I'm making a simple Jeopardy-esque game:
using Java Swing. It's obviously a JFrame with a JPanel in it and buttons in rows.
Now what I need is to add a layered panel with a centered and wrapped text in it:
Which I can remove later. I already tried using JTextPane and JTextArea and JPanel, none of those want to even display. The best effect I have achieved with AWT Panel, it does display but I can't center or wrap text in it.
Here's some code for which I appologise, I would usually try to make it short and readable but since it's not working I don't know what to do with it to make ti look better:
JLabel questionLabel = new JLabel(questionList.get(randomNumber).getQuestion(), SwingConstants.CENTER);
Font font = new Font("Arial", Font.PLAIN, 20);
//------------------JTextPane--------------------
JTextPane questionPane = new JTextPane();
questionPane.setForeground(Color.WHITE);
questionPane.setSize(gameWidth, gameHeight);
questionPane.setText(questionList.get(randomNumber).getQuestion());
questionPane.setFont(font);
questionPane.setEditable(false);
//------------------AWT panel--------------------
Panel awtPanel = new Panel();
awtPanel.setBackground(Color.blue);
awtPanel.setSize(game.getWidth(),game.getHeight());
Label labelQuestion = new Label("<html>" + questionList.get(randomNumber).getQuestion() + "</html>", Label.CENTER);
labelQuestion.setFont(font);
awtPanel.setForeground(Color.white);
awtPanel.add(labelQuestion);
//------------------JPanel-----------------------
JPanel layeredPanel = new JPanel();
layeredPanel.setBackground(Color.blue);
layeredPanel.setSize(game.getWidth(),game.getHeight());
JLabel jLabelQuestion = new JLabel("<html>" + questionList.get(randomNumber).getQuestion() + "</html>", SwingConstants.CENTER);
jLabelQuestion.setFont(font);
layeredPanel.setForeground(Color.WHITE);
layeredPanel.add(jLabelQuestion, BorderLayout.CENTER);
game.getLayeredPane().add(layeredPanel, JLayeredPane.DEFAULT_LAYER);
try {
Thread.sleep(3000);
} catch (InterruptedException e1) {
// TODO Auto-generated catch block
e1.printStackTrace();
}
button.setEnabled(false);
font = new Font("Arial", Font.PLAIN, 16);
button.add(jLabelQuestion, BorderLayout.CENTER);
button.setDisabledIcon(new ImageIcon(source.getScaledInstance(gameWidth/4, gameHeight/5, java.awt.Image.SCALE_SMOOTH)));
questionList.remove(randomNumber);
logger.info(questionList.size());
game.getLayeredPane().remove(layeredPanel);
UPDATE: I chnaged to SWT rather than Swing, and I use the StackLayout with a few Composites in it, and just change between them as I see fit.
You can generally solve issues like this with a JLabel.
I would recommend encapsulating the above grid in the BorderLayout.CENTER of another pane, perhaps a new content pane. Then, add the caption to BorderLayout.NORTH.
As a more tangible example,
private void createContent() {
this.getContentPane().setLayout(new BorderLayout());
//establish the panel currently set as center, here labeled "everythingElse"
this.getContentPane().add(everythingElse, BorderLayout.CENTER);
//Create a JLabel with your caption
JLabel jlbl = new JLabel("Question");
//format that caption, most details being rather obvious, but most importantly:
jlbl.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.CENTER); //keeps text centered
this.getContentPane().add(jlbl, BorderLayout.NORTH); //add it to the top of the panel
//...other cleanup operations...
}
The issue with grid panes is that they have a limited tolerance for the number of components visible in them. If you overload one, it won't show. For BorderLayout panes, you can easily swap new items into and out of them.
For efficiency's sake, I might recommend compiling this JLabel as a final somewhere else in your code, and holding onto it for when you need it. This way, you will also dodge overhead from repeatedly creating the label object.
