JavaFX 8 Load external FXML

Question

When looking at the JavaFX SceneBuilder, it is able to load any kind of fxml. The root node or controller are disregarded. The scenebuilder is able to load any kind of fxml and can display its components.

Does anybody fancy a way to load a fxml diregarding its field's id's, controller or type of root node?

The problem is, when I try to load any fxml, it can only load, if I set the correct root type. I want to load (via FileChooser) any FXML I can find into (lets say) a pane.

Any ideas would be appreciated (all help in www directs to loading mechanisms which use a specific root type, so the root type is known). I want to load unknown root types disregarding fx:id's etc.

The exception:

Exception in Application start method
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.RuntimeException: Exception in Application start method
    at com.sun.javafx.application.LauncherImpl.launchApplication1(LauncherImpl.java:917)
    at com.sun.javafx.application.LauncherImpl.lambda$launchApplication$152(LauncherImpl.java:182)
    at com.sun.javafx.application.LauncherImpl$$Lambda$2/1531448569.run(Unknown Source)
    at java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:745)
Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: javafx.fxml.LoadException: 
/C:/Users/Dominik/Documents/fhnw/bath/svn/examples/fxmlloader/out/production/FxHeatMap/eu/hansolo/fx/heatmap/fxmlload/Application.fxml:20

    at eu.hansolo.fx.heatmap.fxmlload.FXMLLoader.start(FXMLLoader.java:34)
    at com.sun.javafx.application.LauncherImpl.lambda$launchApplication1$159(LauncherImpl.java:863)
    at com.sun.javafx.application.LauncherImpl$$Lambda$66/84373524.run(Unknown Source)
    at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl.lambda$runAndWait$172(PlatformImpl.java:326)
    at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl$$Lambda$47/1537074899.run(Unknown Source)
    at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl.lambda$null$170(PlatformImpl.java:295)
    at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl$$Lambda$50/1947223685.run(Unknown Source)
    at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
    at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl.lambda$runLater$171(PlatformImpl.java:294)
    at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl$$Lambda$48/835743810.run(Unknown Source)
    at com.sun.glass.ui.InvokeLaterDispatcher$Future.run(InvokeLaterDispatcher.java:95)
    at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication._runLoop(Native Method)
    at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication.lambda$null$145(WinApplication.java:101)
    at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication$$Lambda$38/1962582134.run(Unknown Source)
    ... 1 more
Caused by: javafx.fxml.LoadException: 
/C:/Users/Dominik/Documents/fhnw/bath/svn/examples/fxmlloader/out/production/FxHeatMap/eu/hansolo/fx/heatmap/fxmlload/Application.fxml:20

    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.constructLoadException(FXMLLoader.java:2605)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.access$700(FXMLLoader.java:104)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader$ValueElement.processAttribute(FXMLLoader.java:918)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader$InstanceDeclarationElement.processAttribute(FXMLLoader.java:967)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader$Element.processStartElement(FXMLLoader.java:216)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader$ValueElement.processStartElement(FXMLLoader.java:740)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.processStartElement(FXMLLoader.java:2711)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.loadImpl(FXMLLoader.java:2531)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.loadImpl(FXMLLoader.java:2445)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.loadImpl(FXMLLoader.java:3218)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.loadImpl(FXMLLoader.java:3179)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.loadImpl(FXMLLoader.java:3152)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.loadImpl(FXMLLoader.java:3128)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.loadImpl(FXMLLoader.java:3108)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.load(FXMLLoader.java:3101)
    at eu.hansolo.fx.heatmap.fxmlload.FXMLLoader.start(FXMLLoader.java:32)
    ... 14 more
Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: sample.MainController
    at java.net.URLClassLoader.findClass(URLClassLoader.java:381)
    at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:424)
    at sun.misc.Launcher$AppClassLoader.loadClass(Launcher.java:331)
    at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:357)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader$ValueElement.processAttribute(FXMLLoader.java:916)
    ... 27 more

Process finished with exit code 1

Answer 1

There are fx:controller and fx:root attributes. Don't be confused. You can disregard the root layout type by casting the loaded object to the Parent super class. But I think there is no way to disregard fx:controller defined in fxml file. What you need in this case, is to load the file yourself and remove the fx:controller with its value from the file.