Swing getHeight() value changing from 0 to 16 - java

I am trying to make a box in Swing that has a label of "user", a text field for the username, and a button "sign in". This is my code
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.util.*;
public class Engine
{
JFrame frame;
public void go()
{
setUpGui();
userNameScreen();
}
public void setUpGui()
{
frame = new JFrame();
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public void userNameScreen()
{
JPanel background = new JPanel();
frame.getContentPane().add(background);
JLabel labelUserName = new JLabel("User:");
background.add(labelUserName);
System.out.println(labelUserName.getHeight()); // 0
JTextField textFieldUserName = new JTextField();
System.out.println(labelUserName.getHeight()); // 16
textFieldUserName.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(110,labelUserName.getHeight()));
background.add(textFieldUserName);
JButton buttonSignIn = new JButton("Sign In");
background.add(buttonSignIn);
/*
background.add(labelUserName);
background.add(textFieldUserName);
background.add(buttonSignIn);
frame.getContentPane().add(background);
*/
frame.pack();
}
}
My driver class just creates an instance of engine, then runs the method go().
I read that Swing components do not have attributes of height/width until they are added (because that is for the layout manager to decide how much room they have), so it makes sense that in the method userNameScreen(), adding in all components at the end* (commented out here) makes the textFieldUserName variable have no height.
However, you can see in that same method userNameScreen(), I have it do
System.out.println(labelUserName.getHeight());
twice. The first time, it is 0. The second, it is 16. I don't understand why the first time, it would register it as 0. It has already been added to the panel (in the line before), and there doesn't seem to be anything that would change its height between that first println() and the next. So why is the value 0 in the first one, and why does it change to 16 almost immediately after?
*I should note, when I say adding in all the stuff commented out at the end, it also includes removing/commenting out all the same commands done elsewhere in the code.

It is a side effect from not creating/modifying your Swing components on the EDT. Now the EDT is busy doing the layout while you are adding components in another thread.
Your main method should look like:
public static void main(String[] args) {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
new Engine().go();
}
});
}

I'm not sure why this is happening but may be because the addition of the component maybe on a background thread and might not have been updated till the next statement is called and its updated a few millisecs later and appears when you call it second time.

Related

Does placing setVisible() function in the beginning of the function be different when I placed it at the end of that function?

I'm just new to Java GUI Programming and I'm having a problem that the components inside my panel is missing when I place the setVisible()function at the beginning of the function called by the constructor but it works fine when it is at the end. See code below:
public static void main(String[] args)
{
new MainClass();
}
public MainClass()
{
setFrame();
}
private void setFrame()
{
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
frame.setSize(400,400);
frame.setResizable(false);
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
// Some area where the object of my components inside the panel is created and initialized.
// If I just place a label and a button, it will appear on the panel. However if I add the JTextArea, all the components in my panel is gone. Just like the code below.
textArea1 = new JTextArea(20,34);
textArea1.setWrapStyleWord(true);
textArea1.setLineWrap(true);
JScrollPane scroll =
new JScrollPane(textArea1,
JScrollPane.VERTICAL_SCROLLBAR_AS_NEEDED,
JScrollPane.HORIZONTAL_SCROLLBAR_NEVER);
panel.add(scroll);
frame.add(panel);
// Works fine when setVisible(true); it placed here.
}
What could the problem possibly be with regard to placing the setVisible() function to the beginning or to the end of the method.
As already pointed out in the comments and the other answer:
You should call setVisible(true) at the end, after all components have been added.
This does not directly answer your question. The answer to your question is: Yes, it makes a difference. If you call setVisible before all compoents have been added, it may work, in some cases, with some programs, on some PCs, with some Java versions, with some operating systems - but you always have to expect that it may not work as expected in some cases.
You will find dozens of related questions here on stackoverflow and elsewhere. The usual symptoms of these problems are that some components are not displayed properly, and then suddenly appear when the window is resized. (Resizing a window basically triggers a layout and a repaint).
The likeliness of unexpected behavior is increased when you violate the threading rules of Swing. And, in some sense, you did violate the threading rules of Swing: You should always create the GUI on the Event Dispatch Thread!
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
public class SomeSwingGUI
{
public static void main(String[] args)
{
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable()
{
#Override
public void run()
{
createAndShowGUI();
}
});
}
// This method may (and will) only be called
// on the Event Dispatch Thread
private static void createAndShowGUI()
{
JFrame f = new JFrame();
// Add your components here
f.setVisible(true); // Do this last
}
}
And by the way: Timothy Truckle pointed out in a comment that you should not invoke setVisible from the constructor. This is true. More importantly: You should usually not directly create a class that extends JFrame. (In some (rare!) cases, this is appropriate, but the general guideline should be to not extend JFrame)
The components cannot be shown, because you add them after you call the setVisible() method of the Frame.
The Componet's add() method changes layout-related information, and invalidates the component hierarchy. If the container has already been displayed, the hierarchy must be validated thereafter in order to display the added component, as pointed here
.
So in order to show the items, you should either call the revalidate() method of the frame or call setVisible() after all your components are added.
Unless there is no special need, you should call setVisible() after you have added every other component.
public class TestMain extends JFrame {
public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame test = new TestMain();
//if the setVisible() is called too early, you have to revalidate
test.revalidate();
}
public TestMain() {
setFrame();
}
private void setFrame() {
setSize(400,400);
setResizable(false);
setLayout(new FlowLayout());
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
JPanel panel = new JPanel(new FlowLayout());
setVisible(true);
JTextArea textArea1 = new JTextArea(25,15);
textArea1.setWrapStyleWord(true);
textArea1.setLineWrap(true);
panel.add(textArea1);
JScrollPane scroll =
new JScrollPane(panel,
JScrollPane.VERTICAL_SCROLLBAR_AS_NEEDED,
JScrollPane.HORIZONTAL_SCROLLBAR_NEVER);
// this method invalidates the component hierarchy.
getContentPane().add(scroll);
}
}

