How do I make a splash screen?

A splash screen is a graphical interface element that is displayed temporarily while a program is launching. It is often used to show the program's logo, name, and progress, or to display a loading animation while the program is initializing.

To create a splash screen in Java, you can use the SplashScreen class from the java.awt package.

Here's an example of how you could use the SplashScreen class to create and display a splash screen:

import java.awt.SplashScreen;

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
    // Display the splash screen
    SplashScreen splash = SplashScreen.getSplashScreen();
    if (splash == null) {
      System.out.println("SplashScreen.getSplashScreen() returned null");
      return;
    }

    // Wait for the splash screen to close
    splash.close();
  }
}

This code will display the default splash screen for the program, if one is configured. You can customize the appearance and behavior of the splash screen by using the various methods provided by the SplashScreen class, such as setImageURL to set the splash screen image, setProgress to show progress, and setCursor to change the mouse cursor.

To specify the splash screen image and other details, you will need to create a splash.png file and include it in your program's classpath. The splash.png file should be a PNG image with a transparent background, and should be sized appropriately for the splash screen. You can also use the splash.properties file to specify additional splash screen properties, such as the splash screen duration and the progress bar colors.

Keep in mind that the SplashScreen class is only supported on certain platforms and Java versions, so it may not work on all systems.