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Why is my thread not working properly in Swing?

I am printing simple value to append JTextArea using simple for loop, and when I run it, it's properly Run if I print value in console output...
But if I append JTextArea and print value in the text area, they are appended all after whole program run.
public class SwingThread {
private JFrame frame;
/**
* Launch the application.
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
try {
SwingThread window = new SwingThread();
window.frame.setVisible(true);
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
});
}
/**
* Create the application.
*/
public SwingThread() {
initialize();
}
/**
* Initialize the contents of the frame.
*/
private void initialize() {
frame = new JFrame();
frame.setBounds(100, 100, 450, 300);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane();
frame.getContentPane().add(scrollPane, BorderLayout.CENTER);
JTextArea textArea = new JTextArea();
scrollPane.setViewportView(textArea);
JButton btnNewButton = new JButton("New button");
scrollPane.setColumnHeaderView(btnNewButton);
btnNewButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
{
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0)
{
try
{
for(int i = 0 ; i <= 5 ; i++)
{
textArea.append("Value "+i+"\n");
System.out.println("Value is" + i);
Thread.sleep(1000);
}
}
catch(Exception e)
{
System.out.println("Error : "+e);
}
}
});
}
}
I want to append one by one, but it was appended after the whole program runs.

Your problem is with your use of Thread.sleep, since when you call this on the Swing event thread (or EDT for Event Dispatch Thread) as you are doing, it will put the entire Swing event thread to sleep. When this happens the actions of this thread cannot be performed, including painting the GUI (updating it) and interacting with the user, and this will completely freeze your GUI -- not good. The solution in this current situation is to use a Swing Timer as a pseudo-loop. The Timer creates a loop within a background thread and guarantees that all code within its actionPerformed method will be called on the Swing event thread, a necessity here since we don't want to append to the JTextArea off of this thread.
Also as others have noted, if all you want to do is to perform a repeated action with delay in Swing, then yes, use this Swing Timer. If on the other hand you wish to run a long-running bit of code in Swing, then again this code will block the EDT and will freeze your program. For this situation use a background thread such as one supplied by a SwingWorker. Please check out Lesson: Concurrency in Swing for more on this.
e.g.,
btnNewButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {
// delay between timer ticks: 1000
int timerDelay = 1000;
new Timer(timerDelay, new ActionListener() {
private int counter = 0;
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
// timer's stopping condition
if (counter >= MAX_VALUE) { // MAX_VALUE is a constant int = 5
((Timer) e.getSource()).stop();
} else {
textArea.append("Value " + counter + "\n");
}
counter++; // increment timer's counter variable
}
}).start();
}
});
The whole thing:
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class SwingThread2 {
protected static final int MAX_VALUE = 5; // our constant
private JFrame frame;
public static void main(String[] args) {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
try {
SwingThread2 window = new SwingThread2();
window.frame.setVisible(true);
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
});
}
public SwingThread2() {
initialize();
}
private void initialize() {
frame = new JFrame();
// frame.setBounds(100, 100, 450, 300); // avoid this
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane();
frame.getContentPane().add(scrollPane, BorderLayout.CENTER);
JTextArea textArea = new JTextArea(15, 40);
scrollPane.setViewportView(textArea);
JButton btnNewButton = new JButton("New button");
scrollPane.setColumnHeaderView(btnNewButton);
btnNewButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {
// delay between timer ticks: 1000
int timerDelay = 1000;
new Timer(timerDelay, new ActionListener() {
private int counter = 0;
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
// timer's stopping condition
if (counter >= MAX_VALUE) { // MAX_VALUE is a constant int = 5
((Timer) e.getSource()).stop();
} else {
textArea.append("Value " + counter + "\n");
}
counter++; // increment timer's counter variable
}
}).start();
}
});
// better to avoid setting sizes but instead to
// let the components size themselves vis pack
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
}
}
Just for further information, here is an example of the same program above that uses a SwingWorker to perform a long running action, and then update a JProgressBar with this action. The worker is quite simple, and simply uses a while loop to advance a counter variable by a bounded random amount. It then transmits uses this value to update its own progress property (a value that can only be from 0 to 100, and so in other situations, the value will need to be normalized to comply with this). I attach a PropertyChangeListener to the worker, and this is notified on the Swing event thread whenever the worker's progress value changes and also whenever the SwingWorker changes state, such as when it is done operating. In the latter situation, the worker's StateValue becomes StateValue.DONE. The listener then updates the GUI accordingly. Please ask if any questions.
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.beans.PropertyChangeEvent;
import java.beans.PropertyChangeListener;
import java.util.Random;
import java.util.concurrent.ExecutionException;
import javax.swing.*;
public class SwingThread2 {
protected static final int MAX_VALUE = 5; // our constant
private JFrame frame;
private JProgressBar progressBar = new JProgressBar();
public static void main(String[] args) {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
try {
SwingThread2 window = new SwingThread2();
window.frame.setVisible(true);
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
});
}
public SwingThread2() {
initialize();
}
private void initialize() {
frame = new JFrame();
// frame.setBounds(100, 100, 450, 300); // avoid this
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane();
frame.getContentPane().add(scrollPane, BorderLayout.CENTER);
JTextArea textArea = new JTextArea(15, 40);
scrollPane.setViewportView(textArea);
JButton btnNewButton = new JButton("New button");
scrollPane.setColumnHeaderView(btnNewButton);
btnNewButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {
// delay between timer ticks: 1000
int timerDelay = 1000;
new Timer(timerDelay, new ActionListener() {
private int counter = 0;
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
// timer's stopping condition
if (counter >= MAX_VALUE) { // MAX_VALUE is a constant
// int = 5
((Timer) e.getSource()).stop();
} else {
textArea.append("Value " + counter + "\n");
}
counter++; // increment timer's counter variable
}
}).start();
}
});
progressBar.setStringPainted(true);
JPanel bottomPanel = new JPanel();
bottomPanel.setLayout(new BoxLayout(bottomPanel, BoxLayout.LINE_AXIS));
bottomPanel.add(new JButton(new MyAction("Press Me")));
bottomPanel.add(progressBar);
frame.getContentPane().add(bottomPanel, BorderLayout.PAGE_END);
// better to avoid setting sizes but instead to
// let the components size themselves vis pack
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
}
private class MyAction extends AbstractAction {
public MyAction(String name) {
super(name);
int mnemonic = (int) name.charAt(0);
putValue(MNEMONIC_KEY, mnemonic);
}
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
progressBar.setValue(0);
setEnabled(false);
MyWorker myWorker = new MyWorker();
myWorker.addPropertyChangeListener(new WorkerListener(this));
myWorker.execute();
}
}
private class WorkerListener implements PropertyChangeListener {
private Action action;
public WorkerListener(Action myAction) {
this.action = myAction;
}
#Override
public void propertyChange(PropertyChangeEvent evt) {
if ("progress".equals(evt.getPropertyName())) {
int progress = (int) evt.getNewValue();
progressBar.setValue(progress);
} else if ("state".equals(evt.getPropertyName())) {
if (evt.getNewValue() == SwingWorker.StateValue.DONE) {
action.setEnabled(true);
#SuppressWarnings("rawtypes")
SwingWorker worker = (SwingWorker) evt.getSource();
try {
// always want to call get to trap and act on
// any exceptions that the worker might cause
// do this even though get returns nothing
worker.get();
} catch (InterruptedException | ExecutionException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
}
}
private class MyWorker extends SwingWorker<Void, Void> {
private static final int MULTIPLIER = 80;
private int counter = 0;
private Random random = new Random();
#Override
protected Void doInBackground() throws Exception {
while (counter < 100) {
int increment = random.nextInt(10);
Thread.sleep(increment * MULTIPLIER);
counter += increment;
counter = Math.min(counter, 100);
setProgress(counter);
}
return null;
}
}
}