Java Swing Program- Input from GUI to Main getting stuck

I have a Java program where I plan to take input from GUI, and use that input later for processing in main(). I am using Eclipse.
I am sending an HW object(called HWObj) to the GUI JFrame, and checking for a boolean field in the object to continue processing in main().
InputWindow is custom object which extends JPanel implements ActionListener
It contains a reference to the current JFrame(parentFrame). On clicking a JButton in InputWindow, I have written a custom ActionListener which sets the value of HWObj.check to true and disposes the parentFrame. This should cause execution to resume in main().
Code for HW class is as below :
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class HW {
//globals
boolean check;
public HW() {
//initialisations
check = false;
}
public static void main(String args[]) {
final HW problem = new HW();
try {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
//Create and set up the window.
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Select folders");
frame.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(640, 480));
frame.setResizable(false);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
InputWindow Directories = new InputWindow(problem, frame);
Directories.setOpaque(true);
frame.add(Directories);
//Display the window.
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
} catch(Exception e) {
System.out.println("Exception:"+e.getLocalizedMessage());
}
while(!problem.finish);
//Do processing on problem
System.out.println("Done");
}
}
The Actionlistener in the gui is as follows:
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class InputWindow extends JPanel
implements ActionListener {
private static final long serialVersionUID = 4228345704162790878L;
HW problem;
JFrame parentFrame;
//more globals
public InputWindow(HW problem, JFrame parentFrame) {
super();
this.setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
this.parentFrame = parentFrame;
this.problem = problem;
JButton finishButton = new JButton("Finish");
finishButton.setActionCommand("fin");
finishButton.addActionListener(this);
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy = 0;
this.add(finishButton, gbc);
//Initialize buttons and text areas and labels
//Code removed for ease of reading
}
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
String command = e.getActionCommand();
if(command.equals("fin")) {
//Do a lot of stuff, then
this.removeAll();
parentFrame.dispose();
problem.check = true;
}
}
}
I have checked, and the control to this function comes normally on button click.
Now, I would expect it to return to main, and exit the while loop, and continue processing.
This does not happen. The debugger in eclipse shows only the main thread running, and when I try to pause it, I see that the thread is stuck in the while loop. But if I try to step through, it exits the while loop as expected, and continues. However, it gets remains stuck in the while loop until I manually try to debug it.
What is the problem? Why is it not resuming the main thread as expected?
How do I resolve this issue?
Your problem is to do with how the Java memory model works. The loop in your main thread will be checking a stale value of check.
When you enter the debugger, the memory is forced to be updated, so that's why it starts working at that point.
If you mark your variable as volatile, that will force the JVM to ensure that all threads are using the up-to-date value:
volatile boolean check;
You can read more about volatile and the Java memory model in the documentation.
It looks like you're using a JFrame where you should be using a modal JDialog. If you use the modal JDialog for an input window, you will know exactly when it is "finished" since code flow will resume from the calling code from right after when the dialog was set visible.
Either that or if you are trying to swapviews, then use a CardLayout to swap your view, and use an observer type pattern to listen for change of state.

