setBackground statement not working?

Question

import javax.swing.JApplet;
import java.awt.*;

public class Snowman extends JApplet {
//---------------------------------------------
// Draws a snowman.
//---------------------------------------------
public void paint (Graphics page)
{
    final int MID = 150;
    final int TOP = 50;

    setBackground (Color.cyan);

    page.setColor(Color.blue);
    page.fillRect(0, 175, 300, 50); // ground

    page.setColor (Color.yellow);
    page.fillOval (-40, -40, 80, 80); // sun

    page.setColor (Color.white);
    page.fillOval (MID-20, TOP, 40, 40); // head
    page.fillOval (MID-35, TOP+35, 70, 50); // upper torso
    page.fillOval (MID-50, TOP+80, 100, 60); // lower torso

    page.setColor (Color.black);
    page.fillOval(MID-10, TOP+10, 5, 5);
    page.fillOval(MID+5, TOP+10, 5, 5);

    page.drawArc(MID-10, TOP+20, 20, 10, 190, 160); // smile

    page.drawLine (MID-25, TOP+60, MID-50, TOP+40); // left arm
    page.drawLine (MID+25, TOP+60, MID+55, TOP+60); // right arm

    page.drawLine (MID-20, TOP+5, MID+20, TOP+5); // brim of hat
    page.fillRect(MID-15, TOP-20, 30, 25); // top of hat
}
}

This is all the code. The setBackground is stated after I declare the two final variables, thanks in advance, I got this code from a book, "Java Software Solutions", I looked over it over and over, and no luck :/ thanks in advance :)

Answer 1

//<applet code='Snowman' width=300 height=200></applet>
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;

public class Snowman extends JApplet {
//---------------------------------------------
// Draws a snowman.
//---------------------------------------------
    public void init() {
        add(new SnowmanPanel());
        validate();
    }
}

class SnowmanPanel extends JPanel {

    final int MID = 150;
    final int TOP = 50;

    SnowmanPanel() {
        setBackground (Color.cyan);
    }

    public void paintComponent(Graphics page)
    {
        super.paintComponent(page);

        page.setColor(Color.blue);
        page.fillRect(0, 175, 300, 50); // ground

        page.setColor (Color.yellow);
        page.fillOval (-40, -40, 80, 80); // sun

        page.setColor (Color.white);
        page.fillOval (MID-20, TOP, 40, 40); // head
        page.fillOval (MID-35, TOP+35, 70, 50); // upper torso
        page.fillOval (MID-50, TOP+80, 100, 60); // lower torso

        page.setColor (Color.black);
        page.fillOval(MID-10, TOP+10, 5, 5);
        page.fillOval(MID+5, TOP+10, 5, 5);

        page.drawArc(MID-10, TOP+20, 20, 10, 190, 160); // smile

        page.drawLine (MID-25, TOP+60, MID-50, TOP+40); // left arm
        page.drawLine (MID+25, TOP+60, MID+55, TOP+60); // right arm

        page.drawLine (MID-20, TOP+5, MID+20, TOP+5); // brim of hat
        page.fillRect(MID-15, TOP-20, 30, 25); // top of hat
    }
}

General advice.

• Don't paint in a top-level Swing component. Instead move the custom painting into a JPanel or JComponent and paint there. For custom painting in the latter, override paintComponent(Graphics)
• When doing custom painting, remember to call super.paintComponent(Graphics)
• Set the color in the constructor (or init()) rather than in the paint method.

Other advice

• For a static image, you can also draw it to a BufferedImage and put the image in an ImageIcon in a JLabel. Which is simpler.
• If this book has rushed into creating applets, toss it away. applets are much more difficult than standard apps., and should not be attempted by newbies.