Develop Reference

How do I display all digits in the animation? [duplicate]

I am trying to create a seven segment display that automatically moves using the timer with the use of the ActionListener and actionPerformed.
I thought that if I use the for, if statement it would automatically loop from 0 to 2 and set the Background color for each segment of the numbers. However, when I display it, it is stuck on just displaying zero and will not count up from there.
Can anyone help me on what I am doing wrong, that makes this stuck on zero?
Here is the programming I have now using JFrame.
import javax.swing.Timer;
public class SevenSegment extends JFrame {
Timer timer = new Timer(100, null);
public SevenSegment() {
timer.start();
timer.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
for (int i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
if(i == 0) {
lblNumberOne.setBackground(Color.red);
lblNumberTwo.setBackground(Color.red);
lblNumberThree.setBackground(Color.red);
lblNumberFour.setBackground(Color.red);
lblNumberFive.setBackground(Color.red);
lblNumberSix.setBackground(Color.red);
}
else if(i == 1) {
lblNumberTwo.setBackground(Color.red);
lblNumberThree.setBackground(Color.red);
}
else if(i == 2) {
lblNumberOne.setBackground(Color.red);
lblNumberTwo.setBackground(Color.red);
}
}
}
});
}
}

Here's about as simple a Swing GUI clock as you can make.
I did this so I could show you a general way to start all of your Swing GUIs. Oracle has a helpful tutorial, Creating a GUI With JFC/Swing, that will show you how to create all kinds of Swing GUIs.
We start all Swing GUIs with a call to the SwingUtilities invokeLater method. This method ensures that all Swing components are created and executed on the Event Dispatch Thread.
We always create a JPanel to put our Swing components on. The only Swing component that we add to a JFrame is a JPanel or a JScrollPane. This allows us to separate the creation of a JFrame from the rest of the view. The JFrame code is nearly identical for all Swing applications. The only difference is the JPanels you add to the JFrame.
The JFrame code must be called in a specific order. This is the order I use for my Swing applications.
The JPanel code is in a separate paragraph for general tidiness. I like to keep things separate so I can focus on one small part of the GUI at a time.
The updateClockLabel method exists because I need to execute the code one time when I'm creating the JPanel, and five times a second thereafter, to actually update the JLabel.
By the way, I didn't write all this code (all 64 lines) in one shot. I wrote a little, tested a lot. My code was not correct the first time I wrote it, and I don't just mean making typos.
Here's the complete runnable code.
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.FlowLayout;
import java.awt.Font;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.time.LocalTime;
import java.time.format.DateTimeFormatter;
import javax.swing.BorderFactory;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import javax.swing.Timer;
public class SimpleClock implements Runnable {
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new SimpleClock());
}
private JLabel clockLabel;
#Override
public void run() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Clock");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(createMainPanel(), BorderLayout.CENTER);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationByPlatform(true);
frame.setVisible(true);
Timer timer = new Timer(200, new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event) {
updateClockLabel();
}
});
timer.start();
}
private JPanel createMainPanel() {
JPanel panel = new JPanel(new FlowLayout());
panel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(5, 45, 5, 45));
clockLabel = new JLabel(" ");
clockLabel.setFont(panel.getFont().deriveFont(Font.BOLD, 72f));
updateClockLabel();
panel.add(clockLabel);
return panel;
}
public void updateClockLabel() {
DateTimeFormatter formatter = DateTimeFormatter.ofPattern("H:mm:ss a");
String timeDisplay = LocalTime.now().format(formatter);
clockLabel.setText(timeDisplay);
}
}

