Arranging items in a panel - java

I'm coding a small project for my high school class but I have run into a bit of an issue now that I'm working with frames. I'm trying to find the easiest and most efficient way to arrange the contents of a panel in java 7 (Note: this means SpringUtilities is not an option)
For the arrangement of each item I wanted it to have the option to type in your name at the top and then have 3 buttons in the same row below the name box
and the code I have so far is
private static void userInterface(){
//Declare and assign variables
final String[] options = {"Lvl 1", "Lvl 2", "Lvl 3"};
int optionsAmt = options.length;
//Create the panel used to make the user interface
JPanel panel = new JPanel(new SpringLayout());
//Create the name box
JTextField tf = new JTextField(10);
JLabel l = new JLabel("Name: ");
l.setLabelFor(tf);
panel.add(l);
panel.add(tf);
//Create 3 buttons with corresponding values of String options
for(int a = 0; a < optionsAmt; a++){
JButton b = new JButton(options[a]);
panel.add(new JLabel());
panel.add(b);
}
//Layout the panel
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame f = new JFrame();
f.pack();
f.setTitle("Number Game");
f.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
f.setVisible(true);
}
}


"Easy" is a relative term, for example, you could do something like...
public class TestPane extends JPanel {
public TestPane() {
setLayout(new GridLayout(2, 1));
JPanel fieldPane = new JPanel();
fieldPane.add(new JTextField(10));
add(fieldPane);
JPanel buttonPane = new JPanel();
buttonPane.add(new JButton("1"));
buttonPane.add(new JButton("2"));
buttonPane.add(new JButton("3"));
add(buttonPane);
}
}
or something like...
public class TestPane extends JPanel {
public TestPane() {
setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridwidth = 3;
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy = 0;
add(new JTextField(10), gbc);
gbc.gridwidth = 1;
gbc.gridy = 1;
add(new JButton("1"), gbc);
gbc.gridx++;
add(new JButton("2"), gbc);
gbc.gridx++;
add(new JButton("3"), gbc);
}
}
Both are easy, both do the job, but which you would use would depend greatly on what you want to achieve...
Take a look at Laying Out Components Within a Container for more details

Related

Fix the size of a JScrollPane of JPanels in a JFrame

I am a beginner in Java Swing and I am trying to put a multiple JPanels in a JScrollPanel. The matter is, the JSCrollPannel (named jp in the code) should not fill all the JFrame but it does even if I fix a size with setSize() and a maximal size with setMaximalSize(). What is the trouble? How can I make the JSCrollPane smaller than the JFrame?
package GUI;
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class MultiPanels {
private JScrollPane getContent() {
Dimension d = new Dimension(300,200);
JPanel panel = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc= new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.weightx = 1.0;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
gbc.gridwidth = GridBagConstraints.REMAINDER;
panel.add(getPanel(d, 6, Color.red), gbc);
panel.add(getPanel(d, 4, Color.green.darker()), gbc);
panel.add(getPanel(d, 4, Color.orange), gbc);
panel.add(getPanel(d, 12, Color.blue), gbc);
panel.add(getEmptyPanel(d), gbc);
return new JScrollPane(panel);
}
private JScrollPane getPanel(Dimension d, int rows, Color color) {
JPanel panel = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
panel.setBackground(color);
GridBagConstraints gbc= new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.insets = new Insets(10,5,10,5);
gbc.weightx = 1.0;
for(int i = 0, j = 1; i < rows; i++) {
gbc.gridwidth = GridBagConstraints.RELATIVE;
panel.add(new JButton(String.valueOf(j++)), gbc);
gbc.gridwidth = GridBagConstraints.REMAINDER;
panel.add(new JButton(String.valueOf(j++)), gbc);
}
JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane(panel);
scrollPane.setPreferredSize(d);
return scrollPane;
}
private JScrollPane getEmptyPanel(Dimension d) {
JPanel panel = new JPanel() {
protected void paintComponent(Graphics g) {
int w = getWidth();
int h = getHeight();
GradientPaint gp = new GradientPaint(0,0,Color.red,
0,h,Color.cyan);
((Graphics2D)g).setPaint(gp);
g.fillRect(0,0,w,h);
}
};
panel.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(300,400));
JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane(panel);
scrollPane.setPreferredSize(d);
return scrollPane;
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame f = new JFrame();
JScrollPane jp = new MultiPanels().getContent();
jp.setSize(new Dimension(200, 200));
jp.setMaximumSize(new Dimension(200,200));
jp.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(200,200));
f.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
f.add(jp);
f.setSize(400,400);
f.setLocation(200,200);
f.setResizable(false);
f.setVisible(true);
}
}