Lastly, avoid AWT whenever you can. It's been deprecated for an excess of ten years, and if you do use it you will run into numerous critical problems involving heavyweight and lightweight component incompatibilities. If you intend to use another windowing kit, consider implementing the new standard, JavaFX, with a JFXPane-- it's much more tolerant of HTML syntax, as well.
Related
I have a JPanel. Inside Panel I have kept one JLabel and three JCheckBox.
I want to keep all the checkBox in one line after JLabel. Here is the sample code and some screenshots.
Output 1
Output 2
When i change to X_AXIS it is coming everything in one line and when i switch to Y_AXIS then it is coming new line means vertically.
But my requirement is all the checkbox should come next line means after JLabel.
JLabel should come in line and all the checkBox should come in one line.
public class CheckBoxWithJLabel {
public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame f= new JFrame("CheckBox Example");
JPanel panel = new JPanel();
panel.setBounds(40,80,600,200);
JCheckBox chk_Embrodary=new JCheckBox("Embrodary");
JCheckBox chk_Cutting=new JCheckBox("Cutting");
JCheckBox cb_Sewing=new JCheckBox("Sewing");
panel.setLayout(new javax.swing.BoxLayout(panel, javax.swing.BoxLayout.X_AXIS));
JLabel lblHeader=new JLabel("Job Work Process Selection");
panel.add(lblHeader);
panel.add(chk_Embrodary);
panel.add(chk_Cutting);
panel.add(cb_Sewing);
f.add(panel);
f.setSize(600,400);
f.setLayout(null);
f.setVisible(true);
}
}
I want this output like
this
How to solve this problem?
I would highly suggest you to have a look through the Java Swing Tutorial, especially the Laying Out Components Within a Container section, since it seems you lack some basic understanding of how Swing and its Layout Managers are supposed to be used.
Regarding your problem:
Currently, you are using a single BoxLayout, which " puts components in a single row or column". You only want that behavior for your JCheckBoxes though, and not for your JLabel. Keeping this in mind, the solution is to split up your components and to not put all of them in a single JPanel. Doing this will grant you more flexibility in how you design your GUI, since you can use multiple layouts in different nested panels.
You could do something like this (explanation in the code comments):
public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame f = new JFrame("CheckBox Example");
// add a Y_AXIS boxlayout to the JFrames contentpane
f.getContentPane().setLayout(new BoxLayout(f.getContentPane(), BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));
JCheckBox cbEmbrodary = new JCheckBox("Embrodary");
JCheckBox cbCutting = new JCheckBox("Cutting");
JCheckBox cbSewing = new JCheckBox("Sewing");
// no need to set the bounds, since the layoutmanagers will determine the size
JPanel labelPanel = new JPanel(); // default layout for JPanel is the FlowLayout
JLabel lblHeader = new JLabel("Job Work Process Selection");
labelPanel.add(lblHeader); // JPanel for the label done
// JPanel for the comboboxes with BoxLayout
JPanel cbPanel = new JPanel();
cbPanel.setLayout(new BoxLayout(cbPanel, BoxLayout.X_AXIS));
cbPanel.add(cbEmbrodary);
cbPanel.add(cbCutting);
cbPanel.add(cbSewing);
f.add(labelPanel);
f.add(cbPanel);
// No need to set the size of the JFrame, since the layoutmanagers will
// determine the size after pack()
f.pack();
f.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
f.setVisible(true);
}
Output:
Sidenotes:
Don't set fixed sizes via setSize() or setBounds() to your components. Swing is designed to be used with appropariate LayoutManagers, and if you do that, calling pack() on the JFrame before setting it visible will layout the components and determine their appropriate size. (Also, don't use null-layout for the same reasons)
If you need the JLabel to not be centered but left aligned, like in your screenshot, then use the following:
FlowLayout layout = (FlowLayout) labelPanel.getLayout();
layout.setAlignment(FlowLayout.LEFT);
I tried a lot of layout managers but none could solve my problem:
I want the items in a scrollPane to keep their size (preferred or minimum) and not being resized (reduced) to fit the viewport Panel. Since if it is a JTextArea, and if the text area has blank space and it is bigger then the viewport, it would reduce it so the blank text area won't be shown. I want the blank text area to be shown for appearance issues.
