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Update JLabel text

I'm working on a simple GUI. On Button press i want to increase/decrease a variable and update the corresponding JLabel.
class JFrameSetUp
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class JFrameSetUp extends JFrame implements ActionListener {
private int RecHeight = 0;
private int RecWidth = 0;
//Here Buttons
JButton HeightIncrease = new JButton("+");
JButton HeightDecrease = new JButton("-");
JLabel height = new JLabel(Integer.toString(RecHeight));
JLabel width = new JLabel(Integer.toString(RecWidth));
GridLayout gridLayout = new GridLayout(2, 4);
public JFrameSetUp(){
}
public void addComponentsToPane(final Container pane){
//Create GridPanel and set Layout
JPanel grid = new JPanel();
grid.setLayout(gridLayout);
//Create buttondrawPanel and set Layout
JPanel buttondraw = new JPanel();
buttondraw.setLayout(new GridLayout(2, 0));
//Adding Components to GridPanel
//Adding Layouts to pane
pane.add(grid, BorderLayout.NORTH);
pane.add(new JSeparator(), BorderLayout.CENTER);
pane.add(buttondraw, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
}
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
//Setting up ActionListener to Buttons
if (e.getSource() == this.HeightDecrease) {
RecHeight -= 1;
height.setText(Integer.toString(RecHeight));
} else if (e.getSource() == this.HeightIncrease) {
RecHeight += 1;
height.setText(Integer.toString(RecHeight));
}
}
}
Class with MainMethod
import javax.swing.JFrame;
public class Program {
public static void main(String[] args) {
javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
createAndShowGUI();
}
});
}
private static void createAndShowGUI() {
//Create and set up the window.
JFrameSetUp frame = new JFrameSetUp();
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
//Set up the content pane.
frame.addComponentsToPane(frame.getContentPane());
//Display the window.
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
}
}
I'm aware, that's kind a newbish question. I think I'm wrong with my Code Structure. Any help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

You never register any ActionListeners to the buttons...
HeightIncrease.addActionListener(this);
HeightDecrease.addActionListener(this);
You also never add the buttons to the GUI
buttondraw.add(HeightIncrease);
buttondraw.add(HeightDecrease);
You also never add the labels to the GUI either...
grid.add(height);
grid.add(width);
I reworked the code, because your example was messing with my mind, hope you don't mind...
It's conceptually the same idea, just done slightly more efficently
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.GridLayout;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JSeparator;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class Test {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Test();
}
public Test() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(new TestPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class TestPane extends JPanel {
private int recHeight = 0;
private int recWidth = 0;
//Here Buttons
JButton heightIncrease = new JButton("+");
JButton heightDecrease = new JButton("-");
JLabel height = new JLabel(Integer.toString(recHeight));
JLabel width = new JLabel(Integer.toString(recWidth));
GridLayout gridLayout = new GridLayout(2, 4);
public TestPane() {
setLayout(new BorderLayout());
//Create GridPanel and set Layout
JPanel grid = new JPanel();
grid.setLayout(gridLayout);
grid.add(height);
grid.add(width);
//Create buttondrawPanel and set Layout
JPanel buttondraw = new JPanel();
buttondraw.setLayout(new GridLayout(2, 0));
heightIncrease.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
recHeight += 1;
height.setText(Integer.toString(recHeight));
}
});
heightDecrease.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
recHeight -= 1;
height.setText(Integer.toString(recHeight));
}
});
buttondraw.add(heightIncrease);
buttondraw.add(heightDecrease);
//Adding Components to GridPanel
//Adding Layouts to pane
add(grid, BorderLayout.NORTH);
add(new JSeparator(), BorderLayout.CENTER);
add(buttondraw, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
}
}
}
I would encourage you to spend some time having a look at How to Use Buttons, Check Boxes, and Radio Buttons and How to Write an Action Listeners for more details

After changing the value call
frame.repaint();

Good to see you learning Java! A few things I should point out.
Firstly, your variable names are good, but they don't follow the Java naming convention. Even though it seems small, it's just good practice to follow.
Of course, your actual problem; the action listener you've implemented is on the JFrame. (See how you extend JFrame and implement ActionListener?) This ActionListener should be on the button. You'll can do this a few ways.
Method 1: By adding it inline with your code
JButton heightButton = new JButton("Increase Height");
heightButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener(){
#Override
public void run(){
//run method here
}
});
Method 2: Create a class which implements ActionListener
class ButtonListener implements ActionListener{
#Override
public void run(){
//actionListener code here
}
}
And then instantiate an object of this type and add it directly to your code.
ActionListner buttonListener = new ButtonListener(); //or ButtonListener buttonListener = new ButtonListener();
JButton heightButton = new JButton("Increase Height");
heightButton.addActionListener(buttonListener);
Of course, as in MadProgrammers answer, don't forget to add the labels and such to your JFrame or JPanel. Good luck learning Java!