Any time things don't size or arrange correctly, you have to look into Layouts.
Generally, spend more time on:
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/layout/visual.html
To be specific, the default layout of a JPanel and JFrame is BorderLayout which is a very simple layout manager indeed. When you add to a component managed by BorderLayout without saying where, it is automatically added to the center and fills to use all available space:
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/layout/visual.html#border
It is possible to use "none" (Absolute Positioning) as the layout, but this is almost always a bad idea and you want to think about what you really want to do with the rest of the space in the JFrame: perhaps by letting new child components, with their own size demands, take up some of the space that the main panel is now swallowing up.

How to get JButton to fill BoxLayout vertically?

It's easiest to explain with a picture, so here it goes. This is how it looks right now:
I am trying to get all JButtons to to be same size, i.e to fill out the BoxLayout completely vertically.
Here is my code:
public class TestarBara extends JFrame implements ActionListener{
JButton heyy;
public static void main(String[] args){
new TestarBara();
}
JPanel panel = new JPanel();
JPanel panel2 = new JPanel();
public TestarBara(){
super("knapparnshit");
panel.setLayout(new GridLayout(3,3,2,2));
for(int x=1; x < 10; x++){
String y = Integer.toString(x);
JButton button = new JButton(y);
button.addActionListener(this);
panel.add(button);
}
add(panel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
JButton b1 = new JButton("this");
JButton b2 = new JButton("does");
JButton b3 = new JButton("not");
JButton b4 = new JButton("work");
panel2.setLayout(new BoxLayout(panel2, BoxLayout.PAGE_AXIS));
panel2.add(b1);
panel2.add(Box.createRigidArea(new Dimension(0,4)));
panel2.add(b2);
panel2.add(Box.createRigidArea(new Dimension(0,4)));
panel2.add(b3);
panel2.add(Box.createRigidArea(new Dimension(0,4)));
panel2.add(b4);
panel2.setBorder(BorderFactory.createBevelBorder(1));
add(panel2, BorderLayout.WEST);
Dimension dim = panel2.getPreferredSize();
b1.setPreferredSize(dim);
b2.setPreferredSize(dim);
b3.setPreferredSize(dim);
b4.setPreferredSize(dim);
setResizable(true);
setSize(300,300);
setVisible(true);
setDefaultCloseOperation(EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
}
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
Object button = e.getSource();
if(button instanceof JButton){
((JButton) button).setEnabled(false);
((JButton) button).setText("dead");
Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().beep();
}
}
}
What do I need to do so the JButtons all are the same size, and all of them going all the way to the left?

The problem is BoxLayout will honour the preferredSize of the individual components, you'd be better off with a layout manager that provided you with more control, like GridBagLayout, for example...
panel2.setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridwidth = GridBagConstraints.REMAINDER;
gbc.insets = new Insets(0, 0, 4, 0);
gbc.weightx = 1;
gbc.weighty = 1;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.BOTH;
panel2.add(b1, gbc);
panel2.add(b2, gbc);
panel2.add(b3, gbc);
gbc.insets = new Insets(0, 0, 0, 0);
panel2.add(b4, gbc);
Or GridLayout...
panel2.setLayout(new GridLayout(0, 1, 0, 4));
panel2.add(b1);
panel2.add(b2);
panel2.add(b3);
panel2.add(b4);

Why is this code not displaying properly?