Reordering labels

I'm creating labels dynamically from an array in a FlowLayout JPanel, storing them in a JLabel array for future reference. They are displayed from left to right as intended.
I want to move one of the labels to the beginning (leftmost) of the panel.
I don't mind if the whole array shifts or just two labels swap places:
apple orange pear cherry melon
|
cherry apple orange pear melon
or
cherry orange pear apple melon
I've swapped array entries, then revalidate() and repaint(), but nothing happens.
Is there an easy way to move swing components around without removing all and then re-adding them to the panel or copying all the properties from one label to the other (I have others defined, not just the text)?
Here is a stripped down version of my code:
import javax.swing.*;
public class Test extends JPanel {
public Test () {
String entries[] = { "apple", "orange", "pear", "cherry", "melon" };
JLabel[] lbls = new JLabel[entries.length];
for (int i = 0; i < entries.length; ++i) {
lbls[i] = new JLabel();
lbls[i].setText(entries[i]);
add(lbls[i]);
}
// swap array entries
JLabel tmplbl = new JLabel();
tmplbl = lbls[3];
lbls[3] = lbls[0];
lbls[0] = tmplbl;
revalidate();
repaint();
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Test");
frame.setContentPane(new Test());
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.pack();
}
});
}
}

I've swapped array entries
Swapping entries in an array does nothing. The Array has nothing to do with the panel.
So you need to adjust the components on the panel.
I want to move one of the labels to the beginning (leftmost) of the panel.
Well that is a different requirement than "swapping". It is also easier.
You can add a component to a panel and specify its position in the panel, so adding a component to the beginning is easy because its position will always be zero.
So to move the 3rd component to the beginning the code would be something like:
Component component = panel.getComponent(2);
panel.add(component, 0);
panel.revalidate();
panel.repaint();
If you really want a swap, then the code would be similar. You would get the component at both locations and then add the one component back to the lower location first and the add the other component back to the higher location.

There are a couple of things to fix before fixing your error:
Here are 2 errors in this line: public class Test extends JPanel {
Class name, do you know how many people call their classes Test? A LOT! Make it more descriptive, like SwapLabelsTest.
extends JPanel, you're not changing the behavior of the JPanel so there's no need to extend it in this case, just create a new instance of JPanel.
Don't put everything in the constructor, it's better to have an initialize() method or something like that (createAndShowGUI() in the code below) to handle GUI construction. It may seem like the easiest way, but separating that part will come handy later on when the project becomes bigger.
Move your variables to a bigger scope, for easier handling, unless those variables are local to the method, this will improve performance and readability.
Include a component that detects events, such as a JButton so that your swapping execution will happen when that event is triggered (a button click).
Your swapping logic seems a little bit odd, you have created new JLabels there and are trying to swap them, but it's better to have a MVC kind of pattern here, so that you swap the values in the array and then just update the UI after with those changes.
You may be asking, but how do I do that? Well like this:
String tmpString = entries[3];
entries[3] = entries[1];
entries[1] = tmpString;
The above code swaps the values in the entries array, all we have to do now is update each label with lbl[i].setText(entries[i]) inside of a for-loop.
So, you end up with something like this in the end:
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
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.SwingUtilities;
public class Test {
private JFrame frame;
private JPanel panel;
private String entries[] = { "apple", "orange", "pear", "cherry", "melon" };
private JLabel[] lbls = new JLabel[entries.length];
JButton button;
private void createAndShowGUI() {
panel = new JPanel();
for (int i = 0; i < entries.length; ++i) {
lbls[i] = new JLabel();
lbls[i].setText(entries[i]);
panel.add(lbls[i]);
}
button = new JButton("Swap 1 and 3");
button.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
#Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
String tmpString = entries[3];
entries[3] = entries[1];
entries[1] = tmpString;
reloadLabels();
}
});
frame = new JFrame("Test");
frame.add(panel);
frame.add(button, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.pack();
}
private void reloadLabels() {
for (int i = 0; i < entries.length; ++i) {
lbls[i].setText(entries[i]);
}
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
new Test().createAndShowGUI();
}
});
}
}
Everytime you click the button, the items 1 & 3 (indexes) will be swapped and the UI will be updated (as .setText triggers an UI update).