I bet that your program just shows nothing, isn't it? That's because in addComponentsToPane method, you didn't add any component but empty JPanels. After the comment //Adding Components to GridPanel, you should:
buttondraw.add(HeightIncrease);
buttondraw.add(HeightDecrease);
grid.add(height);
grid.add(width);
Then, to listen to button event, you should also add :
HeightIncrease.addActionListener(this);
HeightDecrease.addActionListener(this);
"this" is because your frame JFrameSetUp implements ActionListener, so when either bootton is clicked the method actionPerformed is invoked.
As JLabel.setText method will repaint itself and consequently its component hierarchi is repainted as well, you haven't to do anything othr.

How can I make the JMenuBar strape dissapear after the buttons?

How can I make the JMenuBar streak dissapear after the menuitems? I want to put a 2nd menu in the middle of the frame, and it looks weird with this streak.
I tried to set the background to Panel.background but it doesn't work.
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.BoxLayout;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JMenuBar;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
public class SwingMenuDemo extends JPanel {
public SwingMenuDemo(){
setLayout(null);
JMenuBar menuBar = new JMenuBar();
menuBar.setBackground(UIManager.getColor("Panel.background"));
menuBar.setBounds(0, 0, 450, 25);
add(menuBar);
JButton btn1 = new JButton("Menu1");
menuBar.add(btn1);
JButton btn2 = new JButton("Menu2");
menuBar.add(btn2);
JButton btn3 = new JButton("Menu3");
menuBar.add(btn3);
}
private static void createAndShowGUI() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("SwingMenuDemo");
frame.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(400,400));
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.getContentPane().setLayout(new BoxLayout(frame.getContentPane(),BoxLayout.PAGE_AXIS));
frame.getContentPane().add(new SwingMenuDemo());
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
createAndShowGUI();
}
});
}
}

If you want to create your own "menu" of several JButtons, then don't use JMenu and don't use null layout and setBounds(...) (you should avoid the latter just as a general rule). Instead nest JPanels, each using its own layout manager to allow for simple creation of complex GUI's.
For instance you could create a JPanel to hold the buttons, say called menuPanel, give it a new GridLayout(1, 0) layout, meaning it will hold a grid of components in 1 row, and a variable number of columns (that's what the 0 means). Then put your buttons in that.
Then place that JPanel into another JPanel that uses say FlowLayout.LEADING, 0, 0) as its layout -- it will push all its components to the left.
Then make the main GUI use a BorderLayout and add the above panel to it's top in the BorderLayout.PAGE_START position. For example:
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.FlowLayout;
import java.awt.GridLayout;
import javax.swing.*;
#SuppressWarnings("serial")
public class SwingMenuDemo2 extends JPanel {
private static final String[] MENU_TEXTS = {"Menu 1", "Menu 2", "Menu 3"};
private static final int PREF_W = 400;
private static final int PREF_H = PREF_W;
public SwingMenuDemo2() {
JPanel menuPanel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(1, 0));
for (String menuText : MENU_TEXTS) {
menuPanel.add(new JButton(menuText));
}
JPanel topPanel = new JPanel(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEADING, 0, 0));
topPanel.add(menuPanel);
setLayout(new BorderLayout());
add(topPanel, BorderLayout.PAGE_START);
}
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
if (isPreferredSizeSet()) {
return super.getPreferredSize();
}
return new Dimension(PREF_W, PREF_H);
}
private static void createAndShowGui() {
SwingMenuDemo2 mainPanel = new SwingMenuDemo2();
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Swing Menu Demo 2");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
frame.getContentPane().add(mainPanel);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationByPlatform(true);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(() -> createAndShowGui());
}
}

You can do that with
menuBar.setBorderPainted(false);

