FileDocCategorySizeDatePackage
Shape.javaAPI DocJava SE 6 API15484Tue Jun 10 00:25:18 BST 2008java.awt

Shape

public interface Shape
The Shape interface provides definitions for objects that represent some form of geometric shape. The Shape is described by a {@link PathIterator} object, which can express the outline of the Shape as well as a rule for determining how the outline divides the 2D plane into interior and exterior points. Each Shape object provides callbacks to get the bounding box of the geometry, determine whether points or rectangles lie partly or entirely within the interior of the Shape, and retrieve a PathIterator object that describes the trajectory path of the Shape outline.

Definition of insideness: A point is considered to lie inside a Shape if and only if:

  • it lies completely inside theShape boundary or
  • it lies exactly on the Shape boundary and the space immediately adjacent to the point in the increasing X direction is entirely inside the boundary or
  • it lies exactly on a horizontal boundary segment and the space immediately adjacent to the point in the increasing Y direction is inside the boundary.

The contains and intersects methods consider the interior of a Shape to be the area it encloses as if it were filled. This means that these methods consider unclosed shapes to be implicitly closed for the purpose of determining if a shape contains or intersects a rectangle or if a shape contains a point.

see
java.awt.geom.PathIterator
see
java.awt.geom.AffineTransform
see
java.awt.geom.FlatteningPathIterator
see
java.awt.geom.GeneralPath
version
1.19 06/24/98
author
Jim Graham
since
1.2

Fields Summary
Constructors Summary
Methods Summary
public booleancontains(double x, double y)
Tests if the specified coordinates are inside the boundary of the Shape.

param
x the specified X coordinate to be tested
param
y the specified Y coordinate to be tested
return
true if the specified coordinates are inside the Shape boundary; false otherwise.
since
1.2

public booleancontains(java.awt.geom.Point2D p)
Tests if a specified {@link Point2D} is inside the boundary of the Shape.

param
p the specified Point2D to be tested
return
true if the specified Point2D is inside the boundary of the Shape; false otherwise.
since
1.2

public booleancontains(double x, double y, double w, double h)
Tests if the interior of the Shape entirely contains the specified rectangular area. All coordinates that lie inside the rectangular area must lie within the Shape for the entire rectanglar area to be considered contained within the Shape.

The {@code Shape.contains()} method allows a {@code Shape} implementation to conservatively return {@code false} when:

  • the intersect method returns true and
  • the calculations to determine whether or not the Shape entirely contains the rectangular area are prohibitively expensive.
This means that for some {@code Shapes} this method might return {@code false} even though the {@code Shape} contains the rectangular area. The {@link java.awt.geom.Area Area} class performs more accurate geometric computations than most {@code Shape} objects and therefore can be used if a more precise answer is required.

param
x the X coordinate of the upper-left corner of the specified rectangular area
param
y the Y coordinate of the upper-left corner of the specified rectangular area
param
w the width of the specified rectangular area
param
h the height of the specified rectangular area
return
true if the interior of the Shape entirely contains the specified rectangular area; false otherwise or, if the Shape contains the rectangular area and the intersects method returns true and the containment calculations would be too expensive to perform.
see
java.awt.geom.Area
see
#intersects
since
1.2

public booleancontains(java.awt.geom.Rectangle2D r)
Tests if the interior of the Shape entirely contains the specified Rectangle2D. The {@code Shape.contains()} method allows a {@code Shape} implementation to conservatively return {@code false} when:
  • the intersect method returns true and
  • the calculations to determine whether or not the Shape entirely contains the Rectangle2D are prohibitively expensive.
This means that for some {@code Shapes} this method might return {@code false} even though the {@code Shape} contains the {@code Rectangle2D}. The {@link java.awt.geom.Area Area} class performs more accurate geometric computations than most {@code Shape} objects and therefore can be used if a more precise answer is required.

param
r The specified Rectangle2D
return
true if the interior of the Shape entirely contains the Rectangle2D; false otherwise or, if the Shape contains the Rectangle2D and the intersects method returns true and the containment calculations would be too expensive to perform.
see
#contains(double, double, double, double)
since
1.2

public java.awt.RectanglegetBounds()
Returns an integer {@link Rectangle} that completely encloses the Shape. Note that there is no guarantee that the returned Rectangle is the smallest bounding box that encloses the Shape, only that the Shape lies entirely within the indicated Rectangle. The returned Rectangle might also fail to completely enclose the Shape if the Shape overflows the limited range of the integer data type. The getBounds2D method generally returns a tighter bounding box due to its greater flexibility in representation.

