JAVA Graphical User Interface

JAVA Swing

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Introduction
• Swing – A set of GUI classes

– Part of the Java's standard library

– Much better than the previous library: AWT

• Abstract Window Toolkit

– Contents and shape are separated (MVC support)

– Fine-grained control over the behavior and look and feel

– Platform independent

• Isolates the programmer from the operating system's GUI

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Swing component inheritance hierarchy
• Component defines methods used in its subclasses
– (for example, paint and repaint)
• Container - collection of related components
• When using JFrame, add components to content pane
(a Container)
• JComponent - superclass to most Swing components

java.lang.Object

java.awt.Component

java.awt.Container

javax.swing.JComponent
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Swing components
• Containers
– Contain and manage other components.
– Top Level/Internal
– Examples: JFrame (Top Level), JScrollPane,
JPanel.
• Basic controls
– Atomic components
– Used for showing ouput and/or getting some input
– Inherits JComponent
– Examples: JButton, JLabel, JTextArea,
JTable, Jlist
• Every Swing class extends the corresponding AWT class
– For backward-compatibility reasons
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Jcomponent features

• Pluggable look and feel

– Can look like different platforms, at run-time

• Shortcut keys (mnemonics)

– Direct access to components through keyboard

• Tool tips
– Describe component when mouse rolls over it

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JComponent Methods
• setVisible (boolean mode) true means visible
• setToolTipText (String toolTip) mouse hover shows this text
• setForeground (Color foreColor) foreground color of the
component
• setBackground (Color backcolor) background color of the
component
• setOpaque (boolean mode) background is opaque if true and
transparent if false
• setEnabled (boolean mode) enabled if true and can respond to
user input

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 Jframe features
• Constructors:
– JFrame() no text in the title
bar
– JFrame (String titlebartext)
• Methods:
– getContentPane() – returns the
content pane object for the
window
– setDefaultCloseOperation( int
operation) sets the default
operation when the user closes
the “X” in the upper corner
– setSize (int width, int height)
sets the window size in pixels
– setVisible (boolean mode)
displays window if mode = true;
hides if false
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GUI application tasks
• Call constructor of the JFrame superclass
• Get an object reference to the content pane container ‐ GUI
objects are added to this pane
• Set the layout manager to arrange GUI components in the
window
• Instantiate each component
• Add each component to the content pane
• Set the window size
• Display the window

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Example
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.BorderLayout;

public class First {

public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("My First
Frame");

// operation to do when the window is

closed.
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_
CLOSE);

frame.getContentPane().setLayout(new
BorderLayout());
frame.getContentPane().add(new JLabel("I
Love Swing"),
BorderLayout.CENTER);
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
}
}
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JDialog
• JDialog is directly descended from the Dialog class

• JDialog contains a rootPane hierarchy including a contentPane

• All dialogs are modal, which means the current thread is

blocked until user interaction with it has been completed.

• JOptionPane.showMessageDialog – reports something that has

happened to the user

• JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog – asks for a confirming

response e.g. yes, no, cancel

• JOptionPane.showInputDialog – prompt the user for input

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 JFileChooser
• javax.swing.JFileChooser:
– Allows the the user to choose a file
– Supports “open” and “save”:
showOpenDialog(),showSaveDi
alog()

• Example
JFileChooser fc = new
JFileChooser();
int returnVal =
fc.showOpenDialog(null);
if(returnVal ==
JFileChooser.APPROVE_OPTION)
System.out.println("File: "
+ fc.getSelectedFile());

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Layout
• Each container has a layout manager
– Determines the size, location of contained widgets.

• Setting the current layout of a container:

void setLayout(LayoutManager lm)

• LayoutManager implementing classes:

– BorderLayout
– BoxLayout
– FlowLayout
– GridLayout

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Layouts
• BorderLayout
Position must be specified, e.g. add (“North”, myComponent)

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Layouts
• BoxLayout

The BoxLayout class puts
components in a single row
or column.

It respects the components’
requested maximum sizes.

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Layouts
• FlowLayout
• FlowLayout is the default layout manager for every JPanel.
• It simply lays out components from left to right, starting new rows if
necessary

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Layouts
• GridLayout
GridLayout simply makes a bunch of components equal in size and
displays them in the requested number of rows and columns .

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Menus

Menu Bar
– JMenuBar()
– add( JMenu )
JMenuItem( String )
JMenuItem( String,int )
Menu
– JMenu( String )
– add( JMenuItem )

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JLabel
• Labels
– Provide text instructions on a GUI
– Read-only text
– Programs rarely change a label's contents
– Class JLabel (subclass of JComponent)

• Methods
– Can declare label text in constructor
– myLabel.setToolTipText( "Text" )
– myLabel.setText( "Text" )
– myLabel.getText()

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JButton
• Methods of class JButton
– Constructors
JButton myButton = new JButton("Label");
JButton myButton = new JButton("Label",
myIcon );
– setRolloverIcon( myIcon )
• Sets image to display when mouse over button
• Class ActionEvent getActionCommand
• returns label of button that generated event

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JCheckBox
• When JCheckBox changes
– ItemEvent generated
• Handled by an ItemListener, which must define
itemStateChanged
– Register handlers with with addItemListener
• Class ItemEvent
– getStateChange
• Returns ItemEvent.SELECTED or
ItemEvent.DESELECTED

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JRadioButton
• Radio buttons
– Have two states: selected and deselected
– Normally appear as a group
• Only one radio button in group selected at time
• Selecting one button forces the other buttons off
– Mutually exclusive options
– ButtonGroup - maintains logical relationship between radio
buttons
• Class JRadioButton
– Constructor
• JRadioButton( "Label", selected )
• If selected true, JRadioButton initially selected
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JList
• List
– Displays series of items
– may select one or more items

• Class JList
– Constructor JList( arrayOfNames )
• Takes array of Objects (Strings) to display in list

– setVisibleRowCount( n )
• Displays n items at a time

• Does not provide automatic scrolling

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 More about Swing on
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing

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 END

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