JButton Wont Display JPanel

I want to call My JPanel with button. My Jpanel is actually a sub JPanel from main Panel with card layout.
to do that, i am using card layout api method HERE to show the JPanel after a button was clicked.
JButton btnCallPanel1 = new JButton("Call PanelOne");
btnCallPanel1.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
CardLayout card = (CardLayout)mainPanel.getLayout();
card.show(mainPanel, "PanelOne"); //call Panel One
}
output :
nothing appear, panel not called and no error pop out.
My Code is HERE
package wan.dev.sample.cardlayout;
import java.awt.CardLayout;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
public class HowToUseCardLayout {
private JFrame frame;
/**
* Launch the application.
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
try {
HowToUseCardLayout window = new HowToUseCardLayout();
window.frame.setVisible(true);
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
});
}
/**
* Create the application.
*/
public HowToUseCardLayout() {
initialize();
}
/**
* Initialize the contents of the frame.
*/
private void initialize() {
frame = new JFrame();
frame.setBounds(100, 100, 688, 358);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.getContentPane().setLayout(null);
JPanel mainPanel = new JPanel();
mainPanel.setBounds(0, 0, 672, 260);
frame.getContentPane().add(mainPanel);
mainPanel.setLayout(new CardLayout(0, 0));
JPanel PrePanel = new JPanel();
mainPanel.add(PrePanel, "name_246268073832057");
PrePanel.setLayout(null);
JLabel lblPanel_1 = new JLabel("Pre Panel");
lblPanel_1.setBounds(280, 115, 57, 20);
PrePanel.add(lblPanel_1);
JPanel panelOne = new JPanel();
mainPanel.add(panelOne, "name_246268067657434");
panelOne.setLayout(null);
JLabel lblPanel = new JLabel("panel 1");
lblPanel.setBounds(279, 118, 46, 14);
panelOne.add(lblPanel);
JButton btnPan1 = new JButton("Call PanelOne");
btnPan1.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
CardLayout card = (CardLayout) mainPanel.getLayout();
card.show(mainPanel, "PanelOne");
}
});
btnPan1.setBounds(262, 286, 144, 23);
frame.getContentPane().add(btnPan1);
}
}
ANSWER
The reason i cant call my panel because i did not call it by using identifier.
i have to give identifier name to my desire jpanel and use the identifier on my cardLayout.show(..)
Public Static final String PANEL_ONE = "panel one"; //Name of JPanel Identifier
//add panel to main panel and declare panelOne identifier
mainPanel.add(panelOne, PANEL_ONE); //PANEL_ONE function like
//an identifier
JButton btnCallPanel1 = new JButton("Call PanelOne");
btnCallPanel1.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
CardLayout card =
(CardLayout)mainPanel.getLayout();
card.show(mainPanel, PANEL_ONE); //call panelOne using PANEL_ONE
//instead of JPanel name
}

As I suspected — You're calling the CardLayout.show(...) method with the String parameter "PanelOne", but yet you've not added any component to the CardLayout-using container using this same String, so it makes sense that it won't work. Solution: don't do this. Use the Same String that you add the component to the CardLayout using container as the one that you use to display it.
i.e., If you want to display container foo and use the String "bar" to add it to the CardLayout-using container, then you must pass "bar" into the CardLayout's show(...) method. Again, use String constants for this so that you reduce the chances of messing up.
Other issues: You're using null layout and setBounds — Don't. Doing this makes for very inflexible GUI's that while they might look good on one platform look terrible on most other platforms or screen resolutions and that are very difficult to update and maintain.
e.g.,
import java.awt.CardLayout;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import javax.swing.*;
public class CardLayoutFoo extends JPanel {
public static final String BAR = "bar";
public static final String BUTTON_PANEL = "button panel";
private CardLayout cardlayout = new CardLayout();
public CardLayoutFoo() {
setLayout(cardlayout);
JLabel fooLabel = new JLabel("Foo", SwingConstants.CENTER);
add(fooLabel, BAR); // added using String constant, BAR
JButton showFooBtn = new JButton(new AbstractAction("Show Foo") {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent evt) {
// use same String, BAR, to get the fooLabl shown
cardlayout.show(CardLayoutFoo.this, BAR);
}
});
JPanel btnPanel = new JPanel();
btnPanel.add(showFooBtn);
add(btnPanel, BUTTON_PANEL);
cardlayout.show(this, BUTTON_PANEL);
}
private static void createAndShowGui() {
CardLayoutFoo mainPanel = new CardLayoutFoo();
JFrame frame = new JFrame("CardLayoutFoo");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
frame.getContentPane().add(mainPanel);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationByPlatform(true);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
createAndShowGui();
}
});
}
}