Why are the JLabel, JTextField and JButton components on the FieldBox panel not displaying?
Please let me know if I can add anything to this question to make it more answerable!
The field box (one of which is created for each of several instance fields):
public class FieldBox extends javax.swing.JPanel {
JLabel label;
JTextField textField;
public FieldBox() {
setBackground(Color.RED);
setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
label = new JLabel();
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy = 0;
add(label,gbc);
textField = new JTextField();
gbc.gridx = 1;
gbc.gridy = 0;
add(textField, gbc);
JButton editBtn = new JButton("edit");
gbc.gridx = 2;
gbc.gridy = 0;
add(editBtn, gbc);
JButton saveBtn = new JButton ("save");
gbc.gridx = 3;
gbc.gridy = 0;
add(saveBtn, gbc);
label.setVisible(true);
label.setBackground(Color.yellow);
setVisible(true);
initComponents();
}
The panel onto which the boxes are added: (the panel appears. I know this panel loads because I can see its background. I can also see the "tit" JLabel, which I'm using for testing. Also, when I load the boxes onto it using a gridLayout (as shown below), I see the background of one of the boxes, but none of its contents are displayed, and also there should be three boxes shown but I only see one. Using a GridBagLayout
public class ShowBook extends javax.swing.JPanel {
public ShowBook(Book b) {
setLayout(new GridLayout(1,6));
setBackground(Color.GREEN);
String[] fieldTitles = {"title", "catalog", "publisher" };
JLabel tit = new JLabel("tit");
add(tit);
for (String s : fieldTitles){
FieldBox fb = new FieldBox();
fb.label.setText(s + ": ");
fb.textField.setText(getField(b, s));
System.out.println("in text field" + fb.textField.getText());
fb.revalidate();
fb.setVisible(true);
add (fb);
}
revalidate();
setVisible(true);
}
The panel onto which the ShowBook panel (above) is added. This panel also contains a listbox, which lists books in the collection, and a button to launch a ShowBook panel with the selected book as parameter.
public class ShowLib extends javax.swing.JPanel {
/**
* Creates new form ShowLib
*/
public ShowLib(Library l) {
setLayout(new BorderLayout()) ;
setBackground(Color.WHITE);
JPanel listPanel = new JPanel();
listPanel.setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
final JList bookList = new JList();
bookList.setVisible(true);
bookList.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(150, 600));
bookList.setBackground(Color.yellow);
DefaultListModel dlm = new DefaultListModel();
for (Book b : l.libList){
dlm.addElement(b);
}
bookList.setModel(dlm);
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy = 0;
gbc.fill = gbc.BOTH;
listPanel.add(bookList, gbc);
JButton showBtn = new JButton("show");
gbc.gridy = gbc.RELATIVE;
listPanel.add(showBtn, gbc);
showBtn.addActionListener(new ActionListener () {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e){
Book b = (Book) bookList.getSelectedValue();
ShowBook db = new ShowBook (b);
System.out.println("Clicked");
add (db, BorderLayout.CENTER);
revalidate();
}
});
revalidate();
setVisible(true);
add(listPanel, BorderLayout.WEST);
}
Where the ShowLib panel is added to the main JFrame. I know this works because that panel displays properly
void showLib() {
ShowLib sl = new ShowLib(l);
sl.setVisible(true);
setContentPane(sl);
revalidate();
// this.revalidate();
// this.pack();
System.out.println("showlibClicked");
}

The problem was the line initComponents(); at the bottom of the FieldBox class.
Lesson learned: If you're not using NetBeans visual GUI editor, GET RID OF THIS LINE!