Why is my JLabel not showing up

I am calling this method called check in one of my abstract classes but for some reason the JLabel (problem) I am adding to the JPanel (panel) is not showing up.
Why is this occurring? Any explanations, I am using both the repaint, and validate methods but still nothing shows up.

The problem you're having is you're blocking the Event Dispatching Thread, prevent the UI from been updated or any new events from been processed...
It starts here...
for(int i = 0; i < 15; i++)
{
//...
//Check to see if user has enetered anything
// And is compounded here
while(!answered)
{
Thread.sleep(duration);
//...
}
You're clearly thinking in a procedural manner (like you would for a console program), but this isn't how GUIs work, GUIs are event driven, something happens at some point in time and you respond to it.
My suggestion is to investigate Swing Timer, which will allow you to schedule a call back at some, point in the future and perform some action when it is triggered, which can be used to modify the UI, as its executed within the context of the EDT.
See Concurrency in Swing and How to use Swing Timers for more details
I'd also recommend that you take a look at CardLayout, as it might make easier to change the between different views
See How to Use CardLayout for more details
Basics
I work very much to the principle of "Code to interface not implementation" and the Model-View-Controller. These basically encourage your to separate and isolate responsibility, so a change in one part won't adversely affect another.
It also means you can plug'n'play implementations, decoupling the code and making it more flexible.
Start with the basic, you need something that has some text (the question), a correct answer and some "options" (or incorrect answers)
public interface Question {
public String getPrompt();
public String getCorrectAnswer();
public String[] getOptions();
public String getUserResponse();
public void setUserResponse(String response);
public boolean isCorrect();
}
So, pretty basic. The question has a prompt, a right answer, some wrong answers and can manage the user response. For ease of use, it also has a isCorrect method
Now, we need an actual implementation. This is a pretty basic example, but you might have a number of different implementations and might even include generics for the type of answers (which I've assumed as String for argument sake)
public class DefaultQuestion implements Question {
private final String prompt;
private final String correctAnswer;
private final String[] options;
private String userResponse;
public DefaultQuestion(String prompt, String correctAnswer, String... options) {
this.prompt = prompt;
this.correctAnswer = correctAnswer;
this.options = options;
}
#Override
public String getPrompt() {
return prompt;
}
#Override
public String getCorrectAnswer() {
return correctAnswer;
}
#Override
public String[] getOptions() {
return options;
}
#Override
public String getUserResponse() {
return userResponse;
}
#Override
public void setUserResponse(String response) {
userResponse = response;
}
#Override
public boolean isCorrect() {
return getCorrectAnswer().equals(getUserResponse());
}
}
Okay, that's all fine and all, but what does this actually do for us? Well, know you can create a simple component whose sole job is to present the question to the user and handle their response...
public class QuestionPane extends JPanel {
private Question question;
public QuestionPane(Question question) {
this.question = question;
setLayout(new BorderLayout());
JLabel prompt = new JLabel("<html><b>" + question.getPrompt() + "</b></html>");
prompt.setHorizontalAlignment(JLabel.LEFT);
add(prompt, BorderLayout.NORTH);
JPanel guesses = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
guesses.setBorder(new EmptyBorder(5, 5, 5, 5));
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridwidth = GridBagConstraints.REMAINDER;
gbc.weightx = 1;
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.WEST;
List<String> options = new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList(question.getOptions()));
options.add(question.getCorrectAnswer());
Collections.sort(options);
ButtonGroup bg = new ButtonGroup();
for (String option : options) {
JRadioButton btn = new JRadioButton(option);
bg.add(btn);
guesses.add(btn, gbc);
}
add(guesses);
}
public Question getQuestion() {
return question;
}
public class ActionHandler implements ActionListener {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
getQuestion().setUserResponse(e.getActionCommand());
}
}
}
This makes for a nice re-usable component, one which can handle a bunch of questions and not care.
Now, we need some way to manage multiple questions, a quiz!
public class QuizPane extends JPanel {
private List<Question> quiz;
private long timeOut = 5;
private Timer timer;
private JButton next;
private CardLayout cardLayout;
private int currentQuestion;
private JPanel panelOfQuestions;
private Long startTime;
public QuizPane(List<Question> quiz) {
this.quiz = quiz;
cardLayout = new CardLayout();
panelOfQuestions = new JPanel(cardLayout);
JButton start = new JButton("Start");
start.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
currentQuestion = -1;
nextQuestion();
timer.start();
}
});
JPanel filler = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
filler.add(start);