Im stacking one item after another using BoxLayout, and it seems to me that for text areas the setMinimum method fails.
If the text area has blank space, then the scrollbar of the ScrollPane won't appear, instead it only appears it there are no blank space left.
Any solution?
JScrollPane materialPane = new FScrollPane();
this.materialPaneView = new TPanel();
this.materialPaneView.setMinimumSize(new Dimension((int)(WIDTH*0.95), (int)(HEIGHT/2)));
this.materialPaneView.setLayout(new BoxLayout(this.materialPaneView, BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));
materialPane.setViewportView(materialPaneView);
materialPane.setMinimumSize(new Dimension((int)(WIDTH*0.95), (int)(HEIGHT/2)));
for(Material mat: this.unit.getMaterial()){
this.addMaterial(mat);
}
centerPanel.add(sectionPane);
centerPanel.add(exercisePane);
centerPanel.add(materialPane);
this.add(upperPanel, BorderLayout.NORTH);
this.add(centerPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
public void addMaterial(Material mat){
JTextField matName = new JTextField(30);
JPanel fieldButtonPanel = new TPanel();
fieldButtonPanel.setLayout(new GridLayout(1,2));
JPanel fieldPanel = new TPanel(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEFT));
JPanel deleteMatButtonPanel = new TPanel(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.RIGHT));
matName.setText(mat.getName());
matName.setMaximumSize(new Dimension(FFont.def.getSize()*20, 30));
fieldPanel.add(matName);
JButton deleteMat = new JButton("Delete Material");
deleteMatButtonPanel.add(deleteMat);
fieldButtonPanel.add(fieldPanel);
fieldButtonPanel.add(deleteMatButtonPanel);
fieldButtonPanel.setAlignmentX(LEFT_ALIGNMENT);
JTextArea matText = new FTextArea(mat.getDesc(), (int)(WIDTH*0.95), (int)(HEIGHT/3.4));
matText.setMinimumSize(new Dimension((int)(WIDTH*0.95), (int)(HEIGHT/3.5)));
/*matText.setMaximumSize(new Dimension((int)(WIDTH*0.95), (int)(HEIGHT/3.4)));*/
matText.setText(mat.getDesc());
matText.setAlignmentX(LEFT_ALIGNMENT);
this.materialPaneView.add(fieldButtonPanel);
this.materialPaneView.add(matText);
matName.addActionListener(new ActionListener(){
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
mat.setName(matName.getText());
}
});
HEIGHT and WIDTH are constants, and TPanel FScrollPane are my predefined transparent panels. The BoxLayout panel is the viewport of a scrollPane, and still, it would resize the text areas.
I am not sure i get what you are asking for so please tell me if i totally missed the point...
As far as i know the Viewport size is controlled by the component inside the JScrollPane and the JScrollPane size wont change no matter what happens to the viewport.
You either want to:
A) Resize the JScrollPane to the same size as it's content.
I would implement listeners to look for the content size change and resize the ScrollPane accordingly but you need to pay attention to resize the whole Hierarchy too.
B) You want to resize the viewport so that it fits in the JScrollPane? Y'know without scrollbars.
I had this problem and fixed it by using a ScrollablePanel component. Check this answer, follow the link to download the .class and use it to use a JPanel that resizes to fit the ScrollPane.
Those arent very detailed answers but i will need more information about what you are trying to do before expanding on it. And your code isnt complete, always share a code that we can CTRL+C/V and readily verify the problem in our end.
