diff --git a/src/share/classes/javax/swing/plaf/basic/BasicTextUI.java b/src/share/classes/javax/swing/plaf/basic/BasicTextUI.java
index bec3faacbfd8224baa89587590dfcc4ec7d99412..9d037c1e670af601dc8ecdbb02c09c173f6c69a8 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/javax/swing/plaf/basic/BasicTextUI.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/javax/swing/plaf/basic/BasicTextUI.java
@@ -1560,6 +1560,10 @@ public abstract class BasicTextUI extends TextUI implements ViewFactory {
          * location that one might place a caret.  Some views may not be visible,
          * they might not be in the same order found in the model, or they just
          * might not allow access to some of the locations in the model.
+         * This method enables specifying a position to convert
+         * within the range of >=0.  If the value is -1, a position
+         * will be calculated automatically.  If the value < -1,
+         * the {@code BadLocationException} will be thrown.
          *
          * @param pos the position to convert >= 0
          * @param a the allocated region to render into
@@ -1569,13 +1573,17 @@ public abstract class BasicTextUI extends TextUI implements ViewFactory {
          *  SwingConstants.NORTH, or SwingConstants.SOUTH.
          * @return the location within the model that best represents the next
          *  location visual position.
-         * @exception BadLocationException
+         * @exception BadLocationException the given position is not a valid
+         *                                 position within the document
          * @exception IllegalArgumentException for an invalid direction
          */
         public int getNextVisualPositionFrom(int pos, Position.Bias b, Shape a,
                                              int direction,
                                              Position.Bias[] biasRet)
             throws BadLocationException {
+            if (pos < -1) {
+                throw new BadLocationException("invalid position", pos);
+            }
             if( view != null ) {
                 int nextPos = view.getNextVisualPositionFrom(pos, b, a,
                                                      direction, biasRet);
diff --git a/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/AsyncBoxView.java b/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/AsyncBoxView.java
index 7440eee2a26398b38890ece610e1f3d32cf15009..63ed6ffc525a919cd20fee0db05e04b2397b9fbd 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/AsyncBoxView.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/AsyncBoxView.java
@@ -827,8 +827,12 @@ public class AsyncBoxView extends View {
      * location that one might place a caret.  Some views may not be visible,
      * they might not be in the same order found in the model, or they just
      * might not allow access to some of the locations in the model.
+     * This method enables specifying a position to convert
+     * within the range of &gt;=0.  If the value is -1, a position
+     * will be calculated automatically.  If the value &lt; -1,
+     * the {@code BadLocationException} will be thrown.
      *
-     * @param pos the position to convert &gt;= 0
+     * @param pos the position to convert
      * @param a the allocated region to render into
      * @param direction the direction from the current position that can
      *  be thought of as the arrow keys typically found on a keyboard;
@@ -842,13 +846,17 @@ public class AsyncBoxView extends View {
      * @param biasRet an array contain the bias that was checked
      * @return the location within the model that best represents the next
      *  location visual position
-     * @exception BadLocationException
+     * @exception BadLocationException the given position is not a valid
+     *                                 position within the document
      * @exception IllegalArgumentException if <code>direction</code> is invalid
      */
     public int getNextVisualPositionFrom(int pos, Position.Bias b, Shape a,
                                          int direction,
                                          Position.Bias[] biasRet)
                                                   throws BadLocationException {
+        if (pos < -1) {
+            throw new BadLocationException("invalid position", pos);
+        }
         return Utilities.getNextVisualPositionFrom(
                             this, pos, b, a, direction, biasRet);
     }
diff --git a/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/CompositeView.java b/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/CompositeView.java
index 0af70dd335a347e9b6637ec9226d6e20c643a969..6d57c638bb9e42844e18c542fbf70d94bb26f369 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/CompositeView.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/CompositeView.java
@@ -435,8 +435,12 @@ public abstract class CompositeView extends View {
      * might not allow access to some of the locations in the model.
      * This is a convenience method for {@link #getNextNorthSouthVisualPositionFrom}
      * and {@link #getNextEastWestVisualPositionFrom}.
+     * This method enables specifying a position to convert
+     * within the range of &gt;=0.  If the value is -1, a position
+     * will be calculated automatically.  If the value &lt; -1,
+     * the {@code BadLocationException} will be thrown.
      *
-     * @param pos the position to convert &gt;= 0
+     * @param pos the position to convert
      * @param b a bias value of either <code>Position.Bias.Forward</code>
      *  or <code>Position.Bias.Backward</code>
      * @param a the allocated region to render into
@@ -452,12 +456,16 @@ public abstract class CompositeView extends View {
      * @param biasRet an array containing the bias that was checked
      * @return the location within the model that best represents the next
      *  location visual position
-     * @exception BadLocationException
+     * @exception BadLocationException the given position is not a valid
+     *                                 position within the document
      * @exception IllegalArgumentException if <code>direction</code> is invalid
      */
     public int getNextVisualPositionFrom(int pos, Position.Bias b, Shape a,
                                          int direction, Position.Bias[] biasRet)
       throws BadLocationException {
+        if (pos < -1) {
+            throw new BadLocationException("invalid position", pos);
+        }
         Rectangle alloc = getInsideAllocation(a);
 