panelOfQuestions.add(filler, "start");
for (int index = 0; index < quiz.size(); index++) {
Question question = quiz.get(index);
QuestionPane pane = new QuestionPane(question);
panelOfQuestions.add(pane, Integer.toString(index));
}
panelOfQuestions.add(new JLabel("The quiz is over"), "last");
currentQuestion = 0;
cardLayout.show(panelOfQuestions, "start");
setLayout(new BorderLayout());
add(panelOfQuestions);
JPanel buttonPane = new JPanel(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.RIGHT));
next = new JButton("Next");
buttonPane.add(next);
next.setEnabled(false);
add(buttonPane, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
next.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
nextQuestion();
}
});
timer = new Timer(250, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if (startTime == null) {
startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
}
long duration = (System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime) / 1000;
if (duration >= timeOut) {
nextQuestion();
} else {
long timeLeft = timeOut - duration;
next.setText("Next (" + timeLeft + ")");
next.repaint();
}
}
});
}
protected void nextQuestion() {
timer.stop();
currentQuestion++;
if (currentQuestion >= quiz.size()) {
cardLayout.show(panelOfQuestions, "last");
next.setEnabled(false);
// You could could loop through all the questions and tally
// the correct answers here
} else {
cardLayout.show(panelOfQuestions, Integer.toString(currentQuestion));
startTime = null;
next.setText("Next");
next.setEnabled(true);
timer.start();
}
}
}
Okay, this is a little more complicated, but the basics are, it manages which question is currently presented to the user, manages the time and allows the user to navigate to the next question if they want to.
Now, it's easy to get lost in the detail...
This part of the code actually set's up the main "view", using a CardLayout
panelOfQuestions.add(filler, "start");
for (int index = 0; index < quiz.size(); index++) {
Question question = quiz.get(index);
QuestionPane pane = new QuestionPane(question);
panelOfQuestions.add(pane, Integer.toString(index));
}
panelOfQuestions.add(new JLabel("The quiz is over"), "last");
currentQuestion = 0;
cardLayout.show(panelOfQuestions, "start");
The start button, "end screen" and each individual QuestionPane are added to the panelOfQuestions, which is managed by a CardLayout, this makes it easy to "flip" the views as required.
I use a simple method to move to the next question
protected void nextQuestion() {
timer.stop();
currentQuestion++;
if (currentQuestion >= quiz.size()) {
cardLayout.show(panelOfQuestions, "last");
next.setEnabled(false);
// You could could loop through all the questions and tally
// the correct answers here
} else {
cardLayout.show(panelOfQuestions, Integer.toString(currentQuestion));
startTime = null;
next.setText("Next");
next.setEnabled(true);
timer.start();
}
}
This basically increments a counter and checks to see if we've run out of questions or not. If we have, it disables the next button and shows the "last" view to the user, if not, it moves to the next question view and restarts the timeout timer.
Now, here comes the "magic"...
timer = new Timer(250, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if (startTime == null) {
startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
}
long duration = (System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime) / 1000;
if (duration >= timeOut) {
nextQuestion();
} else {
long timeLeft = timeOut - duration;
next.setText("Next (" + timeLeft + ")");
}
}
});
The Swing Timer acts a pseudo loop, meaning that it will call the actionPerformed method on a regular bases, just like for or while loop would, but it does it in such away that it doesn't block the EDT.
This example adds a little more "magic" in that it acts as a count down timer, it checks how long the question has been visible to the user and presents a count down until it will automatically move to the next question, when the duration is greater then or equal to the timeOut (5 seconds in this example), it calls the nextQuestion method
But how do you use it you ask? You create a List of Questions, create an instance of the QuizPane and add that to some other container which is displayed on the screen, for example...
public class QuizMaster {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new QuizMaster();
}
public QuizMaster() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
List<Question> quiz = new ArrayList<>(5);
quiz.add(new DefaultQuestion("Bananas are:", "Yellow", "Green", "Blue", "Ping", "Round"));
quiz.add(new DefaultQuestion("1 + 1:", "2", "5", "3", "An artificial construct"));
quiz.add(new DefaultQuestion("In the UK, it is illegal to eat...", "Mince pies on Christmas Day", "Your cousin", "Bananas"));
quiz.add(new DefaultQuestion("If you lift a kangaroo’s tail off the ground...", "It can’t hop", "It will kick you in the face", "Act as a jack"));
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(new QuizPane(quiz));
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
}
And finally, because I know you'll want one, a fully runable example
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.CardLayout;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.FlowLayout;
import java.awt.GridBagConstraints;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.List;
