How to Prevent Overlapping Bouncing Balls in a Java Application?

Java Bouncing Ball

This issue concerns a Java application designed to render multiple balls on an interface that bounce off the borders. The user has successfully implemented the drawing of a single ball but runs into problems when attempting to add a second ball, as it overwrites the first ball.

To address this, a list of balls can be created and cycled through to draw each ball, but the user encounters difficulty in adding both balls to the content pane.

Analysis and Solution

The primary problem is the placement of two opaque components on top of one another, potentially causing one to obscure the other. To resolve this:

1. A null layout manager should be employed to prevent the layout manager from dictating the layout of the balls.
2. The size and location of the ball pane should be controlled, effectively taking over the role of the layout manager.
3. The speed and location of the balls should be randomized to reduce the likelihood of identical starting points and movement.
4. Only the ball should be updated within the context of the EDT (Event Dispatch Thread).
5. The use of X/Y values is redundant and can be eliminated by leveraging the panels themselves.

Code Example

An improved code example incorporating these modifications:

public class Balls {

    public Balls() {
        EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
            @Override
            public void run() {
                try {
                    UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
                } catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
                } catch (InstantiationException ex) {
                } catch (IllegalAccessException ex) {
                } catch (UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
                }

                JFrame frame = new JFrame();
                frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
                frame.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
                frame.add(new TheBalls());
                frame.setSize(400, 400);
                frame.setVisible(true);
            }
        });
    }

    public class TheBalls extends JPanel {

        public TheBalls() {
            setLayout(null);
            // Randomize the speed and direction...
            add(new Ball("red", 10 - (int) Math.round((Math.random() * 20)), 10 - (int) Math.round((Math.random() * 20))));
            add(new Ball("blue", 10 - (int) Math.round((Math.random() * 20)), 10 - (int) Math.round((Math.random() * 20))));
        }
    }

    public class Ball extends JPanel implements Runnable {

        Color color;
        int diameter;
        long delay;
        private int vx;
        private int vy;

        public Ball(String ballcolor, int xvelocity, int yvelocity) {
            if (ballcolor == "red") {
                color = Color.red;
            } else if (ballcolor == "blue") {
                color = Color.blue;
            } else if (ballcolor == "black") {
                color = Color.black;
            } else if (ballcolor == "cyan") {
                color = Color.cyan;
            } else if (ballcolor == "darkGray") {
                color = Color.darkGray;
            } else if (ballcolor == "gray") {
                color = Color.gray;
            } else if (ballcolor == "green") {
                color = Color.green;
            } else if (ballcolor == "yellow") {
                color = Color.yellow;
            } else if (ballcolor == "lightGray") {
                color = Color.lightGray;
            } else if (ballcolor == "magenta") {
                color = Color.magenta;
            } else if (ballcolor == "orange") {
                color = Color.orange;
            } else if (ballcolor == "pink") {
                color = Color.pink;
            } else if (ballcolor == "white") {
                color = Color.white;
            }
            diameter = 30;
            delay = 100;

            vx = xvelocity;
            vy = yvelocity;

            new Thread(this).start();

        }

        protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
            super.paintComponent(g);
            Graphics2D g2 = (Graphics2D) g;

            int x = getX();
            int y = getY();

            g2.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING, RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON);
            g.setColor(color);
            g.fillOval(0, 0, 30, 30); //adds color to circle
            g.setColor(Color.black);
            g2.drawOval(0, 0, 30, 30); //draws circle
        }

        @Override
        public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
            return new Dimension(30, 30);
        }

        public void run() {

            try {
                // Randamize the location...
                SwingUtilities.invokeAndWait(new Runnable() {
                    @Override
                    public void run() {
                        int x = (int) (Math.round(Math.random() * getParent().getWidth()));
                        int y = (int) (Math.round(Math.random() * getParent().getHeight()));

                        setLocation(x, y);
                    }
                });
            } catch (InterruptedException exp) {
                exp.printStackTrace();
            } catch (InvocationTargetException exp) {
                exp.printStackTrace();
            }

            while (isVisible()) {
                try {
                    Thread.sleep(delay);
                } catch (InterruptedException e) {
                    System.out.println("interrupted");
                }

                try {
                    SwingUtilities.invokeAndWait(new Runnable() {
                        @Override
                        public void run() {
                            move();
                            repaint();
                        }
                    });
                } catch (InterruptedException exp) {
                    exp.printStackTrace();
                } catch (InvocationTargetException exp) {
                    exp.printStackTrace();
                }
            }
        }

        public void move() {

            int x = getX();
            int y = getY();

            if (x + vx < 0 || x + diameter + vx > getParent().getWidth()) {
                vx *= -1;
            }
            if (y + vy < 0 || y + diameter + vy > getParent().getHeight()) {
                vy *= -1;
            }
            x += vx;
            y += vy;

            // Update the size and location...
            setSize(getPreferredSize());
            setLocation(x, y);

        }
    }
}

Alternative Approach

Alternatively, a container could be created to house the balls, where the balls themselves are not components but exist as virtual concepts with sufficient information to enable bouncing off surfaces.

Scalability Concerns

It's important to note that the provided code snippet utilizes a separate thread for each ball, which can impact system resources when the number of balls increases. To address this scalability issue, a single BounceEngine thread can be used to handle all ball movements.

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