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How do you add a JPanel from another class to a panel with CardLayout?

I'm working on a group project and I'm the one making the GUI figuring it'd be good to practice with it. The program is supposed to be a pizza ordering system (pretty standard stuff) and what I'm trying to accomplish is that I have a main class that creates an application window. Inside this window is a panel that uses CardLayout with a button that when pressed calls another JPanel from another class dedicated specifically to that panel and places it as a card in the layout to be swapped back and forth from as normal.
What I have so far are the different panels I wish to call and the main class which has the window and main card panel. I can have it swap easily between panels created within the main class but when I try to use the panels from the other classes it just swaps to a blank panel when it should show the other class's panel.
The main class
package PizzaGUI;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.CardLayout;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.awt.Font;
public class PizzaSystem {
private JFrame frame;
Toppings toppingsPanel;
MainMenu menuPanel;
JButton loginBtn;
JPanel mainPanel;
CardLayout cl;
//MAIN
public static void main(String[] args) {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
try {
PizzaSystem window = new PizzaSystem();
window.frame.setVisible(true);
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
});
}
//Constructor
public PizzaSystem() {
initialize();
}
//Initialize the GUI
private void initialize() {
cl = new CardLayout();
frame = new JFrame();
frame.setBounds(100, 100, 893, 527);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.getContentPane().setLayout(null);
mainPanel = new JPanel();
mainPanel.setBounds(10, 10, 859, 470);
frame.getContentPane().add(mainPanel);
mainPanel.setLayout(cl);
JPanel panel_2 = new JPanel();
mainPanel.add(panel_2, "test");
panel_2.setLayout(null);
JLabel lblNewLabel = new JLabel("It Worked");
lblNewLabel.setFont(new Font("Tahoma", Font.PLAIN, 45));
lblNewLabel.setBounds(282, 118, 312, 103);
panel_2.add(lblNewLabel);
JPanel panel_1 = new JPanel();
loginBtn = new JButton();
loginBtn.setText("Login");
loginBtn.setBounds(175, 72, 199, 154);
loginBtn.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
showCard("menu");
}
});
panel_1.add(loginBtn);
mainPanel.add(panel_1, "loginPanel");
JPanel menuPanel = new MainMenu();
mainPanel.add(menuPanel, "menu");
showCard("loginPanel");
}
//Call card matching the key
public void showCard(String key) {
cl.show(mainPanel, key);
}
}
and one of the classes with the panel (format is messed up but should work still)
package PizzaGUI;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Font;
import java.awt.Image;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.ImageIcon;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
import javax.swing.JTabbedPane;
import javax.swing.JTextArea;
import javax.swing.SwingConstants;
import javax.swing.border.BevelBorder;
public class MainMenu extends JPanel {
public MainMenu() {
JPanel panel1 = new JPanel();
panel1.setBounds(100, 100, 893, 572);
panel1.setBackground(Color.PINK);
panel1.setLayout(null);
panel1.setVisible(true);
JLabel logoLabel = new JLabel("");
logoLabel.setBounds(10, 10, 100, 110);
panel1.add(logoLabel);
ImageIcon image1 = new ImageIcon("C:\\Users\\thera\\eclipse-workspace\\PizzaSystem\\Images\\MamaJane1.png");
logoLabel.setIcon(new ImageIcon("C:\\Users\\thera\\eclipse-workspace\\PizzaSystem\\Images\\MamaJane.png"));
JTabbedPane tabbedPane = new JTabbedPane(JTabbedPane.TOP);
tabbedPane.setBounds(133, 113, 548, 402);
tabbedPane.setBorder(new BevelBorder(BevelBorder.LOWERED, null, null, null, null));
tabbedPane.setBackground(Color.PINK);
tabbedPane.setForeground(Color.GRAY);
tabbedPane.setFont(new Font("Tahoma", Font.PLAIN, 20));
tabbedPane.setToolTipText("");
panel1.add(tabbedPane);
JPanel panel = new JPanel();
tabbedPane.addTab("MENU", null, panel, null);
panel.setLayout(null);
//*******************************************************************************************************
//Pepperoni menu section
JLabel pizza1Image = new JLabel("IMAGE");
pizza1Image.setBounds(6, 25, 100, 100);
panel.add(pizza1Image);
ImageIcon image2 = new ImageIcon("C:\\Users\\thera\\eclipse-workspace\\PizzaSystem\\Images\\Pepperoni.jpg");
Image pizza1 = image2.getImage();
Image pepperoni = pizza1.getScaledInstance(100, 100, java.awt.Image.SCALE_SMOOTH);
image2 = new ImageIcon(pepperoni);
pizza1Image.setIcon(image2);
JLabel pepperoniLabel = new JLabel("PEPPERONI");
pepperoniLabel.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.CENTER);
pepperoniLabel.setBounds(110, 25, 86, 48);
pepperoniLabel.setFont(new Font("Tahoma", Font.PLAIN, 12));
panel.add(pepperoniLabel);
JButton pepperoniOrderBtn = new JButton("ORDER");
pepperoniOrderBtn.setBounds(110, 79, 86, 47);
panel.add(pepperoniOrderBtn);
pepperoniOrderBtn.addActionListener( new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
}
});
//Pepperoni End
JButton accountButton = new JButton("Account");
accountButton.setBounds(10, 414, 113, 39);
accountButton.setBackground(Color.WHITE);
panel.add(accountButton);
JButton checkoutButton = new JButton("Checkout");
checkoutButton.setBounds(713, 438, 138, 31);
panel.add(checkoutButton);
JButton logoutButton = new JButton("Logout");
logoutButton.setBounds(10, 463, 113, 52);
panel.add(logoutButton);
JTextArea txtrOrderInfoGoes = new JTextArea();
txtrOrderInfoGoes.setBounds(703, 10, 154, 418);
txtrOrderInfoGoes.setText("Order Info\r\nGoes Here\r\n\r\nPepperoni Pizza x1\r\n$6.50");
panel.add(txtrOrderInfoGoes);
JButton clearOrderButton = new JButton("Clear");
clearOrderButton.setBounds(723, 479, 113, 36);
panel.add(clearOrderButton);
JLabel titleLabel = new JLabel("MAMA JANE'S PIZZERIA");
titleLabel.setBounds(147, 10, 534, 65);
panel.add(titleLabel);
titleLabel.setFont(new Font(titleLabel.getFont().getName(), Font.PLAIN, 50));
JLabel storeInfoLabel = new JLabel("<html>1234 Fakelane Rd <br> 10001, Faketopia, USA <br> 111-11-PIZZA <br> Mon-Fri 11AM to 10pm <br> Sat-Sun 10AM to 11pm");
storeInfoLabel.setBounds(10, 130, 113, 274);
panel.add(storeInfoLabel);
JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane();
scrollPane.setBounds(406, 85, 2, 2);
panel.add(scrollPane);
logoutButton.addActionListener( new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
System.exit(0);
}
});
}
}
I can't tell where I've gone wrong and I've spent roughly the last three hours trying to fix this and searching the internet for answers to no avail so thank you in advance if you can help me out.
Also I apologize in advance, I know I end up misusing the proper terminology for programming alot, I understand what things are just forget what to properly call them sometimes.