Multiple Panels Below Each Other

Is it possible i can have a top panel for a login. Then a middle and bottom panel underneath.
I'm using gridbaglayout and i have assigned 2 panels. One panel has components linked to it for login details and the other panel has other components linked to it. However, it's not going occurring to plan.
Ive tried using Box/Borderlayout to do this, but then i'm not able to create the spacing i want.
Here is a sketch of what i want.
public class GUI extends JFrame{
private JPanel myTopPL, myTopPL2;
private JTextField myUsernameTF;
private JTextField myPasswordTF;
private JTextField myMessageTF;
private JLabel myUsernameLBL;
private JLabel myPasswordLBL;
private JLabel myItemsLBL;
private JTextArea myMainTA;
private JButton myLoginBN;
private JButton myConnectBN;
private JButton mySendBN;
private JComboBox myItemsCB;
public GUI () {
super("GUI ");
setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
myTopPL = new JPanel();
myTopPL2 = new JPanel();
myTopPL.setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
myTopPL2.setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints myTopPLGBC = new GridBagConstraints();
myTopPLGBC.weightx = 1;
myTopPLGBC.weighty = 1;
GridBagConstraints myTopPLGBC2 = new GridBagConstraints();
myTopPLGBC.weightx = 2;
myTopPLGBC.weighty = 2;
myUsernameLBL = new JLabel("Username: ");
myUsernameLBL.setFont(new Font("Arial", Font.BOLD, 13));
myTopPLGBC.gridx = 1;
myTopPLGBC.gridy = 1;
myTopPLGBC.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,5);
myTopPL.add(myUsernameLBL, myTopPLGBC);
myUsernameTF = new JTextField(10);
myTopPLGBC.gridx = 2;
myTopPLGBC.gridy = 1;
myTopPLGBC.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,5);
myTopPL.add(myUsernameTF,myTopPLGBC);
myPasswordLBL = new JLabel("Password: ");
myPasswordLBL.setFont(new Font("Arial", Font.BOLD, 13));
myTopPLGBC.gridx = 3;
myTopPLGBC.gridy = 1;
myTopPLGBC.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,5);
myTopPL.add(myPasswordLBL, myTopPLGBC);
myPasswordTF = new JTextField(10);
myTopPLGBC.gridx = 4;
myTopPLGBC.gridy = 1;
myTopPLGBC.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,5);
myTopPL.add(myPasswordTF,myTopPLGBC);
myLoginBN = new JButton("Login");
myTopPLGBC.gridx = 5;
myTopPLGBC.gridy = 1;
myTopPLGBC.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,5);
myTopPL.add(myLoginBN,myTopPLGBC);
myItemsLBL = new JLabel("Items: ");
myItemsLBL.setFont(new Font("Arial", Font.BOLD, 13));
myTopPLGBC2.gridx = 1;
myTopPLGBC2.gridy = 3;
myTopPLGBC2.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,5);
myTopPL2.add(myItemsLBL, myTopPLGBC2);
myItemsCB = new JComboBox();
myItemsCB.addItem(" Select an Item ");
myTopPLGBC2.gridx = 1;
myTopPLGBC2.gridy = 4;
myTopPLGBC2.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,5);
myTopPL2.add(myItemsCB, myTopPLGBC2);
myConnectBN = new JButton("Connect");
myTopPLGBC2.gridx = 2;
myTopPLGBC2.gridy = 4;
myTopPLGBC2.insets = new Insets (5,5,5,5);
myTopPL2.add(myConnectBN, myTopPLGBC2);
GridBagConstraints GBC = new GridBagConstraints();
GBC.anchor = GridBagConstraints.NORTHWEST;
GBC.weightx = 1;
GBC.weighty = 1;
this.add(myTopPL,GBC);
GridBagConstraints GBC2 = new GridBagConstraints();
GBC2.anchor = GridBagConstraints.NORTHWEST;
GBC2.weightx = 2;
GBC2.weighty = 2;
this.add(myTopPL2,GBC2);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
GUI GUI = new GUI ();
GUI .setDefaultCloseOperation(RMIAuctionHouse.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
GUI .setSize(750,500);
GUI .setVisible(true);
}
}

