEditorKit removes it from input attributes (which are given to Document.insertString() when text is typed).

CompositeView (latent)

There are setInsets() / setParagraphInsets() in CompositeView and the set values are used for calculation, but they are only called from ParagraphView (and some HTML classes). (The same attributes cannot be easily used for the insets of a paragraph and of parent elements because they are also inherited).

from component

BasicTextPaneUI sets (by StyleConstants) or removes the attribute on the StyledDocument's StyleContext.DEFAULT_STYLE (if it exists) if the text components corresponding property changes.

action

StyledEditorKit has an Action inner class to change/toggle this attribute

special view

StyledEditorKit (and HTMLEditorKit in fallback mode) create special views (based on ElementNameAttribute) that can something useful with this attribute.

html tags

MinimalHTMLWriter creates <u>, <i>, or <b> open/close tags around the element with the attribute

HTML package not inspected yet.

html package doesn't use StyleConstants.set/get/is except where noted.

javax.swing.text.TableView makes references to HTML.Attributes, although it is not in the HTML package.