return
an integer Rectangle that completely encloses the Shape.
see
#getBounds2D
since
1.2

public java.awt.geom.Rectangle2DgetBounds2D()
Returns a high precision and more accurate bounding box of the Shape than the getBounds method. Note that there is no guarantee that the returned {@link Rectangle2D} is the smallest bounding box that encloses the Shape, only that the Shape lies entirely within the indicated Rectangle2D. The bounding box returned by this method is usually tighter than that returned by the getBounds method and never fails due to overflow problems since the return value can be an instance of the Rectangle2D that uses double precision values to store the dimensions.

return
an instance of Rectangle2D that is a high-precision bounding box of the Shape.
see
#getBounds
since
1.2

public java.awt.geom.PathIteratorgetPathIterator(java.awt.geom.AffineTransform at, double flatness)
Returns an iterator object that iterates along the Shape boundary and provides access to a flattened view of the Shape outline geometry.

Only SEG_MOVETO, SEG_LINETO, and SEG_CLOSE point types are returned by the iterator.

If an optional AffineTransform is specified, the coordinates returned in the iteration are transformed accordingly.

The amount of subdivision of the curved segments is controlled by the flatness parameter, which specifies the maximum distance that any point on the unflattened transformed curve can deviate from the returned flattened path segments. Note that a limit on the accuracy of the flattened path might be silently imposed, causing very small flattening parameters to be treated as larger values. This limit, if there is one, is defined by the particular implementation that is used.

Each call to this method returns a fresh PathIterator object that traverses the Shape object geometry independently from any other PathIterator objects in use at the same time.

It is recommended, but not guaranteed, that objects implementing the Shape interface isolate iterations that are in process from any changes that might occur to the original object's geometry during such iterations.

param
at an optional AffineTransform to be applied to the coordinates as they are returned in the iteration, or null if untransformed coordinates are desired
param
flatness the maximum distance that the line segments used to approximate the curved segments are allowed to deviate from any point on the original curve
return
a new PathIterator that independently traverses a flattened view of the geometry of the Shape.
since
1.2

public java.awt.geom.PathIteratorgetPathIterator(java.awt.geom.AffineTransform at)
Returns an iterator object that iterates along the Shape boundary and provides access to the geometry of the Shape outline. If an optional {@link AffineTransform} is specified, the coordinates returned in the iteration are transformed accordingly.

Each call to this method returns a fresh PathIterator object that traverses the geometry of the Shape object independently from any other PathIterator objects in use at the same time.

It is recommended, but not guaranteed, that objects implementing the Shape interface isolate iterations that are in process from any changes that might occur to the original object's geometry during such iterations.

param
at an optional AffineTransform to be applied to the coordinates as they are returned in the iteration, or null if untransformed coordinates are desired
return
a new PathIterator object, which independently traverses the geometry of the Shape.
since
1.2

public booleanintersects(double x, double y, double w, double h)
Tests if the interior of the Shape intersects the interior of a specified rectangular area. The rectangular area is considered to intersect the Shape if any point is contained in both the interior of the Shape and the specified rectangular area.

The {@code Shape.intersects()} method allows a {@code Shape} implementation to conservatively return {@code true} when:

  • there is a high probability that the rectangular area and the Shape intersect, but
  • the calculations to accurately determine this intersection are prohibitively expensive.
This means that for some {@code Shapes} this method might return {@code true} even though the rectangular area does not intersect the {@code Shape}. The {@link java.awt.geom.Area Area} class performs more accurate computations of geometric intersection than most {@code Shape} objects and therefore can be used if a more precise answer is required.

param
x the X coordinate of the upper-left corner of the specified rectangular area
param
y the Y coordinate of the upper-left corner of the specified rectangular area
param
w the width of the specified rectangular area
param
h the height of the specified rectangular area
return
true if the interior of the Shape and the interior of the rectangular area intersect, or are both highly likely to intersect and intersection calculations would be too expensive to perform; false otherwise.
see
java.awt.geom.Area
since
1.2

public booleanintersects(java.awt.geom.Rectangle2D r)
Tests if the interior of the Shape intersects the interior of a specified Rectangle2D. The {@code Shape.intersects()} method allows a {@code Shape} implementation to conservatively return {@code true} when:
  • there is a high probability that the Rectangle2D and the Shape intersect, but
  • the calculations to accurately determine this intersection are prohibitively expensive.
This means that for some {@code Shapes} this method might return {@code true} even though the {@code Rectangle2D} does not intersect the {@code Shape}. The {@link java.awt.geom.Area Area} class performs more accurate computations of geometric intersection than most {@code Shape} objects and therefore can be used if a more precise answer is required.

param
r the specified Rectangle2D
return
true if the interior of the Shape and the interior of the specified Rectangle2D intersect, or are both highly likely to intersect and intersection calculations would be too expensive to perform; false otherwise.
see
#intersects(double, double, double, double)
since
1.2