I'd break down the application into it's individual areas of responsibilities and focus on creating the UI elements to support it. This will allow you to focus on the needs of each section of your application, it also allows you the opportunity to change around the layout as you need
public class TestLayout15 {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new TestLayout15();
}
public TestLayout15() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException | InstantiationException | IllegalAccessException | UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Test");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
frame.add(new MainPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class MainPane extends JPanel {
private JTextField messageField;
private JButton sendButton;
public MainPane() {
setBorder(new EmptyBorder(4, 4, 4, 4));
setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy = 0;
gbc.weightx = 1;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
gbc.gridwidth = GridBagConstraints.REMAINDER;
add(new LoginPane(), gbc);
gbc.gridy++;
add(new ConnectPane(), gbc);
gbc.gridy++;
gbc.weighty = 1;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.BOTH;
add(new JScrollPane(new JTextArea(5, 20)), gbc);
gbc.gridwidth = 1;
messageField = new JTextField(10);
sendButton = new JButton("Send");
gbc.gridy++;
gbc.weighty = 0;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
add(messageField, gbc);
gbc.gridx++;
gbc.weightx = 0;
add(sendButton, gbc);
}
}
public class ConnectPane extends JPanel {
private JComboBox comboBox;
private JButton connectButton;
public ConnectPane() {
comboBox = new JComboBox();
connectButton = new JButton("Connect");
setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy = 0;
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.WEST;
add(comboBox, gbc);
gbc.gridx++;
gbc.weightx = 1;
add(connectButton, gbc);
}
}
public class LoginPane extends JPanel {
private JTextField userNameField;
private JPasswordField passwordField;
private JButton loginButton;
public LoginPane() {
userNameField = new JTextField(10);
passwordField = new JPasswordField(10);
loginButton = new JButton("Login");
setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy = 0;
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.WEST;
add(new JLabel("User name:"), gbc);
gbc.gridx++;
add(userNameField, gbc);
gbc.gridx++;
add(new JLabel("Password:"), gbc);
gbc.gridx++;
add(passwordField, gbc);
gbc.gridx++;
gbc.weightx = 1;
add(loginButton, gbc);
}
}
}

To start with, replace the call to GUI.setSize(750,500) with GUI.pack(). That will size the window to fit your content. After doing that you'll see the second panel is appearing to the right of the first. This is because you did not set gridx/gridy on GBC2 so it defaults to putting myTopPL2 to the right of myTopPL1, not below it.
I rarely explicitly set the gridx/gridy when using GridBagLayout. For your first row of the display, I would use default values for all but myLoginBN where I would set gridwidth to GridBagConstraints.REMAINDER. That tells GridBagLayout that nothing else goes on this row. The next item added with a default gbc will be placed at the start of the second row.
Minor nits:
Use standard Java capitalization:
Class name are camelcase with a leading uppercase character. So, "Gui", not "GUI".
Instance names are camelcase with a leading lowercase character. So, "gbc1" not "GBC1"
Use SwingUtilities.InvokeLater to start the Gui on the EDT
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
GUI GUI = new GUI ();
GUI .setDefaultCloseOperation(RMIAuctionHouse.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
GUI .setSize(750,500);
GUI .setVisible(true);
}});

Seems you are not familiar with Java layouts, so i recomend you to try null(absolute) Layout:
setLayout(null);
...
component.setBounds( x, y, width, heigh );
add(component);
Here example
package gui;
import java.awt.Font;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
public class GUI extends JFrame{
private JTextField myUsernameTF;
private JLabel myUsernameLBL;
public GUI() {
super("GUI ");
setLayout(null);
myUsernameLBL = new JLabel("Username: ");
myUsernameLBL.setFont(new Font("Arial", Font.BOLD, 13));
myUsernameLBL.setBounds(50,30,80,20);
add(myUsernameLBL);
myUsernameTF = new JTextField(10);
myUsernameTF.setBounds(190,30,80,20);
add(myUsernameTF);
// and so on ...
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
GUI frame = new GUI();
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setSize(750,500);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
}
Good luck on thorny way to handle java swing =)

Which Layout Manager to use? [closed]

It's difficult to tell what is being asked here. This question is ambiguous, vague, incomplete, overly broad, or rhetorical and cannot be reasonably answered in its current form. For help clarifying this question so that it can be reopened, visit the help center.
Closed 10 years ago.
So basically I want to create this sort of a GUI, but because of my inexperience with Java GUIs, I cannot figure out which Layout Manager to use. I've tried Flow, Border, Grid, but none of them allow me to create this sort of a GUI without messing up the alignments somewhere.
Any suggestions? How should I decide on a layout manager in the future, or is it something which will come with experience?
I'd prefer to use a simple to use layout, as this is a very basic GUI and I don't think something like MiGLayout should be necessary.