import javax.swing.ButtonGroup;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JRadioButton;
import javax.swing.Timer;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
import javax.swing.border.EmptyBorder;
public class QuizMaster {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new QuizMaster();
}
public QuizMaster() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
ex.printStackTrace();
}
List<Question> quiz = new ArrayList<>(5);
quiz.add(new DefaultQuestion("Bananas are:", "Yellow", "Green", "Blue", "Ping", "Round"));
quiz.add(new DefaultQuestion("1 + 1:", "2", "5", "3", "An artificial construct"));
quiz.add(new DefaultQuestion("In the UK, it is illegal to eat...", "Mince pies on Christmas Day", "Your cousin", "Bananas"));
quiz.add(new DefaultQuestion("If you lift a kangaroo’s tail off the ground...", "It can’t hop", "It will kick you in the face", "Act as a jack"));
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(new QuizPane(quiz));
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class QuizPane extends JPanel {
private List<Question> quiz;
private long timeOut = 5;
private Timer timer;
private JButton next;
private CardLayout cardLayout;
private int currentQuestion;
private JPanel panelOfQuestions;
private Long startTime;
public QuizPane(List<Question> quiz) {
this.quiz = quiz;
cardLayout = new CardLayout();
panelOfQuestions = new JPanel(cardLayout);
JButton start = new JButton("Start");
start.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
currentQuestion = -1;
nextQuestion();
timer.start();
}
});
JPanel filler = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
filler.add(start);
panelOfQuestions.add(filler, "start");
for (int index = 0; index < quiz.size(); index++) {
Question question = quiz.get(index);
QuestionPane pane = new QuestionPane(question);
panelOfQuestions.add(pane, Integer.toString(index));
}
panelOfQuestions.add(new JLabel("The quiz is over"), "last");
currentQuestion = 0;
cardLayout.show(panelOfQuestions, "start");
setLayout(new BorderLayout());
add(panelOfQuestions);
JPanel buttonPane = new JPanel(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.RIGHT));
next = new JButton("Next");
buttonPane.add(next);
next.setEnabled(false);
add(buttonPane, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
next.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
nextQuestion();
}
});
timer = new Timer(250, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if (startTime == null) {
startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
}
long duration = (System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime) / 1000;
if (duration >= timeOut) {
nextQuestion();
} else {
long timeLeft = timeOut - duration;
next.setText("Next (" + timeLeft + ")");
next.repaint();
}
}
});
}
protected void nextQuestion() {
timer.stop();
currentQuestion++;
if (currentQuestion >= quiz.size()) {
cardLayout.show(panelOfQuestions, "last");
next.setEnabled(false);
// You could could loop through all the questions and tally
// the correct answers here
} else {
cardLayout.show(panelOfQuestions, Integer.toString(currentQuestion));
startTime = null;
next.setText("Next");
next.setEnabled(true);
timer.start();
}
}
}
public interface Question {
public String getPrompt();
public String getCorrectAnswer();
public String[] getOptions();
public String getUserResponse();
public void setUserResponse(String response);
public boolean isCorrect();
}
public class DefaultQuestion implements Question {
private final String prompt;
private final String correctAnswer;
private final String[] options;
private String userResponse;
public DefaultQuestion(String prompt, String correctAnswer, String... options) {
this.prompt = prompt;
this.correctAnswer = correctAnswer;
this.options = options;
}
#Override
public String getPrompt() {
return prompt;
}
#Override
public String getCorrectAnswer() {
return correctAnswer;
}
#Override
public String[] getOptions() {
return options;
}
#Override
public String getUserResponse() {
return userResponse;
}
#Override
public void setUserResponse(String response) {
userResponse = response;
}
#Override
public boolean isCorrect() {
return getCorrectAnswer().equals(getUserResponse());
}
}
public class QuestionPane extends JPanel {
private Question question;
public QuestionPane(Question question) {
this.question = question;
setLayout(new BorderLayout());
JLabel prompt = new JLabel("<html><b>" + question.getPrompt() + "</b></html>");
prompt.setHorizontalAlignment(JLabel.LEFT);
add(prompt, BorderLayout.NORTH);
JPanel guesses = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
guesses.setBorder(new EmptyBorder(5, 5, 5, 5));
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridwidth = GridBagConstraints.REMAINDER;
gbc.weightx = 1;
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.WEST;
List<String> options = new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList(question.getOptions()));
options.add(question.getCorrectAnswer());
Collections.sort(options);
ButtonGroup bg = new ButtonGroup();
for (String option : options) {
JRadioButton btn = new JRadioButton(option);
bg.add(btn);
guesses.add(btn, gbc);
}
add(guesses);
}
public Question getQuestion() {
return question;
}
public class ActionHandler implements ActionListener {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
getQuestion().setUserResponse(e.getActionCommand());
}
}
}
}

