JTextArea textComp = new JTextArea(); // Highlight the occurrences of the word "public" highlight(textComp, "public"); // Creates highlights around all occurrences of pattern in textComp public void highlight(JTextComponent textComp, String pattern) { // First remove all old highlights removeHighlights(textComp); try { Highlighter hilite = textComp.getHighlighter(); Document doc = textComp.getDocument(); String text = doc.getText(0, doc.getLength()); int pos = 0; // Search for pattern while ((pos = text.indexOf(pattern, pos)) >= 0) { // Create highlighter using private painter and apply around pattern hilite.addHighlight(pos, pos+pattern.length(), myHighlightPainter); pos += pattern.length(); } } catch (BadLocationException e) { } } // Removes only our private highlights public void removeHighlights(JTextComponent textComp) { Highlighter hilite = textComp.getHighlighter(); Highlighter.Highlight[] hilites = hilite.getHighlights(); for (int i=0; i<hilites.length; i++) { if (hilites[i].getPainter() instanceof MyHighlightPainter) { hilite.removeHighlight(hilites[i]); } } } // An instance of the private subclass of the default highlight painter Highlighter.HighlightPainter myHighlightPainter = new MyHighlightPainter(Color.red); // A private subclass of the default highlight painter class MyHighlightPainter extends DefaultHighlighter.DefaultHighlightPainter { public MyHighlightPainter(Color color) { super(color); } }