The Switch Statement and page content control

I've been trying to create a class that decides which JPanel gets printed on a JFrame. The JPanels are "addNew" and "searchPanel". addNew is created by a class called "AddNew" and it contains content items that enables a user add new content into a database.
The searchPanel panel is in a different class "SearchPanel" that enables a user search content in a database.
The JFrame on which the two JPanels are drawn is in its own class and has only two buttons "Add new item" and "Search". No JPanel is drawn until one of these buttons is clicked.
Theres a third class that determines which JPanel gets drawn on the JFrame via a switch statement depending on a value (1 or 2) passed on "buttonClick", which is where I think I'm having problems.
My code so far:
import Panels.AddNew;
import SearchWakili.SearchPanel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
public class Redirect {
public static JPanel panelRedirect = new JPanel();
public static JPanel value;
public static JPanel pageAddNewFunction () {
AddNew addNew = new AddNew();
panelRedirect.add(addNew);
return panelRedirect;
}
public static JPanel SearchPanelFunction () {
SearchPanel searchPanel = new SearchPanel();
panelRedirect.add(searchPanel);
return panelRedirect;
}
public static JPanel pageRedirect (int pageID) {
switch (pageID) {
case 1:
value = pageAddNewFunction();
break;
case 2:
value = SearchPanelFunction();
break;
}
return value;
}
}
The code does nothing. I don't get any code error messages, though. The JPanels print fine when I call the directly without redirecting via the "Redirect" class.
What is it that I'm doing wrong, and is there any other way I can use an independent class to decide on a JPanel to be drawn depending on the button clicked?
Thank you very much in advance.
Oh! And I don't want to use CardLayout. I'd like to learn how to code this myself.
Part of the code that draws the JFrame:
import java.awt.Color;
import java.lang.ProcessBuilder.Redirect;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
public class FrameContainer {
public static JFrame Home;
public static void createAndShowGUI() {
// Create and set up the Frame
JFrame.setDefaultLookAndFeelDecorated(true);
Home = new JFrame();
Home.setUndecorated(true);
Home.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
Home.setResizable(false);
Home.setBounds(0, 0, 400, 400);
Home.setBackground(Color.gray);
// Redirect redirect = new Redirect();
Home.add(Redirect.panelRedirect);
// Display the window
Home.pack();
Home.setVisible(true);
}
}
Part of the Code that declares the event:
public class Home {
// The method that calls the type of JPanel (1) to be drawn
private void mouseClickedAddNew(java.awt.event.MouseEvent evt) {
// FrameContainer.createAndShowGUI();
Redirect.pageRedirect(1);
}
}
First off, it is not a good practice to initialize modules on request.
In other words, you should have a method that gets called in the main class constructor that will allocate space for the variables and do calculations, so when you actually click the button, the only command that you are running is the one that makes each panel visible.
This is most likely why what you are doing does not work.
So just make the code initially load both panels, then when a button is clicked, do show() or hide() (I believe those are the methods, but I don't use Swing often enough to know, so the wording may be different).