If you used Jframe for this application, just check to see if you added the panel to the frame, you've just added the label to the panel, just check to see if you've added the panel to the Jframe, otherwise it won't show up

Updating textArea inside iteration

i have a fun project where i need to change the content of a text area inside a iteration.
Its a character, a "projectile", moving trought a string. The string is updated and sent to the textArea inside the iteration, and the iteration stops when the character reaches a wall.
But my textArea only updates (visually) when i leave the iteration. While im inside it, textArea freezes, as if its waiting for the iteration, even with Thread.sleep() inside it.
I made an MVCE exemplifing the problem bellow, notice the text only shows after the iteration, i want it to apper in every step of the while.
public class GUIProblem extends JFrame{
public GUIProblem() {
setSize(640, 480);
JPanel panel = new JPanel();
getContentPane().add(panel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
final JTextArea textArea = new JTextArea();
textArea.setRows(10);
textArea.addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
#Override
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent arg0) {
int i = 0;
while(i < 10){
textArea.setText("this text only appears after the iteration, i want it to appear in each step of the iteration!");
System.out.println("iterating..." + i++);
try {
Thread.sleep(200);
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
}
});
textArea.setColumns(30);
panel.add(textArea);
}
/**
*
*/
private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
GUIProblem gui = new GUIProblem( );
gui.setVisible(true);
}
});
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Click the textArea!");
}
}

You've a classic Swing threading issue where you stop the Swing event thread in its tracks with your iteration and its Thread.sleep() calls. The solution is the same as for similar questions: use a Swing Timer or background thread such as a SwingWorker. In your case, use the Timer.
For example, since you posted an MCVE
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class GUIProblem extends JFrame {
public GUIProblem() {
// setSize(640, 480);
JPanel panel = new JPanel();
getContentPane().add(panel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
final JTextArea textArea = new JTextArea(20, 50);
textArea.addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
#Override
public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent mEvt) {
int i = 0;
int timerDelay = 200;
new Timer(timerDelay, new ActionListener() {
int count = 0;
private final int MAX_COUNT = 10;
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if (count >= MAX_COUNT) {
((Timer) e.getSource()).stop(); // stop the timer
return;
}
textArea.append("Count is: " + count + "\n");
count++;
}
}).start();
}
});
panel.add(new JScrollPane(textArea));
}
/**
*
*/
private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
GUIProblem gui = new GUIProblem();
gui.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
gui.pack();
gui.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
gui.setVisible(true);
}
});
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Click the textArea!");
}
}

How to update the JTextField when the variable value is changed?

