# Substance documentation

Overview and getting started | FAQ | History and release notes
Build from sources | Configure and tweak the settings | Customize the visuals

### Overview

If you are new to Swing, start with the general Swing tutorial. If you are new to look-and-feels, read the getting started first.

The main class is `org.jvnet.substance.SubstanceLookAndFeel`. In order to use Substance look and feel in your application, you can use one of the following:

- `UIManager.setLookAndFeel(new SubstanceLookAndFeel());`
- `UIManager.setLookAndFeel("org.jvnet.substance.SubstanceLookAndFeel");`
- Start your VM with `-Dswing.defaultlaf=org.jvnet.substance.SubstanceLookAndFeel`

In any case, add the latest substance.jar to your classpath. In addition you have the following two lite versions:

- substance-lite.jar that doesn't use custom color chooser panels (from Quaqua and Xoetrope - see below) and additional "feel" widgets from laf-widget. This light version is ~520KB less than the full version. In addition, it does not provide desktop-consistent text anti-aliasing under JDK 6.0.
- substance-lite-feel.jar that doesn't use custom color chooser panels. This light version is ~270KB less than the full version.

### History and release notes

- Release history.
- Release info for version 2.0.
- Release info for version 2.1 (code-named Dakota).
- Release info for version 2.2 (code-named El Paso).
- Release info for version 2.3 (code-named Firenze).
- Release info for version 3.0 (code-named Grenada). Migration guide is available as well.
- Release info for version 3.1 (code-named Honolulu).
- Release info for version 3.2 (code-named Iowa).
- Release info for version 3.3 (code-named Japan).
- Release info for version 4.0 (code-named Key Largo). Migration guide is available as well.
- Release info for version 4.1 (code-named Lima) - released on November 12, 2007. Migration guide is available as well.
- Release info for version 4.2 (code-named Memphis) - released on February 4, 2008.
- Release info for version 4.3 (code-named Nairobi) - released on April 14, 2008.
- Release info for version 5.0 - released on September 15, 2008.

### Build from sources

In case you wish to build Substance from the sources, you will need to take the laf-plugin and laf-widget (binaries or sources). The best way is to take the CVS snapshot and use the build.xml script. The main test application uses the FormLayout and components from SwingLabs.

### Configure and tweak the settings

- API for applications
- List of all supported client properties
- List of all supported VM flags
- Animation documentation

### Customize the visuals

- Skin documentation
- Watermark documentation
- Painter documentation