I'd use a combination of compound panels and layouts. Apart from making easier to get the layout to work, you could also isolate areas of responsibility within their own class.
public class TestLayout13 {
public static void main(String[] args) {
new TestLayout13();
}
public TestLayout13() {
EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (ClassNotFoundException ex) {
} catch (InstantiationException ex) {
} catch (IllegalAccessException ex) {
} catch (UnsupportedLookAndFeelException ex) {
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Test");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
frame.add(new FormPane());
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
public class FormPane extends JPanel {
public FormPane() {
setBorder(new EmptyBorder(8, 8, 8, 8));
setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy = 0;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.BOTH;
gbc.weightx = 1;
NamePane namePane = new NamePane();
namePane.setBorder(new CompoundBorder(new TitledBorder("Name"), new EmptyBorder(4, 4, 4, 4)));
add(namePane, gbc);
gbc.gridy++;
EMailPane emailPane = new EMailPane();
emailPane.setBorder(new CompoundBorder(new TitledBorder("E-Mail"), new EmptyBorder(4, 4, 4, 4)));
add(emailPane, gbc);
}
}
public class NamePane extends JPanel {
public NamePane() {
setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy = 0;
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.EAST;
add(new JLabel("First Name:"), gbc);
gbc.gridx += 2;
add(new JLabel("Last Name:"), gbc);
gbc.gridy++;
gbc.gridx = 0;
add(new JLabel("Title:"), gbc);
gbc.gridx += 2;
add(new JLabel("Nickname:"), gbc);
gbc.gridx = 1;
gbc.gridy = 0;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.WEST;
gbc.weightx = 0.5;
add(new JTextField(10), gbc);
gbc.gridx += 2;
add(new JTextField(10), gbc);
gbc.gridy++;
gbc.gridx = 1;
add(new JTextField(10), gbc);
gbc.gridx += 2;
add(new JTextField(10), gbc);
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy++;
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.EAST;
gbc.weightx = 0;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.NONE;
add(new JLabel("Format:"), gbc);
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.WEST;
gbc.gridx++;
gbc.weightx = 1;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
gbc.gridwidth = GridBagConstraints.REMAINDER;
add(new JComboBox(), gbc);
}
}
protected class EMailPane extends JPanel {
public EMailPane() {
JPanel detailsPane = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy = 0;
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.EAST;
detailsPane.add(new JLabel("E-Mail Address:"), gbc);
gbc.gridx++;
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.WEST;
gbc.weightx = 1;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
detailsPane.add(new JTextField(10), gbc);
gbc.gridy++;
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.BOTH;
gbc.weighty = 1;
gbc.gridwidth = GridBagConstraints.REMAINDER;
detailsPane.add(new JScrollPane(new JList()), gbc);
JPanel buttonsPane = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy = 0;
gbc.weightx = 1;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
buttonsPane.add(new JButton("Add"), gbc);
gbc.gridy++;
buttonsPane.add(new JButton("Edit"), gbc);
gbc.gridy++;
buttonsPane.add(new JButton("Delete"), gbc);
gbc.gridy++;
gbc.weighty = 1;
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.NORTH;
buttonsPane.add(new JButton("As Default"), gbc);
JPanel formatPane = new JPanel(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEFT));
formatPane.setBorder(new TitledBorder(new EmptyBorder(1, 1, 1, 1), "Mail Format:"));
formatPane.add(new JRadioButton("HTML"));
formatPane.add(new JRadioButton("Plain"));
formatPane.add(new JRadioButton("Custom"));
setLayout(new BorderLayout());
add(detailsPane);
add(buttonsPane, BorderLayout.LINE_END);
add(formatPane, BorderLayout.PAGE_END);
}
}
}

