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Java Swing open form on button click

I am developing a card flip flop game in java Swing(using java swing for 1st time). I am using netbeans, I have a menu like new game.. I want that when the user clicks new game button then the game starts. But i dont know how to do this, like when user clicks button , then in event handling action function,is it like this?
private void jButton1ActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {
// TODO add your handling code here:
JFrame myframe = new JFrame();
//and the game functionality here
}

You are doing the right thing if you want to have a new window open upon click a button. In your sample code, you need to make the new frame visible.
public class NewGame {
public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Start up frame");
JButton newGameButton = new JButton("New Game");
frame.setLayout(new FlowLayout());
frame.add(newGameButton);
frame.setVisible(true);
newGameButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
JFrame newGameWindow = new JFrame("A new game!");
newGameWindow.setVisible(true);
newGameWindow.add(new JLabel("Customize your game ui in the new window!"));
newGameWindow.pack();
}
});
frame.pack();
}
}

How to display one Jframe at a time? [duplicate]

I'm trying to make a little game that will first show the player a simple login screen where they can enter their name (I will need it later to store their game state info), let them pick a difficulty level etc, and will only show the main game screen once the player has clicked the play button. I'd also like to allow the player to navigate to a (hopefully for them rather large) trophy collection, likewise in what will appear to them to be a new screen.
So far I have a main game window with a grid layout and a game in it that works (Yay for me!). Now I want to add the above functionality.
How do I go about doing this? I don't think I want to go the multiple JFrame route as I only want one icon visible in the taskbar at a time (or would setting their visibility to false effect the icon too?) Do I instead make and destroy layouts or panels or something like that?
What are my options? How can I control what content is being displayed? Especially given my newbie skills?

A simple modal dialog such as a JDialog should work well here. The main GUI which will likely be a JFrame can be invisible when the dialog is called, and then set to visible (assuming that the log-on was successful) once the dialog completes. If the dialog is modal, you'll know exactly when the user has closed the dialog as the code will continue right after the line where you call setVisible(true) on the dialog. Note that the GUI held by a JDialog can be every bit as complex and rich as that held by a JFrame.
Another option is to use one GUI/JFrame but swap views (JPanels) in the main GUI via a CardLayout. This could work quite well and is easy to implement. Check out the CardLayout tutorial for more.
Oh, and welcome to stackoverflow.com!

Here is an example of a Login Dialog as #HovercraftFullOfEels suggested.
Username: stackoverflow Password: stackoverflow
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.util.Arrays;
import javax.swing.*;
public class TestFrame extends JFrame {
private PassWordDialog passDialog;
public TestFrame() {
passDialog = new PassWordDialog(this, true);
passDialog.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
JFrame frame = new TestFrame();
frame.getContentPane().setBackground(Color.BLACK);
frame.setTitle("Logged In");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setExtendedState(JFrame.MAXIMIZED_BOTH);
}
});
}
}
class PassWordDialog extends JDialog {
private final JLabel jlblUsername = new JLabel("Username");
private final JLabel jlblPassword = new JLabel("Password");
private final JTextField jtfUsername = new JTextField(15);
private final JPasswordField jpfPassword = new JPasswordField();
private final JButton jbtOk = new JButton("Login");
private final JButton jbtCancel = new JButton("Cancel");
private final JLabel jlblStatus = new JLabel(" ");
public PassWordDialog() {
this(null, true);
}
public PassWordDialog(final JFrame parent, boolean modal) {
super(parent, modal);
JPanel p3 = new JPanel(new GridLayout(2, 1));
p3.add(jlblUsername);
p3.add(jlblPassword);
JPanel p4 = new JPanel(new GridLayout(2, 1));
p4.add(jtfUsername);
p4.add(jpfPassword);
JPanel p1 = new JPanel();
p1.add(p3);
p1.add(p4);
JPanel p2 = new JPanel();
p2.add(jbtOk);
p2.add(jbtCancel);
JPanel p5 = new JPanel(new BorderLayout());
p5.add(p2, BorderLayout.CENTER);
p5.add(jlblStatus, BorderLayout.NORTH);
jlblStatus.setForeground(Color.RED);
jlblStatus.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.CENTER);
setLayout(new BorderLayout());
add(p1, BorderLayout.CENTER);
add(p5, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
pack();
setLocationRelativeTo(null);
setDefaultCloseOperation(DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
addWindowListener(new WindowAdapter() {
#Override
public void windowClosing(WindowEvent e) {
System.exit(0);
}
});
jbtOk.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if (Arrays.equals("stackoverflow".toCharArray(), jpfPassword.getPassword())
&& "stackoverflow".equals(jtfUsername.getText())) {
parent.setVisible(true);
setVisible(false);
} else {
jlblStatus.setText("Invalid username or password");
}
}
});
jbtCancel.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
setVisible(false);
parent.dispose();
System.exit(0);
}
});
}
}