Java - My action event doesn't work

I'm learning Java and Swing, but my JButton doesn't work.
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.*;
public class Programma {
public static void main(String[] args) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
}
catch (Exception e){
e.printStackTrace();
}
JFrame frame = new JFrame("DIG");
JPanel panel = new JPanel();
JButton button = new JButton("Click Me");
frame.setSize(400, 400);
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
button.setBounds(100, 100, 130, 35);
panel.add(button);
frame.add(panel);
button.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
JLabel label = new JLabel("Hello World");
label.setVisible(true);
panel.add(label);
}
});
}
}
The frame and button are visible, nut when I click it, the label doesn't appear. How can I fix this?
Do I write this before the other component like JPanel, JButton, etc., or do I write this at the end of code:
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
What is the difference ?
By the way, button.setBounds(100, 100, 130, 35) doesn't work, either.

I see some issues in your code:
button.setBounds(100, 100, 130, 35); that line will be ignored and you shouldn't be manually be determining the position of the components. See Null layout is evil and Why is it frowned upon to use a null layout in swing? altough you're not using null layout, there is explained why you shouldn't be manually determining the positions of the components.
You're running everything in your program in the main method, that will be hard to maintain later.
You're calling frame.setVisible(true) before you've added all your elements to it, that will cause you random issues.
You're not running your program on the Event Dispatch Thread (EDT), you can solve this by starting your program with the following code, which places it in the EDT. It's recommended as Swing is not thread safe.
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
//Your constructor here
}
});
}
You're setting the size of the JFrame with setSize(...), instead call frame.pack() and override the getPreferredSize() method of the JPanel.
After all the above has been said, you need to call revalidate() and repaint() on your ActionListener so your program paints its new state.
This program follows all the above recommendations and produces the following outputs (before clicking and after clicking the button 3 times), I on purpose to not make the images so large, made the GUI shorter (200 x 200 instead of 400 x 400)
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.BoxLayout;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
public class Programma {
private JFrame frame;
private JPanel panel;
private JButton button;
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
#Override
public void run() {
new Programma().createAndShowGui();
}
});
}
public void createAndShowGui() {
frame = new JFrame("DIG");
panel = new JPanel() {
#Override
public Dimension getPreferredSize() {
return new Dimension(400, 400);
}
};
button = new JButton("Click Me");
panel.add(button);
button.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
JLabel label = new JLabel("Hello World");
panel.add(label);
panel.revalidate();
panel.repaint();
}
});
frame.add(panel);
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
}
}
Do i write this before the other componente like JPanel,JButton... or do i write this at the end of code ?
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
What is the difference ?
Altough I answered this on the recommendations, the difference is that if you call setVisible before adding all your elements to the frame, then you'll find yourself with some random issues where the components are not all visible until you pass your mouse over them (or where they should be). frame.pack() and setVisible should be the last ones to be called in your program, and frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE); can be at the start or the end, it doesn't affects, but I prefer to have it at the end too.
button.setBounds(100, 100, 130, 35); doesn't work too.
Well, that's because of you're using a layout manager (and that's the right way to do your GUIs) instead of a null-layout (which you shouldn't be using anyway) (See point #1).
Edit
What is the difference between frame.setSize(); and frame.setpack() ?
If you read the docs for pack():
Causes this Window to be sized to fit the preferred size and layouts of its subcomponents. The resulting width and height of the window are automatically enlarged if either of dimensions is less than the minimum size as specified by the previous call to the setMinimumSize method.
So, it will calculate the minimum size for your JFrame where all the elements are visible and in their preferred size while setSize will only set the window size, but if you place a JScrollBar inside it for example this will reduce the window size, because of that, that's why you should override the getPreferredSize(...) method of your container, so it will calculate its preferred size including the width of the JScrollBar or some other elements that could modify its size. See Should I avoid the use of setPreferred|Maximum|MinimumSize in Swing? (the general consensus says yes)

When you add components dynamically to panel, you need to repain it.
Do this
panel.revalidate();
after
panel.add(label);

Negative coordinates of JPanels (and lack of cooperation with Timer)