My preference is MigLayout because it is the most complete and well documented layout manager for Swing. In addition to Swing, it also supports SWT and JavaFX, so the time you spend learning it may pay back more than once. It supports maven, refer to http://www.miglayout.com for details, which is a big plus. Also it has a very useful debug feature. You can add "debug 1" in the constructor, and you will se how the layout was created. Example:
emailButtonPanel.setLayout(new MigLayout("wrap, fill, insets 20 10 0 10, debug 1"));
Another feature that I find very useful from time to time, is the hidemode, which allows you that a component does not take part in the layout if not visible (or several other strategies).
Here is one possible approach for the image you posted, using MigLayout:
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.border.Border;
import javax.swing.border.TitledBorder;
import net.miginfocom.layout.CC;
import net.miginfocom.swing.MigLayout;
/**
*/
public class LayoutApproach {
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Contact information");
frame.getContentPane().add(new ContactPanel());
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setMinimumSize(new Dimension(800, 450));
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null); // Center
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
}
});
}
static class ContactPanel extends JPanel {
private JPanel namePanel;
private TitledBorder nameTitledBorder;
private JLabel firstNameLabel;
private JTextField firstNameTextField;
private JLabel lastNameLabel;
private JTextField lastNameTextField;
private JLabel titleLabel;
private JTextField titleTextField;
private JLabel nicknameLabel;
private JTextField nickNameTextField;
private JLabel formatLabel;
private JComboBox<String> formatComboBox;
private JPanel emailPanel;
private TitledBorder emailTitledBorder;
private JLabel emailLabel;
private JTextField emailTextField;
private JList<String> emailItemsList;
private JLabel mailFormatLabel;
private JPanel emailButtonPanel;
private JButton addButton;
private JButton editButton;
private JButton removeButton;
private JButton asDefaultButton;
private JRadioButton htmlRadioButton;
private JRadioButton plainTextRadioButton;
private JRadioButton customTextRadioButton;
private JPanel buttonPanel;
private JButton okButton;
private JButton cancelButton;
public ContactPanel() {
createComponents();
makeLayout();
createHandlers();
registerHandlers();
initComponent();
i18n();
}
/**
* Create GUI components, but contains no layout.
*/
public void createComponents() {
namePanel = new JPanel();
nameTitledBorder = new TitledBorder("");
firstNameLabel = new JLabel();
firstNameTextField = new JTextField();
lastNameLabel = new JLabel();
lastNameTextField = new JTextField();
titleLabel = new JLabel();
titleTextField = new JTextField();
nicknameLabel = new JLabel();
nickNameTextField = new JTextField();
formatLabel = new JLabel();
formatComboBox = new JComboBox<>();
emailPanel = new JPanel();
emailTitledBorder = new TitledBorder("");
emailLabel = new JLabel();
emailTextField = new JTextField();
emailItemsList = new JList<>();
mailFormatLabel = new JLabel();
emailButtonPanel = new JPanel();
addButton = new JButton();
editButton = new JButton();
removeButton = new JButton();
asDefaultButton = new JButton();
htmlRadioButton = new JRadioButton();
plainTextRadioButton = new JRadioButton();
customTextRadioButton = new JRadioButton();
buttonPanel = new JPanel();
okButton = new JButton();
cancelButton = new JButton("Cancel");
}
/**
* Create listeners/handlers
*/
public void createHandlers() {
}
/**
* Registers/adds listeners/handlers.
*/
public void registerHandlers() {
}
public void makeLayout() {
layoutNamePanel();
layoutEmailPanel();
layoutButtonPanel();
MigLayout migLayout = new MigLayout("fill, insets 20");
setLayout(migLayout);
add(namePanel, "dock north");
add(emailPanel, "dock north");
add(buttonPanel, "dock south");
}
private void layoutButtonPanel() {
buttonPanel.setLayout(new MigLayout("alignX right"));
buttonPanel.add(okButton, "tag ok");
buttonPanel.add(cancelButton, "tag cancel");
}
private void layoutNamePanel() {
MigLayout nameLayout = new MigLayout("fill, wrap 4", // Layout Constraints
"15[]15[grow]15[]15[grow]", // Column constraints
""); // Row constraints
// -- Layout all components with name
namePanel.setLayout(nameLayout);
// Create this border here since I use it for layout
Border nameBorder = BorderFactory.createCompoundBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(10, 6, 10, 6), nameTitledBorder);
namePanel.setBorder(nameBorder);