So, basically, I took out all the null layouts and "manual" layout code, as it's just going to mess with you to no end AND added add(panel1); to the end of the MainMenu constructor - as, I've said, NOTHING was added to MainMenu, so, nothing was going to get displayed.
Before you tell me that "this isn't the layout I want", understand that I understand that, but my point is, null layouts are a really bad idea, as almost the entire Swing API relies the layout managers in one way or another.
I appreciate that layout management can seem like a complex subject, but it solves some very complex problems and it's worth taking the time to learn them. Remember, you're not stuck to a single layout manager, you can use component components to adjust individual containers to their individual needs.
You can take a look at:
Layout using Java Swing
Which Layout Manager to use?
How I can do swing complex layout Java
How to use Java Swing layout manager to make this GUI?
*Which java swing layout should I use
to some ideas how you might approach designing a complex UI.
You should also take a look at Laying Out Components Within a Container
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.CardLayout;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.Font;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
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.JScrollPane;
import javax.swing.JTabbedPane;
import javax.swing.JTextArea;
import javax.swing.SwingConstants;
public class PizzaSystem {
private JFrame frame;
// Toppings toppingsPanel;
MainMenu menuPanel;
JButton loginBtn;
JPanel mainPanel;
CardLayout cl;
//MAIN
public static void main(String[] args) {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
try {
PizzaSystem window = new PizzaSystem();
window.frame.setVisible(true);
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
});
}
//Constructor
public PizzaSystem() {
initialize();
}
//Initialize the GUI
private void initialize() {
cl = new CardLayout();
frame = new JFrame();
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
mainPanel = new JPanel(cl);
frame.getContentPane().add(mainPanel);
JPanel panel_1 = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
loginBtn = new JButton();
loginBtn.setText("Login");
loginBtn.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
showCard("menu");
}
});
panel_1.add(loginBtn);
mainPanel.add(panel_1, "loginPanel");
JPanel menuPanel = new MainMenu();
mainPanel.add(menuPanel, "menu");
frame.pack();
showCard("loginPanel");
}
//Call card matching the key
public void showCard(String key) {
cl.show(mainPanel, key);
}
public class MainMenu extends JPanel {
public MainMenu() {
JPanel panel1 = new JPanel(new BorderLayout());
JLabel logoLabel = new JLabel("Logo");
panel1.add(logoLabel, BorderLayout.NORTH);
JTabbedPane tabbedPane = new JTabbedPane(JTabbedPane.TOP);
tabbedPane.setToolTipText("");
panel1.add(tabbedPane, BorderLayout.CENTER);
JPanel panel = new JPanel();
tabbedPane.addTab("MENU", null, panel, null);
//*******************************************************************************************************
//Pepperoni menu section
JLabel pizza1Image = new JLabel("IMAGE");
panel.add(pizza1Image);
JLabel pepperoniLabel = new JLabel("PEPPERONI");
pepperoniLabel.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.CENTER);
panel.add(pepperoniLabel);
JButton pepperoniOrderBtn = new JButton("ORDER");
pepperoniOrderBtn.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
}
});
//Pepperoni End
JButton accountButton = new JButton("Account");
panel.add(accountButton);
JButton checkoutButton = new JButton("Checkout");
panel.add(checkoutButton);
JButton logoutButton = new JButton("Logout");
panel.add(logoutButton);
JTextArea txtrOrderInfoGoes = new JTextArea(10, 20);
txtrOrderInfoGoes.setText("Order Info\r\nGoes Here\r\n\r\nPepperoni Pizza x1\r\n$6.50");
panel.add(txtrOrderInfoGoes);
JButton clearOrderButton = new JButton("Clear");
panel.add(clearOrderButton);
JLabel titleLabel = new JLabel("MAMA JANE'S PIZZERIA");
panel.add(titleLabel);
titleLabel.setFont(new Font(titleLabel.getFont().getName(), Font.PLAIN, 50));
JLabel storeInfoLabel = new JLabel("<html>1234 Fakelane Rd <br> 10001, Faketopia, USA <br> 111-11-PIZZA <br> Mon-Fri 11AM to 10pm <br> Sat-Sun 10AM to 11pm");
panel.add(storeInfoLabel);
JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane();
panel.add(scrollPane);
logoutButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
System.exit(0);
}
});
add(panel1);
}
}
}