I have two Java(.java) files. One has a JButton and JTextField and the other has a Thread. In first Java file, I have added an ActionListener to the JButton so that, when the button is pressed, a thread (object for 2nd .java file in created and thread is initiated) runs which modifies an integer variable continuously. How to display the value of that integer variable (of 2nd .java file) in the JTextField (of 1st .java file) ?
Detection.java
package sample;
public class Detection implements Runnable
{
public String viewers;
public int count;
public void run()
{
try
{
while (true)
{
// i have written code for displaying video.
// and it say how many no. of people in the video
// the no of people is stored in a variable "count"
viewers=""+count; //storing count as string so as to display in the JTextField
}
}
catch (Exception e)
{
System.out.println("Exception: "+e);
}
}
}
UsrInterfac.java
//build using WindowBuilder eclipse juno
package sample;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
public class UsrInterfac
{
private JFrame frame;
private JTextField textField;
Detection dd = new Detection();
Thread th = new Thread(dd);
/**
* Launch the application.
*/
public static void main(String[] args)
{
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable()
{
public void run()
{
try
{
UsrInterfac window = new UsrInterfac();
window.frame.setVisible(true);
}
catch (Exception e)
{
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
});
}
/**
* Create the application.
*/
public UsrInterfac()
{
initialize();
}
/**
* Initialize the contents of the frame.
*/
private void initialize()
{
frame = new JFrame();
frame.setBounds(100, 100, 450, 300);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.getContentPane().setLayout(null);
JButton btnStartThread = new JButton("Start Thread");
btnStartThread.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
{
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0)
{
th.start();
}
});
btnStartThread.setBounds(59, 133, 117, 23);
frame.getContentPane().add(btnStartThread);
textField = new JTextField();
textField.setBounds(270, 134, 104, 20);
frame.getContentPane().add(textField);
textField.setColumns(10);
}
}

Starting from the basics, while using Swing, it is always best to use LayoutManagers, which can make your work much more easier, in comparison to using Absolute Positioning.
Whenever one needs to change something in the View from some another thread, it is always advisable to do that using EventQueue.invokeLater(...)/EventQueue.invokeAndWait(...).
This small sample program, might be able to help you get an idea, how to accomplish what you so desire :-)
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class ThreadCounter
{
private CustomThread cThread;
private JTextField tField;
private JButton button;
private int counter;
public ThreadCounter()
{
counter = 0;
}
private void displayGUI()
{
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Thread Counter Example");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
JPanel contentPane = new JPanel();
tField = new JTextField(10);
tField.setText("0");
button = new JButton("Start");
button.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
{
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae)
{
if (counter == 0)
{
cThread = new CustomThread(tField);
cThread.setFlagValue(true);
cThread.start();
counter = 1;
button.setText("Stop");
}
else
{
try
{
cThread.setFlagValue(false);
cThread.join();
}
catch(InterruptedException ie)
{
ie.printStackTrace();
}
counter = 0;
button.setText("Start");
}
}
});
contentPane.add(tField);
contentPane.add(button);
frame.setContentPane(contentPane);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationByPlatform(true);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args)
{
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable()
{
#Override
public void run()
{
new ThreadCounter().displayGUI();
}
});
}
}
class CustomThread extends Thread
{
private int changingVariable;
private JTextField tField;
private boolean flag = true;
public CustomThread(JTextField tf)
{
changingVariable = 0;
tField = tf;
}
public void setFlagValue(boolean flag)
{
this.flag = flag;
}
#Override
public void run()
{
while (flag)
{
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable()
{
#Override
public void run()
{
tField.setText(
Integer.toString(
++changingVariable));
}
});
try
{
Thread.sleep(1000);
}
catch(InterruptedException ie)
{
ie.printStackTrace();
}
}
System.out.println("I am OUT of WHILE");
}
}

Ideally you should post your code. Anyway, when you are calling the thread code, either pass the instance of the first class (object) or an instance of JTextField, so that the thread can set the new value in the text field.

how can i solve this error

This is the complete code :
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.lang.Thread;
class jProgressBar {
JProgressBar pb;
JButton start;
int i;
jProgressBar() {
buildGUI();
hookUpEvents();
}
public void buildGUI() {
JFrame fr=new JFrame("Progress Bar");
JPanel p=new JPanel();
p.setLayout(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.CENTER));
JPanel barPanel=new JPanel();
barPanel.setLayout(new GridLayout(2,0,50,50));
pb=new JProgressBar(0,10);
start=new JButton("Start Demo");
fr.add(p);
barPanel.add(start);
barPanel.add(pb);
p.add(barPanel);
fr.setSize(500,500);
fr.setVisible(true);
}
public void hookUpEvents() {
start.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae) {
try {
Runnable r=new Runnable() {
public void run() {
action(ae); // LINE 39
}
};
Thread th=new Thread(r);
th.start();
} catch(Exception exc) {
System.out.println(exc);
}
}
});
}
public void action(ActionEvent ae) {
start.setVisible(false);
try {
Runnable rp=new Runnable() {
public void run() {
i++;
pb.setValue(i);
try {
Thread.sleep(2000);
} catch(Exception exc) {
System.out.println(exc);
}
if(i==5) {
pb.setString("Half Done!");
}
else if(i==10) {
pb.setString("Completed!");
}
}
};
Thread th=new Thread(rp);
th.start();
} catch(Exception exc) {
System.out.println(exc);
}
}
public static void main(String args[]) {
new jProgressBar();
}
}
This is the error produced on cmd:
d:\UnderTest>javac jProgressBar.java
jProgressBar.java:39: local variable ae is accessed from within inner class; needs to be declared fina
l
action(ae);
^
1 error
What is this error and how can I solve this error?

