Tutorials : Java by Example : Section 7 :

To conclude this chapter, let's create some funny random words! Some of them will sound familiar, some really are. The algorithm is quite similar to the last applets, but this time we create two String constants, containing vowels and the consonants each. In our method randomWord(), which returns the random string when we call it, we create 3 random characters, each of the vowels and the consonants string. Then we combine these characters in a specific order, to get words without two consonants or vowels in succession. I use one of four algorithms, that are selected at random. To make it more fun to watch, I create only 1 word a second and print them one below the other and shifted to the right, until the window is full. Then the background is repainted and everything starts again.

//Sourcecode import java.awt.*; import java.applet.*; public class Project39 extends Applet implements Runnable { Thread runner; Image Buffer; Graphics gBuffer; String vowels="aeiouy"; //6 characters String consonants="bcdfghklmnprstvwz"; //17 characters int x=10, y=30; Font font=new Font("Helvetica", Font.PLAIN, 30); Color bgColor=new Color(0,120,0); public void init() { //create graphics buffer, the size of the applet Buffer=createImage(size().width,size().height); gBuffer=Buffer.getGraphics(); } public void start() { if (runner == null) { runner = new Thread (this); runner.start(); } } public void stop() { if (runner != null) { runner.stop(); runner = null; } } public void run() { while(true) { try {runner.sleep(1000);} catch (Exception e) { } repaint(); } } String randomWord() { int c1=(int)(Math.random()*17); int c2=(int)(Math.random()*17); int c3=(int)(Math.random()*17); String sc1=consonants.substring(c1, c1+1); String sc2=consonants.substring(c2, c2+1); String sc3=consonants.substring(c2, c2+1); int v1=(int)(Math.random()*6); int v2=(int)(Math.random()*6); int v3=(int)(Math.random()*6); String sv1=vowels.substring(v1, v1+1); String sv2=vowels.substring(v2, v2+1); String sv3=vowels.substring(v3, v3+1); //algo 0=cvcvc //algo 1=cvcvcv //algo 2=vcvc //algo 3=vcvcv String word; int algo=(int)(Math.random()*4); switch(algo) { case 0: word=sc1+sv1+sc2+sv2+sc3; break; case 1: word=sc1+sv1+sc2+sv2+sc3+sv3; break; case 2: word=sv1+sc1+sv2+sc2+sv3; break; default: word=sv1+sc1+sv2+sc2+sv3+sc3; } return word; } void drawStuff() { //repaint background if window is full if(y==30) { gBuffer.setColor(bgColor); gBuffer.fillRect(0,0,size().width,size().height); } gBuffer.setFont(font); //pause after the last word if(y<300) { String s=randomWord(); //the drop shadow gBuffer.setColor(Color.black); gBuffer.drawString(s,x+2,y+2); gBuffer.setColor(Color.green); gBuffer.drawString(s,x,y); } y+=36; x+=25; if(y>350) { y=30; x=10; } } public void update(Graphics g) { paint(g); } public void paint(Graphics g) { drawStuff(); g.drawImage (Buffer,0,0, this); } }