Desktop Java

How to get rid of focus highlighting in JavaFX

Today I was asked if I know a way to get rid of the focus-highlighting of JavaFX controls (respectively buttons):

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
button_hover

Most posts and tips regarding this issue suggest to add:

.button:focused {
    -fx-focus-color: transparent; 
}

But with this style, a glow like this is still left:

button_glow

To get rid of this glow also often suggested to play around with -fx-background-insets additionally:

.button:focused {
    -fx-focus-color: transparent; 
    -fx-background-insets: -1.4, 0, 1, 2;
}

But this results in a button rendered with out an outer border:

button_insets

Compared to the default button style:

button

this is still a kind of “highlighting”.

Why is that? (And why are there actually 4 inset values ?)

Having a look at the JavaFX default style as defined by modena.css bares some more information:

/* A bright blue for the focus indicator of objects. Typically used as the
* first color in -fx-background-color for the "focused" pseudo-class. Also
* typically used with insets of -1.4 to provide a glowing effect.
*/
-fx-focus-color: #f25f29;
-fx-faint-focus-color: #f25f2933;

Obviously there is not only one focus color -fx-focus-color but also -fx-faint-focus-color which is meant to create this glow-effect (that remains when setting -fx-focus-color:transparent;).

A closer look at the .button:focused pseudo class (in modena.css):

.button:focused {
    -fx-background-color: -fx-faint-focus-color, -fx-focus-color, -fx-inner-border, -fx-body-color; 
    -fx-background-insets: -2, -0.3, 1, 2;
    -fx-background-radius: 7, 6, 4, 3;
}

Playing around with some extreme colouring reveals the arrangement:

.button:focused {
    -fx-focus-color: red;
    -fx-faint-focus-color: green;
    -fx-inner-border: blue;
    -fx-body-color: orange;

    -fx-background-color: -fx-faint-focus-color, -fx-focus-color, -fx-inner-border, -fx-body-color; 
    -fx-background-insets: -2, -0.3, 1, 2;
    -fx-background-radius: 7, 6, 4, 3;
}

 
button_hover_style

Getting back to the topic maybe a clever way to remove the focus highlight is to use the default button styles also for .button:focus (same approach for other controls):

.button:focused {
    -fx-background-color: -fx-outer-border, -fx-inner-border, -fx-body-color; 
    -fx-background-insets: 0, 1, 2;
    -fx-background-radius: 5, 4, 3;
}

Jens Deters

Jens Deters is a Senior Software Developer working in the domain of Aviation Authorities. His main objectives are RIA and Desktop Applications also he loves to play with IoT related stuff.
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