Graphic Descriptions
By Al Williams
Nothing sells computer programs like graphics. Some would argue that the whole World Wide Web explosion is an outgrowth of people not wanting to use text-based Internet tools. While this may or may not be true, most users want Web pages to use the graphical capabilities that their browsers provide.
Java, of course, is a good choice for bringing dynamic graphics into a Web page. Sure, you can incorporate static pictures without Java, and you can even use animated GIF files to create animations, but only a program can create images that change with user input, or external data.
However, many of us don't use Java graphics that often. Most Web business applications rely more on things like text fields and buttons -- the traditional form-based interface. This month I wanted to experiment with several graphical techniques, so I wrote a simple applet to serve as a test bed. Along the way I created a couple of interesting reusable base classes that you might use in a variety of practical programs. I also flirted with a few interesting techniques including custom objects and thread-based animation. These techniques and classes have wide applicability in many situations including presentation graphics, computer-based training, and other graphic-intensive programming.
The Test Applet
Figure 1 shows the animated display applet.