===================
Game Name
Play
Exit
===================
the above is what my previous game menu looked like. I used the Box Layout to create it but it was very tedious. Is there there a better layout manager that I could use?
here is the code for those that asked of the main pane.
private JButton JB;
private JButton EB;
private JOptionPane JO;
public StartUpWindow(){
super("Pong");
JPanel outside = new JPanel();
JPanel inside = new JPanel();
setLayout(new BorderLayout());
outside.setLayout(new BoxLayout(outside, BoxLayout.LINE_AXIS));
inside.setLayout(new BoxLayout(inside, BoxLayout.PAGE_AXIS));
outside.add(Box.createHorizontalStrut(280));
outside.add(inside);
outside.add(Box.createHorizontalStrut(20));
inside.add(Box.createVerticalStrut(20));
JLabel title = new JLabel(" "+"Pong");
title.setFont( new Font("Serif", Font.BOLD, 40));
inside.add(title);
inside.add(Box.createVerticalStrut(20));
JButton btt1 = new JButton("Start");
Dimension d = new Dimension(200,40);
btt1.setSize(d);
btt1.setMinimumSize(d);
btt1.setMaximumSize(d);
btt1.setPreferredSize(d);
JButton btt2 = new JButton("Credits");
btt2.setSize(d);
btt2.setMinimumSize(d);
btt2.setMaximumSize(d);
btt2.setPreferredSize(d);
JButton btt3 = new JButton("Exit");
btt3.setSize(d);
btt3.setMinimumSize(d);
btt3.setMaximumSize(d);
btt3.setPreferredSize(d);
inside.add(btt1);
btt1.addActionListener(this);
btt1.setActionCommand("start");
inside.add(Box.createVerticalStrut(5));
inside.add(btt2);
btt2.addActionListener(this);
btt2.setActionCommand("credits");
inside.add(Box.createVerticalStrut(5));
inside.add(btt3);
btt3.addActionListener(this);
btt3.setActionCommand("exit");
inside.add(Box.createVerticalStrut(20));
add(outside);
this.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
this.setSize(800,600);
this.setVisible(true);
this.setResizable(false);
this.setLocation(450,200);
inside.setBackground(Color.GRAY);
outside.setBackground(Color.GRAY);
}
I agree that BoxLayout is tedious but I admire its relative simplicity.
Another quick and easy option is to use the "javax.swing.Box" class instead of using a layout manager directly.
Box box = Box.createVerticalBox();
box.add(new JLabel("Game"));
box.add(Box.createVerticalStrut(20));
box.add(new JLabel("Button 1"));
box.add(new JLabel("Button 2"));
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
frame.add(box);
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
Box offers a number of useful methods. You can use it to create vertical and horizontal boxes, create "struts" to reserve horizontal and vertical space, and create "glue" to fill in available space when the layout grows.
Of course you could also use GridBagLayout, but I tend to reserve it for more complex layouts. Box and his cousin BoxLayout are often good enough for simple layouts and are easy for new programmers who are maintaining the application to understand and debug.
Why not simply use no layout and instead draw everything using a Graphics object?
You could easily achieve this by creating a BufferStrategy bound to the Window object (invoke createBufferStrategy on the latter) then call a few simple methods to easily redraw the screen.
This also means it's simpler to then code the game's display when you're playing it.
BufferStrategy also allows the use of page flipping and other forms of buffering when the application is in fullscreen exclusive mode, allowing it to refresh the screen very rapidly in many applications.
how to add a JLabel simple text over/above a JTextField.
I tried many commands as you can see in my code but nothings works.
this is a snapshot of my code
private JPanel createTextPanel() {
int panelWidth = PANEL_SIZE.width;
int panelHeight = PANEL_SIZE.height/3;
Dimension panelSize = new Dimension(panelWidth,panelHeight);
JPanel textPanel = new JPanel();
textPanel.setPreferredSize(panelSize);
//textPanel.setLayout(null);
/* Add text */
JLabel Text_RED = new JLabel();
Text_RED.setText("Red");
//Text_RED = new JLabel("\nRED\n");
//Text_RED.setHorizontalTextPosition(SwingConstants.TOP);
//Text_RED.setVerticalAlignment(SwingConstants.TOP);
Red = new JTextField(3);
//Red.setVerticalAlignment(JTextField.TRAILING );
Red.setLocation(100,100);
//Red.setLocation(50, 50);
JLabel Text_Green = new JLabel("Green");
Green = new JTextField(3);
JLabel Text_Blue = new JLabel("Blue");
Blue = new JTextField(3);
//setLayout(new GridLayout(2,2,10,10));
textPanel.add(Text_RED);
textPanel.add(Red);
textPanel.add(Text_Green);
textPanel.add(Green);
textPanel.add(Text_Blue);
textPanel.add(Blue);
return textPanel;
}
Suggestions:
Don't use null layouts and absolute positioning. While it seems initially that using these tools is the easiest way to create complex GUI's, it's really a newbie fallacy, as the more you understand and use the layout managers, the more you'll find that they make the job of creating GUI's much easier, and the results much more attractive.