         switch (direction) {
diff --git a/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/GlyphView.java b/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/GlyphView.java
index 0c801cfc04ac060487ebce1a100ea18451fccfec..6aef3682392e8cafb27a84012eb81efecff5518f 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/GlyphView.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/GlyphView.java
@@ -879,8 +879,12 @@ public class GlyphView extends View implements TabableView, Cloneable {
      * visible, they might not be in the same order found in the model, or
      * they just might not allow access to some of the locations in the
      * model.
+     * This method enables specifying a position to convert
+     * within the range of &gt;=0.  If the value is -1, a position
+     * will be calculated automatically.  If the value &lt; -1,
+     * the {@code BadLocationException} will be thrown.
      *
-     * @param pos the position to convert &gt;= 0
+     * @param pos the position to convert
      * @param a the allocated region to render into
      * @param direction the direction from the current position that can
      *  be thought of as the arrow keys typically found on a keyboard.
@@ -888,7 +892,8 @@ public class GlyphView extends View implements TabableView, Cloneable {
      *  SwingConstants.NORTH, or SwingConstants.SOUTH.
      * @return the location within the model that best represents the next
      *  location visual position.
-     * @exception BadLocationException
+     * @exception BadLocationException the given position is not a valid
+     *                                 position within the document
      * @exception IllegalArgumentException for an invalid direction
      */
     public int getNextVisualPositionFrom(int pos, Position.Bias b, Shape a,
@@ -896,6 +901,9 @@ public class GlyphView extends View implements TabableView, Cloneable {
                                          Position.Bias[] biasRet)
         throws BadLocationException {
 
+        if (pos < -1) {
+            throw new BadLocationException("invalid position", pos);
+        }
         return painter.getNextVisualPositionFrom(this, pos, b, a, direction, biasRet);
     }
 
diff --git a/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/View.java b/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/View.java
index 1bd35207094cabd955242475e534b678ff777b93..e4e0a5147dff9edf1da57e2d9975e3d7ee13bd5e 100644
--- a/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/View.java
+++ b/src/share/classes/javax/swing/text/View.java
@@ -476,8 +476,12 @@ public abstract class View implements SwingConstants {
      * Some views may not be visible,
      * they might not be in the same order found in the model, or they just
      * might not allow access to some of the locations in the model.
+     * This method enables specifying a position to convert
+     * within the range of &gt;=0.  If the value is -1, a position
+     * will be calculated automatically.  If the value &lt; -1,
+     * the {@code BadLocationException} will be thrown.
      *
-     * @param pos the position to convert &gt;= 0
+     * @param pos the position to convert
      * @param a the allocated region in which to render
      * @param direction the direction from the current position that can
      *  be thought of as the arrow keys typically found on a keyboard.
@@ -490,7 +494,8 @@ public abstract class View implements SwingConstants {
      * </ul>
      * @return the location within the model that best represents the next
      *  location visual position
-     * @exception BadLocationException
+     * @exception BadLocationException the given position is not a valid
+     *                                 position within the document
      * @exception IllegalArgumentException if <code>direction</code>
      *          doesn't have one of the legal values above
      */