Why is my JPanel hogging up the JFrame?

I am relatively new to programming, so I am sorry if this question is stupid. I am creating a Java program that involves one JButton inside a JPanel, and the JPanel is in a JFrame. Another button is outside the JPanel but still in the JFrame. I set the layout to a BoxLayout. My problem is that the the panel, which I made black, is taking up the whole JFrame except for where the second button is. How do I make the JPanel so it is only taking up the area right around the first button?
public class alt {
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
JPanel panel = new JPanel();
JButton button1 = new JButton("button 1");
JButton button2 = new JButton("button 2");
public alt(){
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.getContentPane().setLayout(new BoxLayout(frame.getContentPane(), BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));
panel.setBackground(Color.black);
frame.setTitle("test");
frame.setExtendedState(java.awt.Frame.MAXIMIZED_BOTH);
panel.add(button1);
frame.add(panel);
frame.add(button2);
button2.setAlignmentX(Component.CENTER_ALIGNMENT);
}
}

You could make use of a different layout manager, one which gives you more control over deciding how space is allocated and filling is handled, for example, GridBagLayout...
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.GridBagConstraints;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UnsupportedLookAndFeelException;
public class SampleLayout {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new SampleLayout();
}
public SampleLayout() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
}
JPanel panel = new JPanel();
JButton button1 = new JButton("button 1");
JButton button2 = new JButton("button 2");
panel.setBackground(Color.black);
panel.add(button1);
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridwidth = GridBagConstraints.REMAINDER;
frame.add(panel, gbc);
frame.add(button2, gbc);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
}
Take a look at Laying Out Components Within a Container for more details

