A DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUEST :
In the GTK+ look and feel, JSliders show their current value above the slider thumb. This undermines my ability to abstract the JSlider's function.

One possible fix to this is the addition of a JSlider.setValuePainted(boolean) method.

Another possible fix is the addition of a JSlider.setValueFormat(NumberFormat) method. (Please do not make the atrocious mistake of accepting only a DecimalFormat pattern string like JSpinner.NumberEditor does.)


JUSTIFICATION :
I am using a JSlider to represent a value from 0.0 to 1.0. Normally I scale the JSlider's actual value and place the result in an adjacent JLabel, but in the GTK+ look and feel, I cannot hide the integer value of the JSlider. The result is ugly and bizarre: a JSlider with "50" over its thumb, next to a JLabel containing "0.50".


EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
I expect the JSlider to not automatically paint its value, simply because that has been its behavior in the past. I can accept this new functionality, as long as I have some control over it.

ACTUAL -
There appears to be no way to control the appearance or format of the JSlider's value in the GTK+ look and feel.


---------- BEGIN SOURCE ----------
import java.text.*;
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.event.*;

public class SliderDemo
{
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        final NumberFormat valueFmt = new DecimalFormat("0.00");

        try
        {
            UIManager.setLookAndFeel(
                "com.sun.java.swing.plaf.gtk.GTKLookAndFeel");
        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            e.printStackTrace();
            System.exit(1);
        }

        final JSlider slider2 = new JSlider(0, 100, 50);
        final JLabel label2 = new JLabel(valueFmt.format(0.5));
        slider2.addChangeListener(new ChangeListener()
        {
            public void stateChanged(ChangeEvent event)
            {
                label2.setText(valueFmt.format(slider2.getValue() / 100.0));
            }
        });

        try
        {
            UIManager.setLookAndFeel(
                "javax.swing.plaf.metal.MetalLookAndFeel");
        }
        catch (Exception e)
        {
            e.printStackTrace();
            System.exit(1);
        }

        final JSlider slider1 = new JSlider(0, 100, 50);
        final JLabel label1 = new JLabel(valueFmt.format(0.5));
        slider1.addChangeListener(new ChangeListener()
        {
            public void stateChanged(ChangeEvent event)
            {
                label1.setText(valueFmt.format(slider1.getValue() / 100.0));
            }
        });

        Box box1 = Box.createHorizontalBox();
        box1.add(slider1);
        box1.add(Box.createHorizontalStrut(6));
        box1.add(label1);

        Box box2 = Box.createHorizontalBox();
        box2.add(slider2);
        box2.add(Box.createHorizontalStrut(6));
        box2.add(label2);

        JPanel panel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(1, 0, 12, 0));
        panel.add(box1);
        panel.add(box2);

        panel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(12, 12, 12, 12));

        JFrame frame = new JFrame("Slider Demo");
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);

        frame.getContentPane().add(panel);
        frame.pack();
        frame.setLocationRelativeTo(frame.getOwner());
        frame.setVisible(true);
    }
}

---------- END SOURCE ----------

CUSTOMER SUBMITTED WORKAROUND :
One could, conceivably, forcibly set a SliderUI from a look and feel other than GTK+, if one doesn't mind the visual incongruity.