I suggest you insert the following code:
JFrame f = new JFrame();
JTextField text = new JTextField(15); //the 15 sets the size of the text field
JPanel p = new JPanel();
JButton b = new JButton("Login");
f.add(p); //so you can add more stuff to the JFrame
f.setSize(250,150);
f.setVisible(true);
f.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
Insert that when you want to add the stuff in. Next we will add all the stuff to the JPanel:
p.add(text);
p.add(b);
Now we add the ActionListeners to make the JButtons to work:
b.addActionListener(this);
public void actionPerforemed(ActionEvent e)
{
//Get the text of the JTextField
String TEXT = text.getText();
}
Don't forget to import the following if you haven't already:
import java.awt.event*;
import java.awt.*; //Just in case we need it
import java.x.swing.*;
I hope everything i said makes sense, because sometimes i don't (especially when I'm talking coding/Java) All the importing (if you didn't know) goes at the top of your code.

Instead of adding the game directly to JFrame, you can add your content to JPanel (let's call it GamePanel) and add this panel to the frame. Do the same thing for login screen: add all content to JPanel (LoginPanel) and add it to frame. When your game will start, you should do the following:
Add LoginPanel to frame
Get user input and load it's details
Add GamePanel and destroy LoginPanel (since it will be quite fast to re-create new one, so you don't need to keep it memory).

JAVA have calling method wait for activity in JFrame to complete

Currently I am calling a method (showFrames) which pops up a JFrame which contains many editable text fields. I am storing the value of these text fields in a list (editedFields) which I need to use in the calling method. My issue is that my calling method is not waiting for the user to select ok/cancel before continuing so the list is not populated when I am trying to take action on it. I tried to overcome this by using a modal dialog to no avail. the method is being called here...
...
showFrames(longToShortNameMap);
if (editedFields != null) {
for (JTextField field : editedFields) {
System.out.println(field.getText());
}
}
...
and the showFrames method is implemented as:
private static void showFrames(Map<String, String> longToShortNameMap) {
final ToolDialog frame = new ToolDialog("Data Changed");
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setModal(true);
frame.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setSize(400, 500);
frame.setResizable(true);
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
JPanel panel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(0, 2));
JPanel buttonPanel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(2, 0));
List<String> keys = new ArrayList(longToShortNameMap.keySet());
final List<JTextField> textFields = new ArrayList<>();
for (String key : keys) {
JLabel label = new JLabel(key);
JTextField textField = new JTextField(longToShortNameMap.get(key));
panel.add(label);
panel.add(textField);
textFields.add(textField);
}
JButton okButton = new JButton("OK"); //added for ok button
okButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
editedFields = textFields;
frame.setVisible(false);
frame.dispose();
}
});
JButton cancelButton = new JButton("Cancel");//added for cancel button
cancelButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
frame.setVisible(false);
frame.dispose();
}
});
okButton.setVisible(true);//added for ok button
cancelButton.setVisible(true);//added for cancel button
buttonPanel.add(okButton);//added for ok button
buttonPanel.add(cancelButton);//added for cancel button
JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane(panel);
scrollPane.setVisible(true);
scrollPane.setSize(500, 500);
frame.add(scrollPane, BorderLayout.CENTER);
frame.add(buttonPanel, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
}
the current behavior I observe is that when the JFrame pops up, all the fields will immediately print out instead of waiting for the user to click "OK". Effectively this means I am receiving the default values in the text fields instead of the edited values.
Note: ToolDialog extends JDialog

The basic problem that you have is that you are instantiating the Dialog first, making it visible, and then adding fields to it.
That is essentially incorrect. All objects should be added to it while you are instantiating the Frame/Dialog, preferably in the constructor call. Then, you make it visible when everything is ready.
Of course, you can add a new field to the frame after showing it already, but that is typically done based on some event, for example, when user clicks "Add a new number", then you add new text fields, etc to it.
So, the fix for you is simple, move the logic that adds the buttons, the lists, the panels etc, to the constructor, and then make that window visible.

