Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Alloy Look and Feel?

The Alloy Look and Feel is a software component that can be used by professional Java™ developers to enhance the appearance and atmosphere of their Java™ Swing applications.

Who was the Alloy Look and Feel developed for?

The Alloy Look and Feel was developed for professional Java™ developers who want to add value to their Swing applications by enhancing the application's appearance and atmosphere.

What are the requirements for running the Alloy Look and Feel?

The Alloy Look and Feel has been tested with the following JDKs:

• Sun's JDK 1.3, 1.3.1, 1.4, 1.4.1, and 1.4.2
• IBM's JDK 1.3.1
• Apple's JDK 1.3.1

It has been tested on Solaris, Windows XP/NT/2000/98, Linux, and Mac OSX.

How difficult is it to use the Alloy Look and Feel with my Swing application?

Using the Alloy Look and Feel with a Swing application is extremely simple.

First you have to make sure that the file alloy.jar is located in the class path of your application. If this is not the case, the application will not be able to find the file.

Then add the following lines to your code:

com.incors.plaf.alloy.AlloyLookAndFeel.setProperty("alloy.licenseCode", "yourLicenseCode");
try {
  javax.swing.LookAndFeel alloyLnF = new com.incors.plaf.alloy.AlloyLookAndFeel();
  javax.swing.UIManager.setLookAndFeel(alloyLnF);
} catch (javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
  // You may handle the exception here
}

It is possible to set the Alloy Look and Feel as the default look and feel for all Swing applications?

Yes, this is possible. The documentation that comes with the Alloy Look and Feel explains how to do it.

Will there be scrollable tabs in future?

We are planning to implement this feature in one of the next releases, maybe in version 1.5.

Since the Alloy Look and Feel is commercial, will the licence for the Kunststoff Look&Feel also be changed to a commercial license?

No. The Kunststoff Look&Feel will always be free for commercial and non-commercial use.

When I start my application a dialog window pops up saying "No license file found". What is the reason?

If this happens, the license code was not set properly (and the Alloy Look and Feel could not find the file alloylnf.lic (for older versions)). Make sure that to set the license code (or to locate the file alloy.lic in the application's class path (for older versions)) to solve the problem.

When I start my application a dialog window pops up saying "License not valid". What is the reason?

This can have two reasons:
A. You are using a demo license that is not valid anymore. In this case you will have to purchase a license in order to continue using the Alloy Look and Feel with your application.
B. You are using an invalid license code.

Is it possible to create custom themes for the Alloy Look and Feel?

Yes. Since version 1.2 you can create themes using custom colors. Please refer to the documentation for details.

I have problems using the Alloy Look and Feel with my Java™ WebStart application. Running the application without Java™ WebStart works fine. What can I do?

Please refer to the section about Java™ WebStart for details about using the Alloy Look and Feel with Java™ WebStart applications.

How can I switch on the outer frame decorations with my application?

The chapter about frame decorations in the documentation explains how you can use look and feel frame decorations. But please note that this feature only works with JRE/JDK versions 1.4 and higher.