Focus on component when a panel is loaded

I have a frame, where i load a panel into. It works fine, but nothing has focus when it loads. Pressing tab doesn't help. I have to use the mouse to press a textfield.
I've tried: jtextfield1.requestFocus(); and jtextfiel1.requestFocusInWindow(); But it doesn't work.
What am I doing wrong?
The constructor in the JPanel:
public OpretOpdater(BrugerHandler brugerHandler, ReklamationHandler reklamationsHandler) {
initComponents();
jTextFieldOrdnr.requestFocusInWindow();
this.brugerHandler = brugerHandler;
this.rekH = reklamationsHandler;
startUp();
}
Putting the panel in the frame in the GUI:
public static void opret(ReklamationHandler reklamationHandler) {
rHandler = reklamationHandler;
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(opret);
}
static Runnable opret = new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
JFrame f = jframe;
f.getContentPane().removeAll();
JPanel opret = new OpretOpdater(bHandler, rHandler);
f.getContentPane().add(opret);
f.pack();
f.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
}
};
You should call requestFocusInWindow() only when components are visible/shown on a container or after pack() has been called and all components are added to the container or else it wont work.
Also please be sure to create Swing components on Event Dispatch Thread. If you haven't already have read on Concurrency in Swing.
The reason I mention the above is not creating and manipulating Swing components on the EDT can cause random artifacts in the code. i.e focus is not being given etc.
This code below was created to show how calling requestFocusInWindow before a component is visible will not work but calling it after its visible works as expected.
Also note that removing the SwingUtilities block will cause the requestFocusInWindow not to work as expected (i.e we might be given focus or not depending on our luck :P):
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
public class Test {
public Test() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
JTextField f1 = new JTextField(10);
JTextField f2 = new JTextField(10);
//f2.requestFocusInWindow(); //wont work (if uncomment this remember to comment the one after setVisible or you wont see the reults)
JButton b = new JButton("Button");
JPanel p = new JPanel();
p.add(f1);//by default first added component will have focus
p.add(f2);
p.add(b);
frame.add(p);
//f2.requestFocusInWindow();//wont work
frame.pack();//Realize the components.
//f2.requestFocusInWindow();//will work
frame.setVisible(true);
f2.requestFocusInWindow();//will work
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {//if we remove this block it wont work also (no matter when we call requestFocusInWindow)
#Override
public void run() {
new Test();
}
});
}
}
I would suggest a read on How to Use the Focus Subsystem.
Often it is nice to indicate which field you want to have focus when you create the field and not separate the code by adding the request focus when the frame becomes visible.
Take a look at Dialog Focus which has a solution that is also applicable in this case. Using this approach your code would look like:
JTextField f2 = new JTextField(10);
f2.addAncestorListener( new RequestFocusListener() );

Java button creation not working properly

Here is my program.This program simply creates a frame using swings in java and create a grid first and adds button to that frame:
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.awt.*;
public class one {
private static void createAndShowGUI() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("HelloWorldSwing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setSize(400,400);
frame.getContentPane().setPreferredSize(new Dimension(500,500));
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
Container pane=frame.getContentPane();
pane.setLayout(new GridLayout(5,6));
JButton[] buttons = new JButton[26];
String b[]={"A","B","C","D","E","F","G","H","I","J","K","L","M","N","O","P","Q","R","S","T","U","V","W","X","Y","Z"};
for(int i = 0; i<buttons.length; i++) {
buttons[i] = new JButton(b[i]);
buttons[i].setSize(80, 80);
buttons[i].setActionCommand(b[i]);
buttons[i].addActionListener(new ActionListener(){
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
String choice = e.getActionCommand();
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "You have clicked: "+choice);
}
});
System.out.println("adding button\n");
pane.add(buttons[i]);
}
}
public static void main(final String[] args) {
javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
createAndShowGUI();
}
});
}
}
The program compiles fine.But the button creation i can see only one button that is "A" and rest of the buttons i am not able to see in the pane.
It turns out that this seems to be a race condition and/or system dependent type issue, since it works for others. In any case, the Javadoc for java.awt.Container.add() states:
This method changes layout-related information, and therefore,
invalidates the component hierarchy. If the container has already been
displayed, the hierarchy must be validated thereafter in order to
display the added component.
You should therefore call pane.validate() after you have added all components (or, as MadProgrammer says, execute the setVisible() call after you have added all your components).
There are, essentially two ways to fix this problem.
The first, is call frame.setVisible(true) AFTER you have completed adding the buttons to the pane.
The second is to call
pane.invalidate();
pane.repaint();
After you have added all the buttons to the pane
I can see buttons(A-Z). I could not reproduce your problem.

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