ShapeEditorFX

A JavaFX desktop application for drawing and editing 2D shapes with an interactive canvas.

This project lets users draw lines, rectangles, and ovals; edit shapes through delete/move/copy tools; group shapes; and save/load drawings in both text and binary formats. It uses a clean JavaFX UI with a top control panel, central drawing canvas, and bottom file menu.

This ShapeEditorFX implementation was built as a learning and portfolio project. Users can run it as a lightweight drawing tool, while developers can explore the code to understand JavaFX UI composition, event-driven handlers, undo/redo architecture, and object serialization.

Key Engineering Concepts used in this project:

• Event-driven programming using JavaFX event handlers
• Strategy-like tool switching via modular handler classes
• Custom canvas rendering and shape management system
• Undo/Redo implementation using action history tracking
• Object persistence using text and binary file serialization

Getting Started

Follow these steps below to get the project running on your computer:

Prerequisites

You’ll need:

• Java JDK (11 or above recommended), which includes both:

  • Compiler (javac) – to compile Java source files
  • Runtime (java) – to run compiled programs

• JavaFX SDK 11+ – required to run JavaFX applications

• A terminal or command prompt (macOS/Linux or Command Prompt/PowerShell on Windows)

Check that Java JDK is installed:

java -version   # checks the Java runtime

and

javac -version  # checks the Java compiler

JavaFX Download Guide:

1. Visit the official JavaFX website: https://gluonhq.com/products/javafx

2. Select options for your system:

   • JavaFX version: latest stable release
   • Operating system: Windows / macOS / Linux
   • Architecture: your system’s architecture
   • Type: SDK (you need the SDK to compile/run JavaFX programs)

3. Download the SDK and extract it to a folder you can remember.

Installing

1. Clone this repository and navigate to the project directory:

git clone https://github.com/soikat27/shape-editor-fx.git

cd shape-editor-fx

2. Compile the program:

• Create a folder for compiled bytecode:

mkdir bin

• Compile the source code into .class files:

javac --module-path "/path/to/javafx/lib" --add-modules javafx.controls,javafx.fxml -d bin src/*/*.java

** Replace /path/to/javafx/lib with the path to your JavaFX SDK lib folder.

Running the program

Run the compiled program:

java --module-path "/path/to/javafx/lib" --add-modules javafx.controls,javafx.fxml -cp bin editor.ShapeEditor

** Replace /path/to/javafx/lib with the path to your JavaFX SDK lib folder.

Features:

• Draw shapes: Line, Rectangle, Oval
• Shape styling: Filled toggle and Color picker
• Editing tools: Delete, Move, Copy, Group
• History controls: Undo, Redo, Clear
• File operations:
  • Load / Save (text format)
  • Load Binary Format / Save Binary Format (serialized objects)

Usage

• Select a drawing tool (Line, Rectangle, or Oval) and drag on the canvas
• Use Filled and the color picker to control appearance of new shapes
• Switch to Delete, Move, Copy, or Group for editing operations
• Use Undo and Redo to navigate edit history
• Save your drawing from File menu, then load it later in text or binary format

Upcoming Features:

• Resize support using selection handles and bounding boxes
• Multi-object selection without grouping dependency
• Export canvas as image formats (e.g., PNG, JPG)

Deployment

There’s no special deployment required. Compile with Java and run locally from the terminal with the JavaFX module path.

Built With

• Java 11+ - core programming language
• JavaFX 11+ – GUI framework
• Modular event-handler architecture – tool-based interaction system
• Undo/redo system – action history tracking using stack-based state management
• Text and binary persistence – for saving/loading drawings
• JavaDoc comments included in source code (see doc/index.html)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Open an issue or submit a pull request if you want to add features or improve the project.

Author

• Soikat Saha – Design and implementation

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

• Special thanks to Professor Sunghee Kim for guidance and support throughout this project
• Appreciation to the open-source JavaFX community for documentation and examples
• GenerativeAI-assisted styling refinements for UI consistency (non-functional code support) - only serves as visual purpose