The image wont change, how would I refresh the panel so it does?

Question

When a certain event happens, I want the image to change but it does not occur.
Here is the code:

game.add(bbol);
if (flashed == 1) {
   bbol.setIcon(bboH);
} else {
}

Do I need to refresh the game panel?

edit:

import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.GridLayout;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.event.MouseListener;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Random;
import javax.swing.BorderFactory;
import javax.swing.ImageIcon;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.Timer;
import javax.swing.border.Border;

public class BeeBee extends JFrame implements ActionListener, MouseListener {
    private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
    private JFrame frame = new JFrame("BB8 Says");
    private JPanel game;
    private JPanel menu;
    ImageIcon bbegif = new ImageIcon("tumblr_o0c57n9gfv1tha1vgo1_r3_250.gif");
    public static final int WIDTH = 800, HEIGHT = 800;
    public int flashed = 0, glowTime, dark, ticks, indexPattern;
    public boolean creatingPattern = true;  
    public ArrayList<Integer> pattern;
    public Random random;
    private boolean gameOver;
    public int counter;
    public int temp;
    public int score;
    //these are the images, replace them if you like
    public ImageIcon bbb = new ImageIcon("bbb.gif");
    public JLabel bbbl = new JLabel(bbb);
    public ImageIcon bbbH = new ImageIcon("bbbH.gif");
    public ImageIcon bbg = new ImageIcon("bbg.gif");
    public JLabel bbgl = new JLabel(bbg);
    public ImageIcon bbgH = new ImageIcon("bbgH.gif");
    public ImageIcon bbgr = new ImageIcon("bbgr.gif");
    public JLabel bbgrl = new JLabel(bbgr);
    public ImageIcon bbgrH = new ImageIcon("bbgrH.gif");
    public ImageIcon bbo = new ImageIcon("bbor.gif");
    public JLabel bbol = new JLabel(bbo);
    public  ImageIcon bboH = new ImageIcon("bborH.gif");
    public  ImageIcon unhap = new ImageIcon("unhap.gif");
    public  JLabel unhapl = new JLabel(unhap);
    //these are the images, replace them if you like
    public BeeBee()
    {
        mainmenu();
    }
    public void start()
    {

    random = new Random();
    pattern = new ArrayList<Integer>();
    indexPattern = 0;
    dark = 2;
    flashed = 0;
    ticks = 0;
}
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) 
{
    ticks++;

    if (ticks % 20 == 0)
    {
        flashed = 0;

        if (dark >= 0)
        {
            dark--;
        }}

    if (creatingPattern)
    {
        if (dark <= 0)
        {
            if (indexPattern >= pattern.size())
            {
                flashed = random.nextInt(40) % 4 + 1;
                pattern.add(flashed);
                indexPattern = 0;
                creatingPattern = false;
            }
            else
            {
                flashed = pattern.get(indexPattern);
                indexPattern++;
            }

            dark = 2;
        }}
    else if (indexPattern == pattern.size())
    {
        creatingPattern = true;
        indexPattern = 0;
        dark = 2;
    }}
public void mainmenu()
{
    Timer timer = new Timer(20, this);
    start();
    timer.start();
    frame.setSize(WIDTH +7, HEIGHT +30);
    frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    frame.setResizable(false);
    menu = new JPanel();
    game = new JPanel();
    menu.setBackground(Color.yellow);
    game.setBackground(Color.yellow);
    JButton button = new JButton("Start");
    button.addActionListener(new ActionListener(){
        public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e){
            frame.setContentPane(game);
            frame.invalidate();
            frame.validate();
        };
    });

    menu.add(button);
    gamme();
    frame.add(menu);
    frame.setVisible(true);     
}

public void gamme()
{
    Border border = BorderFactory.createLineBorder(Color.black, 5);
    bbol.setBorder(border);
    bbgl.setBorder(border);
    bbgrl.setBorder(border);
    bbbl.setBorder(border);
    game.setLayout(new GridLayout(2,2));
    game.add(bbol);
    game.add(bbgl);
    game.add(bbgrl);
    game.add(bbbl);

}
public static void main(String[]args)
{
    new BeeBee();
}
@Override
public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) 
{
    int x = e.getX(), y = e.getY();

    if (!creatingPattern && !gameOver)
    {
        if (x>0 && x<WIDTH/2 && y>0 && y<HEIGHT/2)
        {
            flashed = 1;
            ticks = 1;
            bbol.setIcon(bboH);
        }
        else if (x>WIDTH/2 && x<WIDTH && y>0 && y<HEIGHT/2)
        {
            flashed = 2;
            ticks = 1;
            bbgl.setIcon(bbgH);
        }
        else if (x>0 && x<WIDTH/2 && y>HEIGHT/2 && y<HEIGHT)
        {
            flashed = 3;
            ticks = 1;
            bbgrl.setIcon(bbgrH);
        }
        else if (x>WIDTH/2 && x<WIDTH && y>HEIGHT/2 && y<HEIGHT)
        {
            flashed = 4;
            ticks = 1;
            bbbl.setIcon(bbbH);
        }
        if (flashed != 0)
        {
            if (pattern.get(indexPattern)==flashed)
            {
                indexPattern++;
            }
            else
            {
                gameOver = true;
            }
        }
        else
        {
            start();
            gameOver = true;
        }}
    else if (gameOver)
    {
        start();
        gameOver = false;
    }
    if (flashed == 1) {
        bbol.setIcon(bboH);
    } else 
    {
        bbol.setIcon(bbo);
    }
 if (flashed == 2) {
        bbgl.setIcon(bbgH);
    } else 
    {
        bbgl.setIcon(bbg);
    }
 if (flashed == 3) {
        bbgrl.setIcon(bbgrH);
    } else 
    {
        bbgrl.setIcon(bbgr);
    }
 if (flashed == 4) {
        bbbl.setIcon(bbbH);
    } else 
    {
        bbbl.setIcon(bbb);
    }
    game.repaint();  
}
@Override
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) 
{}
@Override
public void mouseEntered(MouseEvent e) 
{}
@Override
public void mouseExited(MouseEvent e) 
{}
@Override
public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent e) 
{}