The reason why your panel takes up the bulk of the frame's content pane lies
in the way the BoxLayout manager works with the minimum, preferred,
and maximum values of components. It takes the maximum value of a component
into account. And since the maximum value of a JPanel is huge, it takes
all the space available. The solution is to change the maximum value
of a panel. However, this is bad practice. I do not recommend to use
the BoxLayout manager -- it is very weak and leads to poor code.
I recommend to use either the MigLayout manager or the GroupLayout manager.
I provide three solutions: a corrected BoxLayout solution, a MigLayout solution,
and a GroupLayout solution.
BoxLayout solution
We determine the maximum size of the button and change the panel's size
to be a bit larger than the button's.
package com.zetcode;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Component;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import javax.swing.BorderFactory;
import javax.swing.Box;
import javax.swing.BoxLayout;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
public class BoxLayoutPanel extends JFrame {
public BoxLayoutPanel() {
initUI();
}
private void initUI() {
JPanel cpane = (JPanel) getContentPane();
cpane.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(15, 15, 15, 15));
cpane.setLayout(new BoxLayout(cpane,
BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));
JPanel pnl = new JPanel();
JButton btn1 = new JButton("Button 1");
JButton btn2 = new JButton("Button 2");
Dimension dm = btn1.getMaximumSize();
dm.height += 15;
dm.width += 15;
pnl.setMaximumSize(dm);
pnl.setBackground(Color.black);
add(pnl);
add(Box.createVerticalStrut(10));
pnl.add(btn1);
btn2.setAlignmentX(Component.CENTER_ALIGNMENT);
add(btn2);
setTitle("BoxLayout solution");
pack();
setLocationRelativeTo(null);
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
BoxLayoutPanel ex = new BoxLayoutPanel();
ex.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
}
This is not a clean solution. Generally, we should avoid calling the getMaximumSize() and
the setMaximumSize() in the application code -- this is the layout manager's job. Also in three occasions, we use fixed pixel widths: when we define an empty border, a vertical strut, and a maximum panel's size. This code is however not portable.
Pixel widths change when the resolution of the screen changes. This is a
shortcoming of the BoxLayout manager.
MigLayout solution
This solution is much cleaner and more portable. MigLayout is a third-party
manager, so we need to download additional libraries.
package com.zetcode;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import net.miginfocom.swing.MigLayout;
public class MigLayoutPanel extends JFrame {
public MigLayoutPanel(){
initUI();
setTitle("MigLayout solution");
setLocationRelativeTo(null);
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
}
private void initUI() {
JPanel main = new JPanel(new MigLayout("center"));
JPanel pnl2 = new JPanel();
JButton btn1 = new JButton("Button 1");
JButton btn2 = new JButton("Button 2");
pnl2.setBackground(Color.black);
pnl2.add(btn1);
main.add(pnl2, "wrap");
main.add(btn2, "alignx center");
add(main);
pack();
}
public static void main(String[] args){
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
MigLayoutPanel ex = new MigLayoutPanel();
ex.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
}
GroupLayout solution
GroupLayout is a built-in layout manager. With MigLayout, they are the most
portable and flexible layout managers.
package com.zetcode;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Container;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import javax.swing.GroupLayout;
import static javax.swing.GroupLayout.Alignment.CENTER;
import static javax.swing.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE;
import static javax.swing.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import static javax.swing.LayoutStyle.ComponentPlacement.RELATED;
public class GroupLayoutPanel extends JFrame {
public GroupLayoutPanel(){
initUI();
setTitle("GroupLayout solution");
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
setLocationRelativeTo(null);
}
private void initUI() {
Container pane = getContentPane();
GroupLayout gl = new GroupLayout(pane);
pane.setLayout(gl);
JPanel pnl = new JPanel();
JButton btn1 = new JButton("Button 1");
pnl.add(btn1);
JButton btn2 = new JButton("Button 2");
pnl.setBackground(Color.black);
gl.setAutoCreateGaps(true);
gl.setHorizontalGroup(gl.createSequentialGroup()
.addContainerGap(DEFAULT_SIZE, Integer.MAX_VALUE)
.addGroup(gl.createParallelGroup(CENTER)
.addComponent(pnl, DEFAULT_SIZE, DEFAULT_SIZE,
PREFERRED_SIZE)
.addComponent(btn2))
.addContainerGap(DEFAULT_SIZE, Integer.MAX_VALUE)
);
gl.setVerticalGroup(gl.createSequentialGroup()
.addContainerGap()
.addComponent(pnl, DEFAULT_SIZE, DEFAULT_SIZE,
PREFERRED_SIZE)
.addPreferredGap(RELATED)
.addComponent(btn2)
.addContainerGap()
);
pack();
}
public static void main(String[] args){
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
GroupLayoutPanel ex = new GroupLayoutPanel();
ex.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
}

JPanels appear to go off the frame?

