I have developed a simple music player in Java which can play any given playlist or simple mp3 song.
For now i have worked all things out in plain JPanels. GUI doesn't look neat.
I need to revamp the GUI using tabbed pane. How this can be achieved using existing JPanels without affecting current functionality?
Also, i am not able to figure out shall i go for Tabbed Pane or Card Layout?
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/layout/card.html
Because a tabbed pane provides its own GUI, using a tabbed pane is simpler than using the CardLayout class.
"Also, i am not able to figure out shall i go for Tabbed Pane or Card Layout?"
It really depends on your preference of the look of your program. The two layouts perform very similarly, though CardLayout is a little bit more code, though at all not difficult. If you don't want the tab look, which I don't see why you would, for a game, then go with CardLayout
"How this can be achieved using existing JPanels without affecting current functionality? "
You need to create separate JPanel for each containment of whatever components you want in each tab. Then just add those JPanel to the JTabbedPane. It shouldn't break any functionality, just the look. Components from another panel should not be affected, you just won't be able to see any changes made, unless that other panel is in view.
If you want to go with CardLayout you can look at the tutorial
Related
I have a task to create a desktop app and I decided to use Swing as I have some experience with it. Also I am using Intllij and I noticed it have a form creator visual interface so I want to use it because its easier.
Samples of my interface is attached here. Its not hard but I dont know which controls to use in order to make something like this. On startup I need to have some text on the right side of the window, then on press on different button on the left to change that text with some other controls like fields labels check boxes etc. Its bit like tabs but I cannot use the JTabbedPane because it become with too different design. Could you advice me which controls to use and how to use them in order to achieve this design ?
Here is the design:
Also I am using Intllij and I noticed it have a form creator visual interface so I want to use it because its easier.
It isn't easier as you end up spending time learning the IDE instead of learning Swing. Any code that is generated will not be maintainable if you ever need to switch to a different IDE.
Learn how to create/maintain the GUI forms manually.
, then on press on different button on the left to change that text with some other controls like fields labels check boxes etc
Start with the standard BorderLayout for the frame. Then you create a panel with your buttons to display on the left. You create a second panel that uses a CardLayout in the CENTER of the BorderLayout. Then when you click a button you swap the panel that is displayed in the CENTER.
Read the section from the Swing tutorial on Layout Managers. There are sections on:
How to Use BorderLayout
How to Use CardLayout
to get your started with working examples.
If you are creating a commercial application(rather then as a leaning experience) consider using JIDE Common Layer as the MultiplePageDialog provides the functionality you seem to be describing:
In this case a series of buttons on the left controlling a panel on the right
I have designed a GUI using Swing components. I have added a Next Button and when someone press it I want to appear another layout of the same GUI. Something like when I pressed proceed in this site in order to write the question.
Sounds like you will want to use a CardLayout. You can define multiple panels to occupy the same space in the frame. You can swap the panel that is displayed based on your requirements.
So based on your question, the "Next" button would just display the next panel added to the CardLayout.
Read the section from the swing tutorial on How to Use CardLayout for more information and working examples.
i have 5 jFrames in my java project. And i want to make like a Main Menu.
I mean, i want that the program starts with a jFrame and when i click a button insteand of open the jFrame, all the elements like labels, buttons and tables are being shown in my principal jFrame.
And if i click other button the main frame will clean and charge other jframe.
It is possible? im programming with java jdk 8 and netbeans.
Thanks
Edit:
I think who marked duplicate didn't understand my question. I don't want to open or close the frame, or other frames, I want to load the structure and components of several in the same frame. Please read my question before you start complain that is duplicated
i have 5 jFrames in my java project.
And that's a problem.
And i want to make like a Main Menu. I mean, i want that the program starts with a jFrame and when i click a button insteand of open the jFrame, all the elements like labels, buttons and tables are being shown in my principal jFrame. And if i click other button the main frame will clean and charge other jframe.
Yes this can be solved by getting the contentPane (usually a JPanel) from the JFrame whose content you want to display within the currently displayed JFrame, and making it the contentPane of the displayed JFrame, for example:
// create the new JFrame, the one whose content you wish to display
NewJFrame newJFrame = new NewJFrame();
// get its contentPane
Container newContentPane = newJFrame.getContentPane();
// add this content pane into the displayed JFrame
displayedJFrame.setContentPane(newContentPane);
// revalidate and repaint the JFrame so that its new data is well displayed
displayedJFrame.revalidate();
displayedJFrame.repaint();
// displayedJFrame.pack(); // and you might need to do this if sizes are way off
But this extra gymnastics is bulky, prone to bugs and unnecessary. You are painting yourself in a corner by having your class extend JFrame, forcing you to create and display JFrames, when often more flexibility is called for. In fact, I would venture that most of the Swing GUI code that I've created and that I've seen does not extend JFrame, and in fact it is rare that you'll ever want to do this. More commonly your GUI classes will be geared towards creating JPanels, which can then be placed into JFrames or JDialogs, or JTabbedPanes, or swapped via CardLayouts, wherever needed. This will greatly increase the flexibility of your GUI coding.
For this situation what I recommend is that you do that, that your GUI classes create JPanels, and that you add the ones that you want to swap to a JPanel that uses a CardLayout. And then whenever you want to show a different "card", call show(...) on the CardLayout object, passing in the JPanel that uses it, as well as the String key that was used when adding the "card" JPanel to the CardLayout-using JPanel. This is all well-explained in the CardLayout Tutorials.
Other useful links:
For rationale on why to avoid manually swapping please see: What's so special about CardLayout vs manual adding/removal of JPanels?
For using a CardLayout to help control a "multi-page" application with multiple classes, please see: How to Integrate Multi-page Java Desktop Application from Multiple GUI Classes
I'm trying to build a custom UI to practice my interface development.
What I would like to do is create a 'sidebar' on a JFrame, which acts as a tabbed pane for a number of JPanels that I would like to be able to switch between.
Currently, I have a 'sidebar' consisting of a number of buttons, and through clicking a button - I would 'hide' one panel, and 'swap in' another (although I am yet unsure of how best to do this). The panels I am creating are the same size, but I do not know how to swap a panel in one position on my UI with another panel, in that same position.
As a result of this I have researched tabbed panes, and these seem like they could be perfect for what I'm trying to implement. I know I can set each pane to display my own JPanel, but I would like the actual tabs to be represented by the custom buttons I have made.
Is this possible with the JTabbedPane class? Or should I continue figuring out how to swap in and out my panels using the button action listener?
I am trying to create a simple GUI. I have a menu bar that is filled with various JMenuItems. Each menu item should link to a different "window". Currently, I am thinking the best way to do this is to create a single frame, and create various JPanels. My ActionListeners will toggle visibility of the different panels, and only one panel should be visible at a time. Is this the best way to go about the task? Or is there a better workaround.
Yes, the best way is to use a CardLayout of which there's a great tutorial (please see the link), and many examples online including in this very forum, several of which I've written, including:
Java CardLayout Main Menu Problem
Change size of JPanel using CardLayout
Java CardLayout JPanel moves up, when second JPanel added
Java swing; How to toggle panel's visibility?
Clear components of JFrame and add new componets on the same JFrame
gui multiple frames switch
JLabel displaying countdown, java
JTabbedPane is already implemented for you!
JTabbedPane's tutorial.