How do I render nice desktop notifications from Java? [closed]

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I am writing this very basic J2SE application which alerts the user with some info every now and then. Currently I am using the SystemTray and TrayIcon classes to show notifications, but I am not really pleased with that. It does not allow me to tweak the notifications, nor gives them a good look.

So, does anyone know an easy to use library to generate nice notifications?

btw, I will be porting to Linux (Ubuntu) to, but will开发者_如何学运维 be using notify-OSD there, which is exactly what I need.

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Shameless plug: I've just released a project called Twinkle that is pretty much Growl for Java Swing.

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I' not aware of a Java library abstracting all OS specific desktop notifications. But if you know, you are limited to Ubuntu (and perhaps a limited number of other OS), you can create a own Interface and implement it for the specific OS.

• Ubuntu: You can access /usr/bin/notify-send via Runtime like this: usr/bin/notify-send -t 30000 "Text1" "Text2" -i /path/to/48x48.png
• Mac OSX: Java Growl API

For JAVA implementations you may look at Jazz or Mylyn (see Java Desktop Notifications).

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You can use JCommunique for cross-platform Java desktop notifications. Here is a short demo adapted from the examples on the wiki:

// makes a factory with the built-in clean theme
// themes are customizeable
NotificationFactory factory = new NotificationFactory(ThemePackagePresets.cleanLight());
// factories build notifications using a theme, while managers handle how
// how they appear on the screen
// this manager just simple pops up the notification in the specified location
// other managers do sliding, queues, etc.
NotificationManager plain = new SimpleManager(Location.NORTHEAST);

// creates a text notification; you can also have progress bar Notifications,
// icon Notifications, Notifications that ask for user feedback, etc.
TextNotification notification = factory.buildTextNotification("This is a title",
                                                              "This is a subtitle");
notification.setCloseOnClick(true);
// the notification will disappear after 2 seconds, or after you click it 
plain.addNotification(notification, Time.seconds(2));

Brief confession: I also am the creator of this project. It's open source so I don't get any revenue from it.

Some other libraries to have a look at:

Twinkle

• This is already mentioned in another answer so I won't say too much about it. I tried the Java Webstart demo and it looked pretty nice. It allows for some more complicated background color options such as gradients that JCommunique doesn't have.
• About 3,500 lines.
• Has a bunch of fancy styling options such as round vs. rectangle close buttons, gradient vs. solid color, and light vs. dark notifications. However, has just one sequential manager.
• The wiki has links to javadocs and a getting started document.
• No external dependencies (I think?).

JCarrierPigeon

• Very lightweight. Looking at the jar, it has just six classes.
• Depends on the "Timing Framework" library.
• The website shows that it can do some sliding in effects, but I don't think it does fading or other types of animations.

JTelegraph

• Requires JCarrierPigeon and "Timing Framework" in the classpath to build
• Has dozens of nice-looking icons included with the project. I'm not sure how these are licensed, but they could be useful if you don't have your own.
• As far as I can tell, it doesn't include many more features than those provided in JCarrierPigeon. It mainly includes a bunch of built in icons and a different API.

I can't post links to these since I don't have enough reputation, but they are easy to find on the internet. Now I will try to objectively evaluate my own library in comparison with the above. Please keep in mind that this list is a bit more extensive since I know more about my project than the others. Let me know if there is anything that I'm missing.

JCommunique

• Many features. As far as Notifications go, there are TextNotifications, IconNotifications, AcceptNotifications, and ProgressNotifications (show a progress bar). NotificationManagers handle how Notifications show. These include SimpleManager, QueueManager (scrolls down old Notifications to reveal new ones), SlideManager (slides Notifications into position), and SequenceManager (only shows a Notification when the previous one has disappeared).
• Relatively large. I think it clocks in at about 2,500 lines in total.
• Has a wiki with a number of examples.
• Notifications look a bit plain because they can only be one solid color. Twinkle wins in this respect; it has gradients and outlines around its notifications.
• A handful of built-in themes. At time of writing these include dark, light, and aqua. You can also add your own.
• No external dependencies other than Java.