I am working on an assignment "of sorts" not a school assignment. Having said that, any ideas would be great.
I am using WindowBuilder in Eclipse and have created a basic form. I have used nested JPanel components on a border layout to create it. For some reason, the panels appear as though they are spilling over the edges of the JFrame. I have the frame dimensions set to (500, 400) and the panels are various sizes, but none greater than 400 wide.
Code:
package SwingAssignment;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import com.jgoodies.forms.layout.FormLayout;
import com.jgoodies.forms.layout.ColumnSpec;
import com.jgoodies.forms.layout.RowSpec;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
import javax.swing.BoxLayout;
import net.miginfocom.swing.MigLayout;
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import java.awt.FlowLayout;
import javax.swing.BorderFactory;
import javax.swing.JComboBox;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import javax.swing.JTextArea;
import java.awt.Component;
import java.awt.GridBagConstraints;
import java.awt.Insets;
import com.jgoodies.forms.factories.FormFactory;
import java.awt.GridLayout;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.border.BevelBorder;
import javax.swing.SwingConstants;
public class Swing_Assignemnt {
private JFrame frmWindowBuilderAssignment;
private JPanel Center_Panel;
private JTextArea textArea;
private JPanel panel_1;
private JPanel panel;
private JTextField textField;
private JPanel panel_2;
private JTextArea txtrTextarea_0;
private JTextArea txtrTextarea_1;
private JPanel panel_3;
private JTextArea txtrTextareasouth;
private JLabel lblNewLabel;
/**
* Launch the application.
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
try {
Swing_Assignemnt window = new Swing_Assignemnt();
window.frmWindowBuilderAssignment.setVisible(true);
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
});
}
/**
* Create the application.
*/
public Swing_Assignemnt() {
initialize();
}
/**
* Initialize the contents of the frame.
*/
private void initialize() {
frmWindowBuilderAssignment = new JFrame();
frmWindowBuilderAssignment.setTitle("Window Builder Assignment");
//frmWindowBuilderAssignment.setBounds(500, 500, 650, 600);
frmWindowBuilderAssignment.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frmWindowBuilderAssignment.getContentPane().setLayout(new BorderLayout(0, 0));
frmWindowBuilderAssignment.setVisible(true);
frmWindowBuilderAssignment.setSize(394, 500);
panel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(10, 10, 10, 10));
//frmWindowBuilderAssignment.pack();
//frmWindowBuilderAssignment.pack();
frmWindowBuilderAssignment.setVisible( true );
panel = new JPanel();
panel.setBorder(new BevelBorder(BevelBorder.LOWERED, null, null, null, null));
frmWindowBuilderAssignment.getContentPane().add(panel, BorderLayout.NORTH);
panel.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(200, 40));
panel.setLayout(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEFT, 5, 5));
//panel.setBounds(20, 10, 200, 400);
panel.setVisible(true);
JComboBox comboBox = new JComboBox();
panel.add(comboBox);
comboBox.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(125, 20));
comboBox.setVisible(true);
textField = new JTextField();
panel.add(textField);
textField.setColumns(10);
textField.setVisible(true);
panel_2 = new JPanel();
panel_2.setBorder(new BevelBorder(BevelBorder.LOWERED, null, null, null, null));
frmWindowBuilderAssignment.getContentPane().add(panel_2, BorderLayout.CENTER);
panel_2.setLayout(new GridLayout(1, 2, 2, 2));
panel_2.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(200, 400));
panel_2.setVisible(true);
txtrTextarea_0 = new JTextArea();
txtrTextarea_0.setText("textArea_0");
panel_2.add(txtrTextarea_0);
txtrTextarea_0.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(50, 30));
txtrTextarea_0.setVisible(true);
txtrTextarea_1 = new JTextArea();
txtrTextarea_1.setText("textArea_1");
panel_2.add(txtrTextarea_1);
txtrTextarea_1.setVisible(true);
txtrTextarea_1.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(50, 30));
panel_3 = new JPanel();
panel_3.setBorder(new BevelBorder(BevelBorder.LOWERED, null, null, null, null));
frmWindowBuilderAssignment.getContentPane().add(panel_3, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
panel_3.setLayout(new GridLayout(2, 1, 2, 2));
panel_3.setVisible(true);
txtrTextareasouth = new JTextArea();
txtrTextareasouth.setText("textArea_South");
panel_3.add(txtrTextareasouth);
txtrTextareasouth.setVisible(true);
txtrTextareasouth.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(200, 150));
lblNewLabel = new JLabel("Status Label");
panel_3.add(lblNewLabel);
lblNewLabel.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.CENTER);
lblNewLabel.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(200, 20));
}
}
What it looks like:
After some code changes, this is what I now have, I am not sure how to resize the label at the bottom. It only needs to be about 15 tall.

