codename one image from url

Question

I am trying to make a mobile app using Java and codename one plugin. My question is - what's the simples way to populate an image from a URL to a label? I Googled it and all I found was this piece of code:

Image i = URLImage.createToStorage(placeholder, "fileNameInStorage", "http://xxx/myurl.jpg", URLImage.RESIZE_SCALE); 

But I have no idea how to use it. What is a placeholder? It asks an EncodedImage parameter, but if I do:

EncodedImage image = new EncodedImage(10, 10);

I get the error that EncodedImage is protected.

I simply want to populate an image from a URL to my desired label in a form.

I am using GUI builder.

Answer 1

The placeholder image is the image that should show while the image from URL is being downloaded and it's an EncodedImage.

If your Label already have an icon as a placeholder, you can use its icon, otherwise you can create a new placeholder image. Below are 3 options to create an EncodedImage and a URLImage usage example:

Method 1:

//generate a grey placeholder that matches the size of the label's icon
Image placeholder = Image.createImage(label.getIcon().getWidth(), label.getIcon().getWidth(), 0xbfc9d2);
EncodedImage encImage = EncodedImage.createFromImage(placeholder, false);

Method 2:

//Convert the label icon to EncodedImage
EncodedImage encImage = (EncodedImage)label.getIcon();

Method 3:

//Create a fresh grey EncodedImage when label doesn't have any icon set initially
int deviceWidth = Display.getInstance().getDisplayWidth();
Image placeholder = Image.createImage(deviceWidth / 10, deviceWidth / 10, 0xbfc9d2); //square image set to 10% of screen width
EncodedImage encImage = EncodedImage.createFromImage(placeholder, false);

Usage Example:

It's a good practice to use the URL as the cached image name in storage. If you have a multiple sizes of the same image, just prefix them with a unique string like "Large" + URL

 label.setIcon(URLImage.createToStorage(encImage, "Medium_" + "http://xxx/myurl.jpg", "http://xxx/myurl.jpg", URLImage.RESIZE_SCALE));