Declare the variable ae as final:
public void actionPerformed(final ActionEvent ae) {
This means that it cannot be assigned a new value, which should be fine according to your current code.

a very nice example for SwingWorker
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.util.ArrayList;
public class SwingWorkerExample extends JFrame implements ActionListener {
private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
private final JButton startButton, stopButton;
private JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane();
private JList listBox = null;
private DefaultListModel listModel = new DefaultListModel();
private final JProgressBar progressBar;
private mySwingWorker swingWorker;
public SwingWorkerExample() {
super("SwingWorkerExample");
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
getContentPane().setLayout(new GridLayout(2, 2));
startButton = makeButton("Start");
stopButton = makeButton("Stop");
stopButton.setEnabled(false);
progressBar = makeProgressBar(0, 99);
listBox = new JList(listModel);
scrollPane.setViewportView(listBox);
getContentPane().add(scrollPane);
//Display the window.
pack();
setVisible(true);
}
//Class SwingWorker<T,V> T - the result type returned by this SwingWorker's doInBackground
//and get methods V - the type used for carrying out intermediate results by this SwingWorker's
//publish and process methods
private class mySwingWorker extends javax.swing.SwingWorker<ArrayList<Integer>, Integer> {
//The first template argument, in this case, ArrayList<Integer>, is what s returned by doInBackground(),
//and by get(). The second template argument, in this case, Integer, is what is published with the
//publish method. It is also the data type which is stored by the java.util.List that is the parameter
//for the process method, which recieves the information published by the publish method.
#Override
protected ArrayList<Integer> doInBackground() {
//Returns items of the type given as the first template argument to the SwingWorker class.
if (javax.swing.SwingUtilities.isEventDispatchThread()) {
System.out.println("javax.swing.SwingUtilities.isEventDispatchThread() returned true.");
}
Integer tmpValue = new Integer(1);
ArrayList<Integer> list = new ArrayList<Integer>();
for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
for (int j = 0; j < 100; j++) { //find every 100th prime, just to make it slower
tmpValue = FindNextPrime(tmpValue.intValue());
//isCancelled() returns true if the cancel() method is invoked on this class. That is the proper way
//to stop this thread. See the actionPerformed method.
if (isCancelled()) {
System.out.println("SwingWorker - isCancelled");
return list;
}
}
//Successive calls to publish are coalesced into a java.util.List, which is what is received by process,
//which in this case, isused to update the JProgressBar. Thus, the values passed to publish range from
//1 to 100.
publish(new Integer(i));
list.add(tmpValue);
}
return list;
}//Note, always use java.util.List here, or it will use the wrong list.
#Override
protected void process(java.util.List<Integer> progressList) {
//This method is processing a java.util.List of items given as successive arguments to the publish method.
//Note that these calls are coalesced into a java.util.List. This list holds items of the type given as the
//second template parameter type to SwingWorker. Note that the get method below has nothing to do with the
//SwingWorker get method; it is the List's get method. This would be a good place to update a progress bar.
if (!javax.swing.SwingUtilities.isEventDispatchThread()) {
System.out.println("javax.swing.SwingUtilities.isEventDispatchThread() + returned false.");
}
Integer percentComplete = progressList.get(progressList.size() - 1);
progressBar.setValue(percentComplete.intValue());
}
#Override
protected void done() {
System.out.println("doInBackground is complete");
if (!javax.swing.SwingUtilities.isEventDispatchThread()) {
System.out.println("javax.swing.SwingUtilities.isEventDispatchThread() + returned false.");
}
try {
//Here, the SwingWorker's get method returns an item of the same type as specified as the first type parameter
//given to the SwingWorker class.
ArrayList<Integer> results = get();
for (Integer i : results) {
listModel.addElement(i.toString());
}
} catch (Exception e) {
System.out.println("Caught an exception: " + e);
}
startButton();
}
boolean IsPrime(int num) { //Checks whether a number is prime
int i;
for (i = 2; i <= num / 2; i++) {
if (num % i == 0) {
return false;
}
}
return true;
}
protected Integer FindNextPrime(int num) { //Returns next prime number from passed arg.
do {
if (num % 2 == 0) {
num++;
} else {
num += 2;
}
} while (!IsPrime(num));
return new Integer(num);
}
}
private JButton makeButton(String caption) {
JButton b = new JButton(caption);
b.setActionCommand(caption);
b.addActionListener(this);
getContentPane().add(b);
return b;
}
private JProgressBar makeProgressBar(int min, int max) {
JProgressBar progressBar1 = new JProgressBar();
progressBar1.setMinimum(min);
progressBar1.setMaximum(max);
progressBar1.setStringPainted(true);
progressBar1.setBorderPainted(true);
getContentPane().add(progressBar1);
return progressBar1;
}
private void startButton() {
startButton.setEnabled(true);
stopButton.setEnabled(false);
System.out.println("SwingWorker - Done");
}
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
if ("Start" == null ? e.getActionCommand() == null : "Start".equals(e.getActionCommand())) {
startButton.setEnabled(false);
stopButton.setEnabled(true);
// Note that it creates a new instance of the SwingWorker-derived class. Never reuse an old one.
(swingWorker = new mySwingWorker()).execute(); // new instance
} else if ("Stop" == null ? e.getActionCommand() == null : "Stop".equals(e.getActionCommand())) {
startButton.setEnabled(true);
stopButton.setEnabled(false);
swingWorker.cancel(true); // causes isCancelled to return true in doInBackground
swingWorker = null;
}
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
// Notice that it kicks it off on the event-dispatching thread, not the main thread.
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
SwingWorkerExample swingWorkerExample = new SwingWorkerExample();
}
});
}
}