Please note that this is a more theoretical question about problems with this approach, as I'm trying to understand the underlying mechanics - genuine curiosity. For the actual implementation I'm likely to use something different.
Say we have the following frame with a split pane. The right hand side of the split pane has a button to slide out a panel on the left and show another one in its place (here I'm using overlay layout to make it look smoother). The code is as follows:
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JSplitPane;
import javax.swing.OverlayLayout;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import javax.swing.Timer;
public class Main {
JPanel panel;
JSplitPane splitPane = new JSplitPane(JSplitPane.HORIZONTAL_SPLIT);
public void makeUI() {
panel = new JPanel();
panel.setBackground(Color.RED);
panel.setLocation(0,0);
JPanel panel3 = new JPanel();
panel3.setBackground(Color.BLUE);
panel3.setMinimumSize(new Dimension(100,400));
JPanel panelContainer = new JPanel();
panelContainer.setLayout(new OverlayLayout(panelContainer));
panelContainer.add(panel);
panelContainer.add(panel3);
JButton button = new JButton("slide out");
// Slide out the red panel to reveal blue
button.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
((JButton) e.getSource()).setEnabled(false);
new Timer(1, new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
panel.setLocation(panel.getX() - 1, 0);
if (panel.getX() + panel.getWidth() == 0) {
((Timer) e.getSource()).stop();
panel.setVisible(false);
System.out.println("Timer stopped");
}
}
}).start();
}
});
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Sliding Panel");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setSize(400, 400);
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setLayout(null);
splitPane.setDividerLocation(100);
splitPane.setLeftComponent(panelContainer);
JPanel panel2 = new JPanel();
panel2.add(button);
// panel2.add(button2);
panel2.setMinimumSize(new Dimension(200,400));
splitPane.setRightComponent(panel2);
frame.setContentPane(splitPane);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
new Main().makeUI();
}
});
}
}
Now if I add a button that reverses the animation, by setting location to (-panel.getWidth(), 0) and then increase the x coordinate, this fails. In theory the code is the same, with the only differences being in the start position, end position, and increments. However it does no longer work.
JButton button2 = new JButton("slide in");
button2.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
((JButton) e.getSource()).setEnabled(false);
panel.setVisible(true);
panel.setLocation(-panel.getWidth(),0);
System.out.println(panel.getX()); // gives -99, which is about right
new Timer(1, new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
System.out.println(panel.getX()); // starts from 0
panel.setLocation(panel.getX() + 1, 0);
System.out.println(panel.getX()); // keeps increasing until forcibly stopped
if (panel.getX() == 0) {
((Timer) e.getSource()).stop();
System.out.println("Timer stopped");
}
}
}).start();
}
});
More precisely the problem lies in the new Timer(...) line. As per console logging, setting location puts the X coordinate at -99, but two lines later it's at 0, and when increments occur, it goes on to infinity.
Perhaps I am misunderstanding how timers work, however after reading the documentation on it and JPanels, I still don't see why such an approach would not work. Not to mention that there is very little on negative coordinates of JPanels to begin with.
Thank you in advance for all the explanations!
EDIT (27.07.2016)
#camickr 's answer makes it work, however I still don't undersand it, although it helped me narrow the question a little:
Why is the layout re-done after setting the location to negative? What is causing it to be re-done?

In theory the code is the same, with the only differences being in the start position, end position, and increments
Actually it is not the same.
You play with the visibility of the panel and the logic is different depending on which button you click. I'm guessing the setVisible(true) statement is invoking the layout manager which is resetting the location of the component.
There is no need to change the visibility of the panel. Get rid of both setVisible(...) statements.
Also, you might want to keep the buttons enabled you can test sliding in/out repeatedly without restarting the program.
Edit:
if that was the case, why does getX() gives -99
Because the layout hasn't been done when that statement is executed.
Code does not always execute sequentially. Sometimes Swing methods will use SwingUtiltites.invokeLater() to add code the end of the Event Dispatch Thread (EDT).
This is easy enough to verify. Just change your code as follows to see when the layout is invoked.
JPanel panelContainer = new JPanel()
{
#Override
public void doLayout()
{
System.out.println("layout");
super.doLayout();
}
};

Put one JPanel onto another JPanel from a different Java class

I'm developing Java Swing application. My application has two Java classes. Inside class1.java, I include JFrame, JButton and JPanel (panel1). When I click the button I want to hide panel1 and should be shown panel2 of class2.java. I tried this method in button actionPerformed method of class1.java. But it was not working.
class2 pnl = new class2();
this.remove(panel1);
this.add(pnl);
this.validate();
this.repaint();

