The Java Developers Almanac 1.4

Home > List of Packages > java.awt [78 examples] > The Screen [8 examples]

e605. Setting the Screen Size, Refresh Rate, or Number of Colors

Typically, the properties of the screen can only be changed while in full-screen mode (see e601 Enabling Full-Screen Mode. See also e603 Getting the Available Screen Sizes, Refresh Rates, and Number of Colors.

    // Determine if the display mode can be changed
    GraphicsEnvironment ge = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment();
    GraphicsDevice gs = ge.getDefaultScreenDevice();
    
    // Determine if the display mode can be changed
    boolean canChg = gs.isDisplayChangeSupported();
    if (canChg) {
        // Change the screen size and number of colors
        DisplayMode displayMode = gs.getDisplayMode();
        int screenWidth = 640;
        int screenHeight = 480;
        int bitDepth = 8;
        displayMode = new DisplayMode(
            screenWidth, screenHeight, bitDepth, displayMode.getRefreshRate());
        try {
            gs.setDisplayMode(displayMode);
        } catch (Throwable e) {
            // Desired display mode is not supported; leave full-screen mode
            gs.setFullScreenWindow(null);
        }
    } else if (gs.getFullScreenWindow() != null) {
        // Try enabling full-screen mode;
        // see e601 Enabling Full-Screen Mode
    } else {
        // Display mode cannot be changed
    }