How would I use a button in Java to open Jframe over existing Jframe

I have 2 frames, the first frame has the nothing more and a button, which leads to another frame which will have all the components, like tabs which have more components.
The code I am using is:
button_1.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
{
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
JFrame Frame_2 = new JFrame();
Frame_1.setVisible(false);
Frame_2.setVisible(true);
}
});
this is creating a new separate frame , but i want to create new JFrame over existing JFrame
update
#VinceEmigh +1
Thanks for the detail custom solution. It shows that someone is really willing to help, I am a self learner , started just 3 months ago so your code is bit difficult to understand, but the idea of using cardlayout did the work and i came up with a solution.
JFrame guiFrame = new JFrame();
CardLayout cards;
JPanel cardPane;
JButton B_1 = new JButton("Next Card");
B_1.setActionCommand("Next Card");
B_1.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
{
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event)
{
cards.next(cardPane);
}
});
cards = new CardLayout();
cardPane = new JPanel();
cardPane.setLayout(cards);
cards.show(cardPane, "Main");
JPanel Card_1 = new JPanel();
JLabel background_1 = new JLabel(new ImageIcon("C:\\Users\\ME\\Desktop\\Back1.jpg"));
Card_1.add(background_1);
Card_1.add(B_1);
JPanel Card_2 = new JPanel();
JLabel background_2 = new JLabel(new ImageIcon("C:\\Users\\ME\\Desktop\\Back2.jpg"));
Card_2.add(background_2);
cardPane.add(Card_1, "Main");
cardPane.add(Card_2, "Sub");

You shouldnt use 2 frames. You should use 1 frame, then switch between panels in the frame using CardLayout. Unless you're referring to nesting a frame within a frame, creating 2 different frames for 1 applicarion is typically bad practice, and should be avoided if possible.
Set your frames layout to CardLayout, add 2 panels to your frame. One panel contains the button, the other has the components.
When your button event triggers throuhh an actionlistener, switch out the panels using the cardlayout you put for the frames layout.
import java.awt.CardLayout;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
public class App extends JFrame {
private CardLayout cl = new CardLayout();
private JPanel firstPanel = new FirstPanel();
private JPanel secondPanel = new SecondPanel();
public App() {
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
setSize(500, 500);
setLayout(cl);
add(firstPanel, "first");
add(secondPanel, "second");
setLocationRelativeTo(null);
setVisible(true);
}
public void switchPanel(String name) {
cl.show(getContentPane(), name);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
App app = new App();
}
});
}
class FirstPanel extends JPanel implements ActionListener {
private JButton button = new JButton("Button");
public FirstPanel() {
button.addActionListener(this);
add(button);
}
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if(e.getSource() == button) {
switchPanel("second");
}
}
}
class SecondPanel extends JPanel { }
}

removeAll not removing at next validate?

Can someone explain why the following doesn't work as I expect?
Pressing the button 'should' result in the display only containing the (empty) JScrollPane, ie the input field and button should disappear. However they stay until the component is resized...
public static void main(String[] args)
{
JFrame frame = new JFrame("test");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
final JPanel panel = new JPanel();
Container cp = frame.getContentPane();
cp.setLayout(new FlowLayout());
cp.add(new JScrollPane(panel));
Component textField = new JTextField("i am input");
JButton button = new JButton(new AbstractAction("i am pressy")
{
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
{
// this is already on the EDT
panel.removeAll();
panel.revalidate();
}
});
panel.setLayout(new FlowLayout());
panel.add(textField);
panel.add(button);
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
}
Thanks for your help. p.

When updating a visible GUI the code should be:
panel.revalidate();
panel.repaint(); // sometimes needed, this appears to be one of them

The revalidate() method marks components as needing to be laid out, but until something triggers repaint() you won't see any change. Resizing the parent window is one such trigger; switching applications is another. In this previous version, note how setSize() on the panel obviates the need for repaint(). Similarly, this example changes the layout in resetGame().
The article Painting in AWT and Swing goes into more detail.
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import javax.swing.AbstractAction;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import javax.swing.WindowConstants;
/** #see https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5812002 */
public class RevalidateTest {
private static JPanel panel = new JPanel(); // default FlowLayout
private static JTextField text = new JTextField("Text field");
private static JButton clear = new JButton(new AbstractAction("Clear") {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
panel.removeAll();
panel.add(reset);
panel.revalidate();
panel.repaint();
}
});
private static JButton reset = new JButton(new AbstractAction("Reset") {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
panel.removeAll();
panel.add(text);
panel.add(clear);
panel.revalidate();
panel.repaint();
}
});
static void createAndShowGUI() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Test");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
panel.add(text);
panel.add(clear);
frame.add(panel); // default BorderLayout center
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
createAndShowGUI();
}
});
}
}

You can execute panel.repaint() as specified in the comment by #Jeremy, however, the UI will still change when you resize the window. The reason being that the removal of the elements from the JPanel will cause the panel to resize. A repaint operation will not cause the panel to resize until the JFrame rechecks its layout (as happens on a window resize).
To make sure that the layout is correctly layed out on a change, you can call frame.validate(). This operation will cause the JFrame to revalidate itself and all child components, which is the same operation that is taking place during a window resize event. To execute this method in your code you would need to change JFrame frame to final, i.e.,
final JFrame frame = new JFrame("test");