src/java.desktop/share/classes/java/awt/Paint.java

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package java.awt;

import java.awt.image.ColorModel;
import java.awt.geom.AffineTransform;
import java.awt.geom.Rectangle2D;

/**
 * This {@code Paint} interface defines how color patterns
 * can be generated for {@link Graphics2D} operations.  A class
 * implementing the {@code Paint} interface is added to the
 * {@code Graphics2D} context in order to define the color
 * pattern used by the {@code draw} and {@code fill} methods.
 * <p>
 * Instances of classes implementing {@code Paint} must be
 * read-only because the {@code Graphics2D} does not clone
 * these objects when they are set as an attribute with the
 * {@code setPaint} method or when the {@code Graphics2D}
 * object is itself cloned.
 * @see PaintContext
 * @see Color
 * @see GradientPaint
 * @see TexturePaint
 * @see Graphics2D#setPaint
 * @version 1.36, 06/05/07
 */

public interface Paint extends Transparency {
    /**
     * Creates and returns a {@link PaintContext} used to
     * generate the color pattern.
     * The arguments to this method convey additional information
     * about the rendering operation that may be
     * used or ignored on various implementations of the {@code Paint} interface.
     * A caller must pass non-{@code null} values for all of the arguments
     * except for the {@code ColorModel} argument which may be {@code null} to
     * indicate that no specific {@code ColorModel} type is preferred.
     * Implementations of the {@code Paint} interface are allowed to use or ignore
     * any of the arguments as makes sense for their function, and are
     * not constrained to use the specified {@code ColorModel} for the returned
     * {@code PaintContext}, even if it is not {@code null}.
     * Implementations are allowed to throw {@code NullPointerException} for
     * any {@code null} argument other than the {@code ColorModel} argument,
     * but are not required to do so.
     *
     * @param cm the preferred {@link ColorModel} which represents the most convenient
     *           format for the caller to receive the pixel data, or {@code null}
     *           if there is no preference.
     * @param deviceBounds the device space bounding box
     *                     of the graphics primitive being rendered.
     *                     Implementations of the {@code Paint} interface
     *                     are allowed to throw {@code NullPointerException}
     *                     for a {@code null deviceBounds}.
     * @param userBounds the user space bounding box
     *                   of the graphics primitive being rendered.
     *                     Implementations of the {@code Paint} interface
     *                     are allowed to throw {@code NullPointerException}
     *                     for a {@code null userBounds}.
     * @param xform the {@link AffineTransform} from user
     *              space into device space.
     *                     Implementations of the {@code Paint} interface
     *                     are allowed to throw {@code NullPointerException}
     *                     for a {@code null xform}.
     * @param hints the set of hints that the context object can use to
     *              choose between rendering alternatives.
     *                     Implementations of the {@code Paint} interface
     *                     are allowed to throw {@code NullPointerException}
     *                     for a {@code null hints}.
     * @return the {@code PaintContext} for
     *         generating color patterns.
     * @see PaintContext
     * @see ColorModel
     * @see Rectangle
     * @see Rectangle2D
     * @see AffineTransform
     * @see RenderingHints
     */
    public PaintContext createContext(ColorModel cm,
                                      Rectangle deviceBounds,
                                      Rectangle2D userBounds,
                                      AffineTransform xform,
                                      RenderingHints hints);

}