JavaFX FXML

How to import fxml

import javafx.fxml.FXML;

When should I use the @FXML annotation?

The @FXML annotation enables an FXMLLoader to inject values defined in an FXML file into references in the controller class.

In other words, if you annotate your timerLabel with @FXML, then it will be initialized by the FXMLLoader when the load() method is called by an element in the FXML file with fx:id=”timerLabel”.

As others have pointed out in the comments, this means you should never write code like

@FXML
private Label timerLabel = new Label();

Here timerLabel will first be initialized to the new Label(); you create in the code, and will then almost immediately be re-initialized to the value defined in the FXML file. This is at best redundant, and at worst misleading. If you don’t correctly match the variable names to the fx:id, your variable will be referring to the wrong Label and the error will be very difficult to track down.

To get to your actual question:

When the FXMLLoader loads the FXML file, it will attempt to inject any elements that have an fx:id attribute into the controller.

It will look for any public field with a variable name matching the fx:id attribute, or any field (public or not) with a variable name matching the fx:id attribute that is annotated with @FXML.

So in your example, since all your fields are public, you can omit all the @FXML annotations (even the first) and it will still work.

However, if you follow good practice and make your fields private, then each declaration must be annotated @FXML for the injection to work.

So

@FXML
private Label timerLabel;
@FXML
private TextField mainTextField;

etc will work, but

@FXML
private Label timerLabel;
private TextField mainTextField;

will not.

.fxml file format example

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<?import javafx.geometry.Insets?>
<?import javafx.scene.control.Label?>
<?import javafx.scene.layout.VBox?>

<?import javafx.scene.control.Button?>
<VBox alignment="CENTER" spacing="20.0" xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml"
      fx:controller="com.example.demo.HelloController">
    <padding>
        <Insets bottom="20.0" left="20.0" right="20.0" top="20.0"/>
    </padding>

    <Label fx:id="welcomeText"/>
    <Button text="Hello!" onAction="#onHelloButtonClick"/>
</VBox>

References

javafx - Is @FXML needed for every declaration? - Stack Overflow

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