JavaFX TableView row highlighting sample using table row apis and css.

DebtCollectionTableWithRowHighlighting.java

import javafx.application.Application;
import javafx.scene.*;
import javafx.scene.control.*;
import javafx.scene.control.cell.PropertyValueFactory;
import javafx.stage.Stage;
import javafx.util.Callback;

// demonstrates highlighting rows in a tableview based upon the data values in the rows.
public class DebtCollectionTableWithRowHighlighting extends Application {
  public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception { launch(args); }
  @Override public void start(final Stage stage) throws Exception {
    stage.setTitle("So called friends . . .");

    // create a table.
    TableView<Friend> table = new TableView(Friend.data);
    table.getColumns().addAll(makeStringColumn("Name", "name", 150), makeStringColumn("Owes Me", "owesMe", 300), makeBooleanColumn("Will Pay Up", "willPay", 150));
    table.setColumnResizePolicy(TableView.CONSTRAINED_RESIZE_POLICY);

    stage.setScene(new Scene(table));
    stage.getScene().getStylesheets().add(getClass().getResource("reaper.css").toExternalForm());
    stage.show();
  }

  private TableColumn<Friend, String> makeStringColumn(String columnName, String propertyName, int prefWidth) {
    TableColumn<Friend, String> column = new TableColumn<>(columnName);
    column.setCellValueFactory(new PropertyValueFactory<Friend, String>(propertyName));
    column.setCellFactory(new Callback<TableColumn<Friend, String>, TableCell<Friend, String>>() {
      @Override public TableCell<Friend, String> call(TableColumn<Friend, String> soCalledFriendStringTableColumn) {
        return new TableCell<Friend, String>() {
          @Override public void updateItem(String item, boolean empty) {
            super.updateItem(item, empty);
            if (item != null) {
              setText(item);
            }
          }
        };
      }
    });
    column.setPrefWidth(prefWidth);

    return column;
  }
  
  private TableColumn<Friend, Boolean> makeBooleanColumn(String columnName, String propertyName, int prefWidth) {
    TableColumn<Friend, Boolean> column = new TableColumn<>(columnName);
    column.setCellValueFactory(new PropertyValueFactory<Friend, Boolean>(propertyName));
    column.setCellFactory(new Callback<TableColumn<Friend, Boolean>, TableCell<Friend, Boolean>>() {
      @Override public TableCell<Friend, Boolean> call(TableColumn<Friend, Boolean> soCalledFriendBooleanTableColumn) {
        return new TableCell<Friend, Boolean>() {
          @Override public void updateItem(final Boolean item, final boolean empty) {
            super.updateItem(item, empty);
            
            // clear any custom styles
            this.getStyleClass().remove("willPayCell");
            this.getStyleClass().remove("wontPayCell");
            this.getTableRow().getStyleClass().remove("willPayRow");
            this.getTableRow().getStyleClass().remove("wontPayRow");
            
            // update the item and set a custom style if necessary
            if (item != null) {
              setText(item.toString());
              this.getStyleClass().add(item ? "willPayCell" : "wontPayCell");
              this.getTableRow().getStyleClass().add(item ? "willPayRow" : "wontPayRow");
            }
          }
        };
      }
    });
    column.setPrefWidth(prefWidth);

    return column;
  }
}

Friend.java

import javafx.collections.*;

/** Sample data for a table view */
public class Friend {
  final static public ObservableList data = FXCollections.observableArrayList(
    new Friend("George", "Movie Ticket", true),
    new Friend("Irene", "Pay Raise", false),
    new Friend("Ralph", "Return my Douglas Adams Books", false),
    new Friend("Otto", "Game of Golf", true),
    new Friend("Sally", "$12,045.98", false),
    new Friend("Antoine", "Latte", true)
  );

  final private String  name;
  final private String  owesMe;
  final private boolean willPay;
  public Friend(String name, String owesMe, boolean willPay) {
    this.name = name; this.owesMe = owesMe; this.willPay = willPay;
  }
  public String  getName()    { return name;    }
  public String  getOwesMe()  { return owesMe;  }
  public boolean getWillPay() { return willPay; }
}

reaper.css

/** file: reaper.css
place in same directory as DebtCollectionTable.java */
.root { -fx-font: 18px "Comic Sans MS"; }
.column-header-background { -fx-background-color: azure; }
.willPayRow { -fx-background-color: palegreen; }
.wontPayRow { -fx-background-color: coral; }
.willPayCell { -fx-background-color: forestgreen; }
.wontPayCell { -fx-background-color: firebrick; }
.table-row-cell:empty { -fx-background-color: cornsilk; }
.table-row-cell:empty .table-cell { -fx-border-width: 0px; }

Related StackOverflow Questions:

• Updating TableView row appearance
• Background with 2 colors in JavaFX (in a Table)?

Related Oracle JavaFX forum threads:

• Change TableView row appearance based on the data values
• Setting the font color of data inside tablecell