Don't use setBounds() or setPreferredSize(). Each Swing component should determine its own preferred size and the layout manager will then position the components based on the rules of the layout manager.
Don't use setVisible(true) on all your Swing components (except for the JFrame). By default Swing components are visible.
You should add all the components to the frame before using:
frame.pack()
frame.setVisible( true );

try using
frmWindowBuilderAssignment.pack();
at the End of your initialising Method.
This set all of your Components to their preferred Sizes and adjust the Frame.

How do I left and right align components in Swing?

I have what appears to be a simple issue. I have some labels that I'd like to align to the left but when I resize, they start to drift towards the middle. This is going to throw off the alignment of other components I plan on adding. What do I do to keep them to the left?
It's short, easy code, not sure what my problem is here:
package com.protocase.notes.views;
import com.protocase.notes.model.Note;
import com.protocase.notes.model.User;
import java.awt.Component;
import java.util.Date;
import javax.swing.BoxLayout;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
import javax.swing.JTextArea;
import javax.swing.border.BevelBorder;
/**
* #author dah01
*/
public class NotesPanel extends JPanel{
public NotesPanel(Note note){
this.setLayout(new BoxLayout(this,BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));
JLabel creatorLabel = new JLabel("Note by "+note.getCreator()+ " # "+note.getDateCreated());
creatorLabel.setAlignmentX(JLabel.LEFT_ALIGNMENT);
creatorLabel.setHorizontalAlignment(JLabel.LEFT);
JTextArea notesContentsArea = new JTextArea(note.getContents());
notesContentsArea.setEditable(false);
JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane(notesContentsArea);
JLabel editorLabel = new JLabel(" -- Last edited by "+note.getLastEdited() +" at "+note.getDateModified());
editorLabel.setAlignmentX(Component.LEFT_ALIGNMENT);
editorLabel.setHorizontalAlignment(JLabel.LEFT);
this.add(creatorLabel);
this.add(scrollPane);
this.add(editorLabel);
this.setBorder(new BevelBorder(BevelBorder.RAISED));
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Notes Panel");
Note note = new Note();
User user = new User();
user.setFirstName("d");
user.setLastName("h");
user.setUserID("dah01");
note.setCreator(user);
note.setLastEdited(user);
note.setDateCreated(new Date());
note.setDateModified(new Date());
note.setContents("A TEST CONTENTS");
NotesPanel np = new NotesPanel(note);
JScrollPane scroll = new JScrollPane(np);
frame.setContentPane(scroll);
np.setVisible(true);
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.pack();
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
}
}

If you want to align things in your panel, you have to align everything. You forgot to align your JScrollPane. If you add this line to your code, the alignment should be fixed for you:
scrollPane.setAlignmentX(JScrollPane.LEFT_ALIGNMENT);
And what your new constructor would look like:
public NotesPanel(Note note){
this.setLayout(new BoxLayout(this,BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));
JLabel creatorLabel = new JLabel("Note by "+note.getCreator()+ " # "+note.getDateCreated());
creatorLabel.setAlignmentX(JLabel.LEFT_ALIGNMENT);
creatorLabel.setHorizontalAlignment(JLabel.LEFT);
JTextArea notesContentsArea = new JTextArea(note.getContents());
notesContentsArea.setEditable(false);
JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane(notesContentsArea);
scrollPane.setAlignmentX(JScrollPane.LEFT_ALIGNMENT);
JLabel editorLabel = new JLabel(" -- Last edited by "+note.getLastEdited() +" at "+note.getDateModified());
editorLabel.setAlignmentX(Component.LEFT_ALIGNMENT);
editorLabel.setHorizontalAlignment(JLabel.LEFT);
this.add(creatorLabel);
this.add(scrollPane);
this.add(editorLabel);
this.setBorder(new BevelBorder(BevelBorder.RAISED));
}