There are some counterproductive issues present.
Swing is single-thread based, and all actions must be done on the EDT. For that reason, your JProgressBar doesn't update correctly. See also Concurrency in Swing.
Don't use Thread.sleep(int) in Swing, and certainly not in an action listener.
By using Runnable, it is possible to update JProgressBar; but as mentioned, the method must be run from invokeLater().
For that, SwingWorker would be better, as shown below and here.
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.Toolkit;
import java.awt.Window;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.beans.PropertyChangeEvent;
import java.beans.PropertyChangeListener;
import javax.swing.*;
public class TestProgressBar {
private static void createAndShowUI() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("TestProgressBar");
frame.getContentPane().add(new TestPBGui().getMainPanel());
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
createAndShowUI();
}
});
}
private TestProgressBar() {
}
}
class TestPBGui {
private JPanel mainPanel = new JPanel();
public TestPBGui() {
JButton yourAttempt = new JButton("Your attempt to show Progress Bar");
JButton myAttempt = new JButton("My attempt to show Progress Bar");
yourAttempt.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
yourAttemptActionPerformed();
}
});
myAttempt.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
myAttemptActionPerformed();
}
});
mainPanel.add(yourAttempt);
mainPanel.add(myAttempt);
}
private void yourAttemptActionPerformed() {
Window thisWin = SwingUtilities.getWindowAncestor(mainPanel);
JDialog progressDialog = new JDialog(thisWin, "Uploading...");
JPanel contentPane = new JPanel();
contentPane.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(300, 100));
JProgressBar bar = new JProgressBar(0, 100);
bar.setIndeterminate(true);
contentPane.add(bar);
progressDialog.setContentPane(contentPane);
progressDialog.pack();
progressDialog.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
Task task = new Task("Your attempt");
task.execute();
progressDialog.setVisible(true);
while (!task.isDone()) {
}
progressDialog.dispose();
}
private void myAttemptActionPerformed() {
Window thisWin = SwingUtilities.getWindowAncestor(mainPanel);
final JDialog progressDialog = new JDialog(thisWin, "Uploading...");
JPanel contentPane = new JPanel();
contentPane.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(300, 100));
final JProgressBar bar = new JProgressBar(0, 100);
bar.setIndeterminate(true);
contentPane.add(bar);
progressDialog.setContentPane(contentPane);
progressDialog.pack();
progressDialog.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
final Task task = new Task("My attempt");
task.addPropertyChangeListener(new PropertyChangeListener() {
#Override
public void propertyChange(PropertyChangeEvent evt) {
if (evt.getPropertyName().equalsIgnoreCase("progress")) {
int progress = task.getProgress();
if (progress == 0) {
bar.setIndeterminate(true);
} else {
bar.setIndeterminate(false);
bar.setValue(progress);
progressDialog.dispose();
}
}
}
});
task.execute();
progressDialog.setVisible(true);
}
public JPanel getMainPanel() {
return mainPanel;
}
}
class Task extends SwingWorker<Void, Void> {
private static final long SLEEP_TIME = 4000;
private String text;
public Task(String text) {
this.text = text;
}
#Override
public Void doInBackground() {
setProgress(0);
try {
Thread.sleep(SLEEP_TIME);// imitate a long-running task
} catch (InterruptedException e) {
}
setProgress(100);
return null;
}
#Override
public void done() {
System.out.println(text + " is done");
Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().beep();
}
}