}

Answer 1

setIcon(...) should be adequate to change the image in a JLabel. I question how you're adding the JLabel and when. If you're adding the component during program run, you're going to have to call revalidate() and repaint() on the container, the JPanel that is accepting the new JLabel. Usually it's better to add the JLabel at program start up and not have to worry about such issues. A

Also, what event is triggering this change? Your question and code are not adequate for us to determine this. Something in the back of my mind is worrying me that you've not yet written an event listener since we don't see any code above to suggest that the above code is present within a listener. Please clarify.

If still stuck, create and post your valid minimal example program.

---

You've still not posted a valid mcve, and so we still have to guess (please read the link),

But in your MouseListener, you're changing the state of the flashed field, but you're not calling any code that will change the image. I suspect that the critical code you've posted:

if (flashed == 1) 
{
     bbol.setIcon(bboH);
} else {
}

is present in your GUI creation code. If so, this is called once and only once, and will only use the original value of flashed. If you change the value of the flashed field, this code will not be magically re-called, but instead you must call it yourself. In other words, this code should be in the MouseListener.

Again, if you need more help, please do post a valid mcve code posted here as code-formatted text, that we can actually compile and run.

Also, if you want a blinking icon, then you're going to need tp create and use a Swing Timer, one that swaps the icons every xxx milliseconds.

For example:

import java.awt.BasicStroke;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Graphics2D;
import java.awt.RenderingHints;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;

import javax.swing.*;

@SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class BlinkingIcon extends JPanel {
    private static final int IMG_WIDTH = 200;
    private static final int GAP = 8;
    private static final int TIMER_DELAY = 100;

    // index into icons array
    private int iconIndex = 0;

    // array of image icons
    private Icon[] icons = new Icon[2];

    // JLabel that displays the icons
    private JLabel mainLabel = new JLabel();

    // Swing Timer that when started swaps the icons 
    private Timer flashingTimer = new Timer(TIMER_DELAY, new TimerListener());

    public BlinkingIcon() {
        // fill icons array with icons
        icons[0] = createIcon(Color.WHITE);
        icons[1] = createIcon(Color.RED);

        // add the first icon to the JLabel
        mainLabel.setIcon(icons[iconIndex]);

        // add the JLabel to the main JPanel, the GUI
        add(mainLabel);

        // add a MouseListener to the JLabel
        // one that turns the flashing timer on and off
        mainLabel.addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
            @Override
            public void mousePressed(MouseEvent e) {
                if (flashingTimer.isRunning()) {
                    flashingTimer.stop();
                } else {
                    flashingTimer.start();
                }
            }
        });
    }

    // for this example, I will create a simple icon that's little more than
    // a color circle, but any icons would work
    private Icon createIcon(Color white) {
        BufferedImage img = new BufferedImage(IMG_WIDTH, IMG_WIDTH, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB);
        Graphics2D g2 = img.createGraphics();
        g2.setRenderingHint(RenderingHints.KEY_ANTIALIASING, RenderingHints.VALUE_ANTIALIAS_ON);
        g2.setColor(white);
        g2.fillOval(GAP, GAP, IMG_WIDTH - 2 * GAP, IMG_WIDTH - 2 * GAP);
        g2.setStroke(new BasicStroke((float) GAP));
        g2.setColor(Color.BLACK);
        g2.drawOval(GAP, GAP, IMG_WIDTH - 2 * GAP, IMG_WIDTH - 2 * GAP);
        g2.dispose();
        Icon icon = new ImageIcon(img);        
        return icon;
    }

    // ActionListener for our flashingTimer
    private class TimerListener implements ActionListener {
        @Override
        public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
            // add one to the iconIndex, the index to the icons array
            iconIndex++;
            iconIndex %= icons.length; // set to 0 if it reaches length of array
            mainLabel.setIcon(icons[iconIndex]); // swap the icon!            
        }
    }

    private static void createAndShowGui() {
        BlinkingIcon mainPanel = new BlinkingIcon();

        JFrame frame = new JFrame("Blinking Icon");
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        frame.getContentPane().add(mainPanel);
        frame.pack();
        frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        frame.setVisible(true);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
            public void run() {
                createAndShowGui();
            }
        });
    }
}

---

Regarding your posted code, you have MouseListener code but add it to no component, and listeners only work if you attach them to something, for example

game.addMouseListener(this);