As per your comments, I would recommend you to go with some other layout, I would recommend MigLayout
Here you go with MigLayout:
import java.awt.EventQueue;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.border.EmptyBorder;
import net.miginfocom.swing.MigLayout;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JTextArea;
public class MigLayoutDemo {
private JPanel contentPane;
/**
* Launch the application.
*/
public static void main(String[] args) {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
try {
new MigLayoutDemo();
} catch (Exception e) {
e.printStackTrace();
}
}
});
}
/**
* Create the frame.
*/
public MigLayoutDemo() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setBounds(100, 100, 450, 300);
contentPane = new JPanel();
contentPane.setBorder(new EmptyBorder(5, 5, 5, 5));
frame.setContentPane(contentPane);
contentPane.setLayout(new MigLayout("", "[grow]", "[][grow][]"));
JLabel lblLabel = new JLabel("Label 1");
lblLabel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createLineBorder(Color.red));
contentPane.add(lblLabel, "cell 0 0,alignx left");
JTextArea textArea = new JTextArea();
contentPane.add(textArea, "cell 0 1,grow");
JLabel lblLabel_1 = new JLabel("Label 2");
lblLabel_1.setBorder(BorderFactory.createLineBorder(Color.red));
contentPane.add(lblLabel_1, "cell 0 2,alignx left");
frame.setVisible(true);
}
}
OUTPUT :
As you can see labels marked with red border are not stretched to the middle, they are left aligned .

Using a BorderLayout definitely fixes your issue.
this.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
this.add(creatorLabel, BorderLayout.NORTH);
this.add(scrollPane);
this.add(editorLabel, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
Alternatively, if you have more components to display in the UI than what you show in the sample code, you can still use a GridBagLayout. I know that not many people like to use this one because it's quite verbose but in my opinion, it's the most powerful layout manager of swing.

How to create vertical TitledBorder in JPanel (javax swing)

I'm trying to figure out how to create a vertical TitledBorder in a JPanel.
I've got this situation:
I'd like to have "Actuators st..." placed vertically, so user can read it.
Is there a way to do it, or should I implement my own customized JPanel & TitledBorder?

maybe crazy idea but is possible with JSeparator too :-)
required proper LayoutManager, maybe GridBagLayout (JComponent placed without GBC can take PreferrredSize from JComponent, but isn't resiziable), not GridLayout
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.GridLayout;
import javax.swing.BorderFactory;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JSeparator;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
public class NestedLayout {
private JFrame frame = new JFrame();
private JPanel leftPanel = new JPanel();
private JSeparator sep = new JSeparator();
private JLabel label = new JLabel("<html> L<br>a<br>b<br>e<br>l<br></html>");
public NestedLayout() {
label.setOpaque(true);
sep.setOrientation(JSeparator.VERTICAL);
sep.setLayout(new GridLayout(3, 1));
sep.add(new JLabel());
sep.add(label);
sep.add(new JLabel());
leftPanel.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
leftPanel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(
10, //top
10, //left
10, //bottom
10)); //right
leftPanel.add(sep, BorderLayout.CENTER);
leftPanel.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(40, 220));
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(leftPanel, BorderLayout.WEST);
//frame.add(label);
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
NestedLayout nestedLayout = new NestedLayout();
}
});
}
}

As shown in How to Use Borders, you can create a compound border using an empty border and a titled border.
Addendum: As an alternative, you can use the border's getMinimumSize() method to ensure that the title is visible. See also this related Q&A.
f.add(createPanel("Actuator status"), BorderLayout.WEST);
f.add(createPanel("Indicator result"), BorderLayout.EAST);
...
private Box createPanel(String s) {
Box box = new Box(BoxLayout.Y_AXIS);
TitledBorder title = BorderFactory.createTitledBorder(null, s,
TitledBorder.CENTER, TitledBorder.DEFAULT_POSITION);
box.setBorder(title);
for (int i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
JButton b = new JButton(null, UIManager.getIcon("html.pendingImage"));
b.setAlignmentX(JButton.CENTER_ALIGNMENT);
box.add(b);
}
box.validate();
Dimension db = box.getPreferredSize();
int max = Math.max(title.getMinimumSize(box).width, db.width);
box.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(max, db.height));
return box;
}