You have 2 different issues here :
Waiting for a dialog.
Displaying the dialog correctly.
1.- Waiting for a dialog.
You should use a JDialog instead of a JFrame to make the window modal.
The window is not modal because you are showing it before setting it to modal. See JDialog.setModal :
Note: changing modality of the visible dialog may have no effect until
it is hidden and then shown again.
You need to switch theese two lines :
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setModal(true);
An alternate way is to synchronize with a countdown latch:
CountDownLatch latch = new CountDownLatch(1);
.......
showFrames(longToShortNameMap);
latch.await(); // suspends thread util dialog calls latch.countDown
if (editedFields != null) {
.......
/// Dialog code
latch.countDown(); // place it everywhere you are done with the dialog.
dispose();
2.- Displaying the dialog correctly.
Place frame.setVisible(true) as the last line of showFrames.

Java - How to make contents of JFrame appear in the same Window instead of multiple windows

I am new to java and am getting to the advanced level of it, i have a problem in the GUI Controls, i made a button that when clicked opens up a new window like this:
JButton b = new JButton("Open New Window");
b.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
Window w = new Window();
w.setVisible(true);
}
});
this window contains other objects but i have been thinking of making the button in such a way that instead of opening a new JFrame, it opens everything in that same window without opening a new window, honestly i dont know how to do so please could i get some professional help

I think you want a card layout for this situation. Here is some code which should point you in the right direction.
class MyFrame extends JFrame {
public MyFrame() {
JComponent allMyStuff = new JComponent();
JComponent allMyOtherStuff = new JComponent();
this.getContentPane().setLayout(new CardLayout());
this.getContentPane().add(allMyStuff, "1");
this.getContentPane().add(allMyOtherStuff, "2");
CardLayout cl = (CardLayout) (this.getContentPane().getLayout());
cl.show(this.getContentPane(), "1");
JButton b = new JButton("Open New Window"); //add somewhere to first compoonent
b.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
CardLayout cl = (CardLayout) (this.getContentPane().getLayout());
cl.show(this.getContentPane(), "2");
}
});
}
}
I doubt the code runs but generally it holds the idea. You have stuff in one panel, and stuff in another panel, and you just want to switch between the two. The button of course needs to be added in the first panel (allMyStuff) somewhere.

I"m not clear on what it is exactly that you want to show in the GUI when the button is pressed, but perhaps you should consider creating different JPanel "views" and swap these views in the GUI using a CardLayout.
For example, check out these StackOverflow questions and answers:
Java CardLayout Main Menu Problem
Change size of JPanel using CardLayout
Java CardLayout JPanel moves up, when second JPanel added
Java swing; How to toggle panel's visibility?
Clear components of JFrame and add new componets on the same JFrame
gui multiple frames switch
JLabel displaying countdown, java

Within the action listener that you have introduced, you have the possibility to access to instance variables. Therefore you can add further elements to your GUI if you want. I've done a small demo, maybe this is kind of, what you want to do. In order to make your GUI better, you should consider of using layout managers.
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
public class GUI {
JFrame frame;
JButton btn;
JButton compToAdd;
public GUI() {
frame = new JFrame("Testwindow");
frame.setSize(500, 500);
frame.setLayout(null);
btn = new JButton("test btn");
btn.setBounds(20, 20, 200, 200);
btn.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
compToAdd = new JButton("new Button");
compToAdd.setBounds(20, 220, 200, 200);
frame.add(compToAdd);
frame.repaint();
}
});
frame.add(btn);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
GUI gui = new GUI();
}
}

Why doesnt my JButton always pop up on a GUI?

So im making a game, and i want a jbutton to pop up in the window and when you click it you can log in. the problem is that when i start the game, it doesnt always pop up, which is kind of annoying. the only think would be the problem is the order im doing things. here is the code:
public static void createWindow() {
ImagePanel panel = new ImagePanel(
new ImageIcon(backgroundFile).getImage()); //used for the background
JButton login = new JButton(new AbstractAction("Login") {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
Login.createWindow();
}
});
login.setBounds(300, 300, 100, 100);
frame.getContentPane().add(panel); //sets the background to a pic
frame.setJMenuBar(MenuBar.menuBarCreator()); creates the menu bar
frame.pack();
frame.setResizable(false);
frame.setTitle("*Game Title* Beta 0.0.1 ADMINISTRATOR VERSION");
frame.setSize(ImagePanel.img.getWidth(null),
ImagePanel.img.getHeight(null));
frame.setLocation(Monitor.setLocationHeight(),
Monitor.setLocationWidth());
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
StreamingLineSound.start(soundFile); //starts a music file
frame.add(login);
}
any help would be fantastic. so basically all i want is an idea why it doesnt pop up all the time. thanks

Code line frame.setVisible(true); must be last line in the public static void createWindow() {, because you display JFrame and thenafter add frame.add(login);