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| Chapter 19 java.awt Reference |

# FontMetrics

## Name

FontMetrics

##

## Description

The `FontMetrics` class provides the means to calculate actual width and height of text if drawn on the screen.

## Class Definition

    public abstract class java.awt.FontMetrics
        extends java.lang.Object
        implements java.io.Serializable {

      // Variables
      protected Font font;

      // Constructors
      protected FontMetrics (Font font);

      // Instance Methods
      public int bytesWidth (byte data[], int offset, int length);
      public int charsWidth (char data[], int offset, int length);
      public int charWidth (char character);
      public int charWidth (int character);
      public int getAscent();
      public int getDescent();
      public Font getFont();
      public int getHeight();
      public int getLeading();
      public int getMaxAdvance();
      public int getMaxAscent();
      public int getMaxDecent();
      public int getMaxDescent();
      public int[] getWidths();
      public int stringWidth (String string);
      public String toString();
    }

## Variables

### font

#### protected Font font

The `Font` object whose metrics are represented by this object.

## Constructors

### FontMetrics

#### protected FontMetrics (Font font)

Parameters

  font

    The `Font` object whose metrics you want.

Description

  Constructs a platform specific `FontMetrics` object for the given `font`.

## Instance Methods

### bytesWidth

#### public int bytesWidth (byte data[], int offset, int length)

Parameters

  data[]

    Array of characters to lookup.

  offset

    Initial character position.

  length

    Number of characters to lookup.

Returns

  Advance width of characters in the array, starting with `offset` and ending with `offset+length`, in pixels.

Throws

  ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException

    If `offset` or `length` is invalid.

### charsWidth

#### public int charsWidth (char data[], int offset, int length)

Parameters

  data[]

    Array of characters to lookup.

  offset

    Initial character position.

  length

    Number of characters to lookup.

Returns

  Advance width of characters in the array, starting with `offset` and ending with `offset+length-1`, in pixels.

Throws

  ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException

    If `offset` or `length` is invalid.

### charWidth

#### public int charWidth (char character)

Parameters

  character

    character to lookup

Returns

  Advanced pixel width of character.

#### public int charWidth (int character)

Parameters

  character

    int value of character to lookup

Returns

  Advanced pixel width of character.

### getAscent

#### public int getAscent()

Returns

  Amount of space above the baseline required for the tallest character in the font.

### getDescent

#### public int getDescent()

Returns

  Amount of space below the baseline required for the lowest descender (e.g., the tail on "p") in the font.

### getFont

#### public Font getFont()

Returns

  The `Font` whose metrics are represented by this object.

### getHeight

#### public int getHeight()

Returns

  The sum of `getDescent()`, `getAscent()`, and `getLeading()`; recommended total space between baselines.

### getLeading

#### public int getLeading()

Returns

  Retrieves recommended amount of space between lines of text.

### getMaxAdvance

#### public int getMaxAdvance()

Returns

  Retrieves advance pixel width of widest character in the font.

### getMaxAscent

#### public int getMaxAscent()

Returns

  Retrieves maximum amount of space above the baseline required for the tallest character within the font's `FontMetrics`. May differ from `getAscent()` for characters with diacritical marks.

### getMaxDecent

#### public int getMaxDecent()

Returns

  Retrieves the maximum amount of space below the baseline required for the deepest character for the font.

Description

  A misspelling of `getMaxDescent()`.

### getMaxDescent

#### public int getMaxDescent()

Returns

  Retrieves the maximum amount of space below the baseline required for the deepest character for the font.

### getWidths

#### public int[] getWidths()

Returns

  255 element array of character widths.

Description

  Retrieves an integer array of the advance widths of the first 255 characters in the `FontMetrics`' font.

### stringWidth

#### public int stringWidth (String string)

Parameters

  string

    Character string to lookup.

Returns

  Advance pixel width of `string`.

### toString

#### public String toString()

Returns

  A string representation of the `FontMetrics` object.

  Overrides

    `Object.toString()`

## See Also

`Font, Object, String`

Font |  | Frame