Printing tables in Java AWT

31 Oct 2023

printing

Fortunately, Java’s AWT library provides a straightforward way to print tables using the java.awt.PrintJob class. In this blog post, we will explore how to print tables in Java AWT step by step.

Table Printing in Java AWT

Step 1: Set up the Print Service

The first step is to get an instance of PrintJob, which represents the printer and the print job. You can do this by calling the getToolkit().getPrintJob() method, passing the parent component, job name, and properties. Here’s an example of how to set up the print service:

PrintJob printJob = getToolkit().getPrintJob(parentComponent, "Table Print Job", null);

Step 2: Create a Printable

Next, you need to create a Printable interface implementation that defines how to render the table on paper. The Printable interface has a print() method that takes the Graphics and PageFormat objects as arguments. Here’s an example of a basic implementation:

Printable tablePrintable = new Printable() {
    @Override
    public int print(Graphics graphics, PageFormat pageFormat, int pageIndex) {
        if (pageIndex > 0) {
            return Printable.NO_SUCH_PAGE;
        }

        // Render the table using Graphics object

        return Printable.PAGE_EXISTS;
    }
};

Step 3: Set the Printable to PrintJob

After creating the printable, you need to set it as the printable for the print job using the setPrintable() method of the PrintJob object. Here’s an example:

printJob.setPrintable(tablePrintable);

Step 4: Call the Print Dialog

To allow users to select the desired printer and print settings, call the printDialog() method of the PrintJob object. This will display the print dialog. Here’s an example:

if (printJob.printDialog()) {
    // user clicked OK, proceed with printing
    printJob.print();
}

Step 5: Handling Printing Events

Optionally, you can add event handlers to listen for printing events, such as the start and end of printing. This can be achieved by implementing the PrintJobListener interface and adding it to the PrintJob object. Here’s an example:

printJob.addPrintJobListener(new PrintJobAdapter() {
    @Override
    public void printJobCompleted(PrintJobEvent pje) {
        // Print job completed
    }
});

Conclusion

Printing tables in Java AWT is made easy with the PrintJob class and the Printable interface. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can print tables in your Java AWT applications with ease. Remember to handle any exceptions that may occur during the printing process for a smooth user experience.

Now you are ready to incorporate table printing in your Java AWT applications with confidence. Happy coding!

References:

Java AWT Documentation

#java #printing