title: Adding custom Look & Feel using Netbeans
body: <p>I need a bit of help. I'm experimenting with Java L&amp;Fs, and I have absolutely no idea how to get Netbeans to actually change the look and feel. I'm using the Synthetica Blue Ice L&amp;F, and in the coding where NetBeans has the Nimbus LF coding, I've commented out the Nimbus set and this is what I inserted (extract from original coding): </p>
  
  <pre><code>import de.javasoft.plaf.synthetica.SyntheticaBlueIceLookAndFeel;
  import javax.swing.*;
  import java.awt.*;
  
  public MainMenu() {
            initComponents();
            try {
                 UIManager.addAuxiliaryLookAndFeel(new SyntheticaBlueIceLookAndFeel());
                 UIManager.setLookAndFeel(new SyntheticaBlueIceLookAndFeel());
            } catch (Exception e) {
                 e.printStackTrace();
            }
       }
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Where NetBeans inserts its own Look and Feel coding, I've commented it out and it looks like this: </p>
  
  <pre><code>public static void main(String args[]) {
            /* Set the Nimbus look and feel */
            //&lt;editor-fold defaultstate="collapsed" desc=" Look and feel setting code (optional) "&gt;
            /* If Nimbus (introduced in Java SE 6) is not available, stay with the default look and feel.
             * For details see http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/lookandfeel/plaf.html 
             */
  
            try {
                 UIManager.addAuxiliaryLookAndFeel(new SyntheticaBlueIceLookAndFeel());
                 UIManager.setLookAndFeel(new SyntheticaBlueIceLookAndFeel());
            } catch (Exception e) {
                 e.printStackTrace();
            }
  
  //          try {
  //               for (javax.swing.UIManager.LookAndFeelInfo info : javax.swing.UIManager.getInstalledLookAndFeels()) {
  //                    JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, info.getClassName());
  //                    if ("Nimbus".equals(info.getName())) {
  //                         javax.swing.UIManager.setLookAndFeel(info.getClassName());
  //                         break;
  //                    }
  //               }
  //          } catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
  //               java.util.logging.Logger.getLogger(MainMenu.class.getName()).log(java.util.logging.Level.SEVERE, null, ex);
  //          } catch (InstantiationException ex) {
  //               java.util.logging.Logger.getLogger(MainMenu.class.getName()).log(java.util.logging.Level.SEVERE, null, ex);
  //          } catch (IllegalAccessException ex) {
  //               java.util.logging.Logger.getLogger(MainMenu.class.getName()).log(java.util.logging.Level.SEVERE, null, ex);
  //          } catch (javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
  //               java.util.logging.Logger.getLogger(MainMenu.class.getName()).log(java.util.logging.Level.SEVERE, null, ex);
  //          }
  //          }
  //          catch (Exception e){
  //               java.util.logging.Logger.getLogger(MainMenu.class.getName()).log(java.util.logging.Level.SEVERE, null, e);
  //          }
  
            //&lt;/editor-fold&gt;
  
            /* Create and display the form */
            java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
                 public void run() {
                      new MainMenu().setVisible(true);
                 }
            });
       }
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Yet, when I run the application, it still looks the same as the default LF. I've run a script to check and see what LFs I have installed, and this is what I got:</p>
  
  <pre><code>javax.swing.plaf.metal.MetalLookAndFeel
  javax.swing.plaf.nimbus.NimbusLookAndFeel
  com.sun.java.swing.plaf.motif.MotifLookAndFeel
  com.sun.java.swing.plaf.windows.WindowsLookAndFeel
  com.sun.java.swing.plaf.windows.WindowsClassicLookAndFeel
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I've noticed that there's a Look and Feel tab in the design palette. Why isn't Synthetica showing there?</p>