Custom JavaFX control - “root value already specified” in Scene Builder 2.0

Question

I have implemented a custom control, using an fxml file and a Java class, similar to what is explained in this official tutorial (see the code bellow). Note that the fxml root element is defined with fx:root and I call setRoot programmatically.

I have tried including the control in the FXML layout of an application, and the application loads fine (and displays the control as expected).

However, if I try to import a jar file containing my control in Scene Builder 2.0, the control doesn't appear in the list of components to import (unlike some other controls in the same jar). If I select "Show JAR Analysis Report", it shows an error caused by javafx.fxml.LoadException: Root value already specified .

Do you know why I get this error when loading in Scene Builder, even though it loads correctly in a real application?

Here is the FXML :

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

<?import javafx.scene.control.*?>
<?import javafx.scene.image.ImageView?>
<?import javafx.scene.layout.*?>
<?import javafx.scene.text.Font?>

<fx:root type="javafx.scene.layout.GridPane" id="MediaMetadataDisplay" hgap="20.0" maxHeight="-Infinity" maxWidth="-Infinity" minHeight="-Infinity" minWidth="-Infinity" prefHeight="200.0"
         prefWidth="600.0" xmlns="http://javafx.com/javafx/8" xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml/1">
    <columnConstraints>
        <ColumnConstraints fillWidth="false" hgrow="NEVER" maxWidth="-Infinity" minWidth="-Infinity" prefWidth="200.0"/>
        <ColumnConstraints halignment="LEFT" hgrow="ALWAYS"/>
    </columnConstraints>
    <rowConstraints>
        <RowConstraints maxHeight="-Infinity" minHeight="-Infinity" prefHeight="30.0" vgrow="SOMETIMES"/>
        <RowConstraints maxHeight="-Infinity" minHeight="-Infinity" prefHeight="40.0" vgrow="SOMETIMES"/>
        <RowConstraints maxHeight="-Infinity" minHeight="-Infinity" prefHeight="25.0" vgrow="SOMETIMES"/>
        <RowConstraints maxHeight="-Infinity" minHeight="-Infinity" prefHeight="25.0" vgrow="SOMETIMES"/>
        <RowConstraints maxHeight="-Infinity" minHeight="-Infinity" prefHeight="25.0" vgrow="SOMETIMES"/>
        <RowConstraints maxHeight="-Infinity" minHeight="-Infinity" prefHeight="25.0" vgrow="SOMETIMES"/>
        <RowConstraints maxHeight="-Infinity" minHeight="-Infinity" prefHeight="30.0" vgrow="SOMETIMES"/>
    </rowConstraints>
    <children>
        <ImageView id="coverView" fx:id="coverView" fitHeight="200.0" fitWidth="200.0" pickOnBounds="true" preserveRatio="true" GridPane.rowSpan="7"/>
        <Label id="trackName" fx:id="trackName" maxWidth="1.7976931348623157E308" text="trackName" GridPane.columnIndex="1" GridPane.rowIndex="1">
            <font>
                <Font name="System Bold" size="16.0"/>
            </font>
        </Label>
        <Label id="artist" fx:id="artist" maxWidth="1.7976931348623157E308" text="artist" GridPane.columnIndex="1" GridPane.rowIndex="2"/>
        <Label id="album" fx:id="album" maxWidth="1.7976931348623157E308" text="album" GridPane.columnIndex="1" GridPane.rowIndex="3"/>
        <Label id="genre" fx:id="genre" maxWidth="1.7976931348623157E308" text="genre" GridPane.columnIndex="1" GridPane.rowIndex="4"/>
        <Label id="trackNumber" fx:id="trackNumber" maxWidth="1.7976931348623157E308" text="trackNumber" GridPane.columnIndex="1" GridPane.rowIndex="5"/>
    </children>
</fx:root>

And the Java controller/root element:

package customjavafx.scene.control;

import javafx.beans.property.ObjectProperty;
import javafx.beans.property.SimpleObjectProperty;
import javafx.fxml.FXML;
import javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader;
import javafx.scene.control.Label;
import javafx.scene.image.Image;
import javafx.scene.image.ImageView;
import javafx.scene.layout.GridPane;
import javafx.scene.media.Media;

import java.io.IOException;
import java.util.Map;

public class MediaMetadataDisplay extends GridPane {

    public MediaMetadataDisplay() {
        final FXMLLoader fxmlLoader = new FXMLLoader(getClass().getResource("MediaMetadataDisplay.fxml"));
        fxmlLoader.setRoot(this);
        fxmlLoader.setController(this);
        try {
            fxmlLoader.load();
        } catch (IOException exception) {
            throw new RuntimeException(exception);
        }

        media.addListener((obs, oldVal, newVal) -> updateMedia(newVal));
    }

    private final ObjectProperty<Media> media = new SimpleObjectProperty<>((Media) null, "media");
    @FXML private ImageView coverView;
    @FXML private Label trackName;
    @FXML private Label artist;
    @FXML private Label album;
    @FXML private Label genre;
    @FXML private Label trackNumber;

    public void updateMedia(Media media) {
        // TODO show updated metadata
    }

    public ObjectProperty<Media> mediaProperty() {
        return media;
    }
    public Media getMedia() {
        return mediaProperty().get();
    }
    public void setMedia(final Media media) {
        mediaProperty().set(media);
    }
}

The cause of the error, in the stacktrace shown by Scene Builder :

Caused by: javafx.fxml.LoadException: Root value already specified.
file:/Users/guillaumegaly/Library/Application%20Support/Scene%20Builder/Library/custom-controls_2.11.jar!/customjavafx/scene/control/MediaMetadataDisplay.fxml

    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.constructLoadException(FXMLLoader.java:2613)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.createElement(FXMLLoader.java:2771)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.processStartElement(FXMLLoader.java:2720)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.loadImpl(FXMLLoader.java:2527)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.loadImpl(FXMLLoader.java:2441)
    at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.load(FXMLLoader.java:2409)
    at customjavafx.scene.control.MediaMetadataDisplay.<init>(MediaMetadataDisplay.java:26)
    ... 18 more

Answer 1

Remove the line

fxmlLoader.setRoot(this);

Your FXML defines the root to be an AnchorPane (and you can't set the root twice, which is why you are getting the error).

<fx:root type="javafx.scene.layout.GridPane" id="MediaMetadataDisplay" hgap="20.0" maxHeight="-Infinity" maxWidth="-Infinity" minHeight="-Infinity" minWidth="-Infinity" prefHeight="200.0"
         prefWidth="600.0" xmlns="http://javafx.com/javafx/8" xmlns:fx="http://javafx.com/fxml/1">

I am really thankful to this post

Root value already specified

Answer 2

I was following the Javafx FXML tutorials on the documentation, and I got stuck on the custom components section. The problem for me was that when I called the setRoot method, it would throw a "Root already specified" error. Personally, I fixed this by adding the root tag into the custom component FXML document. It now works.

I'm adding this so that if someone else has the same issue, Google can give them the answer.