Analysis
You simply want the JComponents to be displayed on the JFrame. We can achieve this by using a single JPanel, but adding and removing the JComponents from it, during the JButton's action listener.
Without looking at your actual code, it is better to make a manageable way to reach code and instantiated Objects. The code listed below, creates a nice and manageable way to do so.
Achieving This
The entire class is listed below with comments for explanations.
package swing;
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JComponent;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
public class MultiPaneledFrame {
JFrame frame = new JFrame();
JPanel window = new JPanel();
// As you can see, we create an array containing all your JComponents.
// We have two of these, to simulate multiple JPanel's.
List<JComponent> window1Contents = new ArrayList<JComponent>();
List<JComponent> window2Contents = new ArrayList<JComponent>();
// NOTE: The above Lists can instead be stuck in their own class like asked for,
// and instantiated on Class invocation.
JButton goto2 = new JButton("Goto Panel 2");
JButton goto1 = new JButton("Goto Panel 1");
int panelToShow = 0; // 0 - First "panel".
// 1 - Second "panel".
// Main method of class. Change 'Multi_Paneled_Frame' to the name of your Class.
public MultiPaneledFrame() {
// Execute anything else you want here, before we start the frame.
window1Contents.add(goto2);
window2Contents.add(goto1);
// Here is where I personally am setting the coordinates of the JButton's on the JPanel.
goto2.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(200, 100));
goto1.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(200, 100));
//goto2.setBounds(5, 5, 150, 30); < Used for 'null' layout.
//goto1.setBounds(5, 5, 150, 30); < Used for 'null' layout.
goto2.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
addComponents(panelToShow = 1);
}
});
goto1.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
addComponents(panelToShow = 0);
}
});
initialiseFrame();
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
new MultiPaneledFrame();
}
});
}
private void initialiseFrame() {
frame.setSize(600, 400); // Change it accordingly.
// Optional
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
frame.setResizable(false);
// Needed
frame.setVisible(true);
frame.add(window);
window.setLayout(new BorderLayout()); // Assuming your using a BorderLayout.
//window.setLayout(null); < Uses 'null' layout.
addComponents(panelToShow);
// I always like to make sure that everything is on the frame nicely.
frame.repaint();
frame.validate();
}
private void addComponents(int panelNo) {
if (panelNo == 0) {
for (JComponent component : window1Contents) {
window.removeAll(); // We're removing everything that it contains and replacing it...
window.revalidate();
window.add(component, BorderLayout.CENTER);
//window.add(component); < Uses 'null' layout.
// Since we are using the first panel, we are adding
// everything from the first list of components to the window...
}
} else {
for (JComponent component : window2Contents) {
window.removeAll(); // We're removing everything that it contains and replacing it...
window.revalidate();
window.add(component, BorderLayout.CENTER);
//window.add(component); < Uses 'null' layout.
// Since we are using the second panel, we are adding
// everything from the second list of components to the window...
}
}
// Refreshes the frame.
frame.repaint();
frame.validate();
}
}
Conclusion
Although there are countless ways to achieve something like this, the way I have given, is semi-efficient, and very flexible. Feel free to edit the code, or drop a question if you have any concerns, and I will be happy to respond.
PS: This code was tested and works on a Macbook Air running OS X 10.11 and Java Version 8 Update 65.

CardLayout should be your solution. In this tutorial they show how to switch from panel to another one by selecting a value in ComboBox.
A little bit of explanation for the CarLayout:
The CardLayout lets you place different panel on top of each other but shows only one at the time. With your code, you select the one you want to display.
Initialisation:
this.setLayout(new CardLayout());
class1 pnl1 = new class1();
class2 pnl2 = new class2();
this.add(pnl1, "PANEL1");
this.add(pnl2, "PANEL2");
On your button actionPerformed:
CardLayout cl = (CardLayout)(this.getLayout());
cl.show(this, "PANEL2");