namePanel.add(firstNameLabel, "alignX right");
namePanel.add(firstNameTextField, "grow");
namePanel.add(lastNameLabel, "alignX right");
namePanel.add(lastNameTextField, "grow");
namePanel.add(titleLabel, "alignX right");
namePanel.add(titleTextField, "grow");
namePanel.add(nicknameLabel, "alignX right");
namePanel.add(nickNameTextField, "grow");
namePanel.add(formatLabel, "alignX right");
namePanel.add(formatComboBox, new CC().grow().span(3)); // Alternative to using plain text'
}
private void layoutEmailPanel() {
MigLayout emailLayout = new MigLayout("fill",// Layout Constraints
"", // Column constraints
""); // Row constraints
// -- Layout all components with name
emailPanel.setLayout(emailLayout);
// Create this border here since I use it for layout
Border emailBorder = BorderFactory.createCompoundBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(10, 6, 10, 6), emailTitledBorder);
emailPanel.setBorder(emailBorder);
emailButtonPanel.setLayout(new MigLayout("wrap, fill, insets 20 10 0 10"));
emailButtonPanel.add(addButton, "growx");
emailButtonPanel.add(editButton, "growx");
emailButtonPanel.add(removeButton, "growx");
emailButtonPanel.add(asDefaultButton, "growx");
JPanel emailAndItems = new JPanel(new MigLayout("fill"));
emailAndItems.add(emailLabel, "split 2");
emailAndItems.add(emailTextField, "span, growx, wrap");
emailAndItems.add(emailItemsList, "span, grow");
JPanel radioButtons = new JPanel(new MigLayout());
radioButtons.add(htmlRadioButton);
radioButtons.add(plainTextRadioButton);
radioButtons.add(customTextRadioButton);
emailPanel.add(radioButtons, "dock south");
emailPanel.add(mailFormatLabel, "dock south, gapleft 15");
emailPanel.add(emailAndItems, "dock west, growx, push");
emailPanel.add(emailButtonPanel, "dock east, shrink");
ButtonGroup buttonGroup = new ButtonGroup();
buttonGroup.add(htmlRadioButton);
buttonGroup.add(plainTextRadioButton);
buttonGroup.add(customTextRadioButton);
}
/**
* Sets initial values for component.
*/
public void initComponent() {
formatComboBox.addItem("Item 1");
formatComboBox.addItem("Item 2");
formatComboBox.addItem("Item 3");
formatComboBox.addItem("Item 4");
DefaultListModel<String> model = new DefaultListModel<>();
emailItemsList.setModel(model);
model.insertElementAt("Item 1", 0);
model.insertElementAt("Item 2", 1);
model.insertElementAt("Item 3", 2);
model.insertElementAt("Item 4", 3);
customTextRadioButton.setSelected(true);
}
public void i18n() {
nameTitledBorder.setTitle("Name:");
firstNameLabel.setText("First Name:");
lastNameLabel.setText("Last Name:");
titleLabel.setText("Title:");
nicknameLabel.setText("Nickname:");
formatLabel.setText("Format:");
emailTitledBorder.setTitle("E-mail");
emailLabel.setText("E-mail address:");
mailFormatLabel.setText("Mail Format:");
addButton.setText("Add");
editButton.setText("Edit");
removeButton.setText("Remove");
asDefaultButton.setText("As Default");
htmlRadioButton.setText("HTML");
plainTextRadioButton.setText("Plain Text");
customTextRadioButton.setText("Custom");
okButton.setText("OK");
cancelButton.setText("Cancel");
}
}
}
The code was written in Java 7. A maven pom.xml file to go with it could be something like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
<modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>
<groupId>stackoverflow</groupId>
<artifactId>stackoverflow</artifactId>
<version>1.0</version>
<dependencies>
<dependency>
<groupId>com.miglayout</groupId>
<artifactId>miglayout-core</artifactId>
<version>4.2</version>
</dependency>
<dependency>
<groupId>com.miglayout</groupId>
<artifactId>miglayout-swing</artifactId>
<version>4.2</version>
</dependency>
</dependencies>
<build>
<plugins>
<plugin>
<groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
<artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
<configuration>
<source>1.7</source>
<target>1.7</target>
</configuration>
</plugin>
</plugins>
</build>
</project>

I'd say border layout will work alright for you if you are looking for Java library layout managers. A more advanced one would be MiG Layout. You can google it for the info.
You do know that you can nest layout managers right? As in, one JPanel has one layoutmanager and another has a different one. So one could have border layout and another flow layout.

You can try NetBeans if you want a simple Swing designer, but IMHO Miglayout is the shortest way to get your UI's done as you intended. After the initial learning curve of course...
Try to visualize your screen in grids, and then you can use both gridbag and miglayout.

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