Learn about and use the layout managers. Tutorial link.
Consider using a BorderLayout and adding your JLabel BorderLayout.CENTER and the JTextField at BorderLayout.PAGE_END. As a side note, I generally avoid placing JTextFields in a BorderLayout.CENTER position since this will cause horizontal stretching of the field if the GUI changes size, which I don't think is aesthetically pleasing.
So my buttons are overwriting each other, instead of all going up North like a tool bar..
I'm trying to get the buttons to go up North if that makes sense. I know my GUI is awful, and I'll rewire it once I get this prototype done.
// panels
mainPuzzlerPanel = new Panel();
mainPuzzlerPanel.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
puzzlePanel = new Panel();
//mainPuzzlerPanel.setLayout(null);
puzzlePanel.setLocation(100, 120);
// text fields
debugTxt = new TextArea(null,6,40,1);
debugTxt.setEditable(false);
mainPuzzlerPanel.add(debugTxt,BorderLayout.NORTH);
// buttons
Button newPuzzle = new Button("New Puzzle");
Button loadImage = new Button("Load Image");
Button assignLocation = new Button("Assign Location");
Button assignTimestamp = new Button("Assign Timestamp");
Button savePuzzle = new Button("Save Puzzle");
Button clearPuzzleCreator = new Button("Clear");
newPuzzle.addActionListener(this);
loadImage.addActionListener(this);
assignLocation.addActionListener(this);
assignTimestamp.addActionListener(this);
savePuzzle.addActionListener(this);
clearPuzzleCreator.addActionListener(this);
mainPuzzlerPanel.add(assignLocation,BorderLayout.NORTH);
mainPuzzlerPanel.add(assignTimestamp,BorderLayout.NORTH);
mainPuzzlerPanel.add(loadImage,BorderLayout.NORTH);
mainPuzzlerPanel.add(savePuzzle,BorderLayout.NORTH);
mainPuzzlerPanel.add(clearPuzzleCreator,BorderLayout.NORTH);
mainPuzzlerPanel.add(newPuzzle,BorderLayout.NORTH);
mainPuzzlerPanel.add(puzzlePanel,BorderLayout.CENTER);
add(mainPuzzlerPanel, "Controls");
setSize(1200, 700);
setVisible(true);
You can't add all the components BorderLayout.NORTH, makes no sense. Instead, add the JButtons to a JPanel that uses a different layout, say GridLayout, and then add that JPanel BorderLayout.NORTH. But most important -- read a tutorial on how to use the layout managers. It looks like you're guessing at this and that's not an efficient way to learn how to use these complex tools.
Regading,
I know my GUI is awful, and I'll rewire it once I get this prototype done.
Also not a good plan. It's much easier to write it well the first time through.
e.g.,
// after creating all of your JButtons, put them in an array...
JButton[] btnArray = {newPuzzle, loadImage, assignLocation, assignTimestamp,
savePuzzle, clearPuzzleCreator};
JPanel buttonPanel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(1, 0, 5, 0));
for (JButton btn : btnArray) {
buttonPanel.add(btn);
}
mainPuzzlerPanel.add(buttonPanel, BorderLayout.NORTH);
Edit: Oops, I notice now you're using Buttons and Panels, not JButtons and JPanels. I urge you to change your app to be a Swing app not an AWT app.
Layout manager tutorial: Laying Out Components Within a Container