I am trying to make a GUI that looks something like this:
I only know how to use the BorderLayout which has space for 5 buttons. North, West, Center, East, and South.
Since I need to have 6 components on the top line, this approach can't work. I'm not sure how to make it so that I can have more than 1 component on the top line. Are there other layouts that I can use or is there some way I can manipulate BorderLayout so that I can put 6 components on the top line?
What you need to do is nest components inside of other components. For example, the top (North) should be one JPanel. That JPanel will contain the 6 components on the top.
The code may look similar to the following:
JPanel northPane = new JPanel();
northPane.add(new JLabel("Principle: "));
northPane.add(principleTextBox);
... and so on
mainPanel.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
mainPanel.add(northPanel, BorderLayout.NORTH);
The Center component will probably be another JPanel containing the two center buttons. And the South component will be another JPanel containing the single JLabel or simply the JLabel.
If you don't have to use a BorderLayout for the main panel, it may be easier to use a BoxLayout.
Once again I turn to miglayout, the absolute best layout manager for Java. No nested JPanels, just a simple layout using string based constraints.
With debug mode on:
After resizing the window (note the ratio of the size of the textfields remains the same)
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import net.miginfocom.swing.MigLayout;
/**
*
* #author nicholasdunn
*/
public class InterestCalculator extends JPanel {
public InterestCalculator() {
super(new MigLayout("debug, fill", "align center"));
// Make 6 components cram into one cell
add(new JLabel("Principal:"), "split 6");
// This textfield grows at twice the normal rate
add(new JTextField(), "growx 200");
add(new JLabel("Interest rate (percentage):"));
// This one at a normal rate
add(new JTextField(), "growx 100");
add(new JLabel("Years:"));
// This one at half the normal rate
add(new JTextField(), "growx 50, wrap");
// The row with the two buttons
add(new JButton("Compute simple interest"), "split 2");
add(new JButton("Compute compound interest"), "wrap");
// The result label
add(new JLabel("The result with simple interest would be"));
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
JPanel panel = new InterestCalculator();
frame.add(panel);
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
}
}
If I were recreating that UI, I would start with a JPanel using a GridLayout with 3 rows and 1 column. In each column I would add a child JPanel.
Then for each row I would use a GridBagLayout to position the components.
Here is a tutorial about layout managers.
Remember that you can always add several elements to a JPanel and apply a specific layout to that JPanel. Then you can nest panels(add panels inside other panels).
Related
I have 3 adjacent JPanels that each use WrapLayout to display a variable number of 1x16 grids.
It works great for the panel which contains the most 1x16 grids, however, the other two panels' dimensions seem to be determined by the panel that contains the most 1x16 grids. If, for example, panels 1 and 2 have only one 1x16 grid respectively, but panel 3 has ten 1x16 grids spread across two rows, then panel 1 and 2 both have a 1x16 grid-sized empty space beneath their respective 1x16 grids.
I basically want to get each panel's resizing to operate independently of the other panels. I've looked through camickr's src code for WrapLayout and can't quite work out what I should change to get the desired result.
In terms of code, it's tricky to know how to include a succinct and instructive section, as the code is quite spread out and I'm not sure what part is causing this issue. I'm just setting the panels' layout as a left-justified WrapLayout.
I've included an image below which might provide some context. The image shows part of two of the three JPanels (coloured cyan) and the accompanying title JLabel for one of those JPanels (coloured green). The 1x16 grids on each panel are managed using camickr's WrapLayout. All three cyan JPanels are contained within a larger display JPanel that has then been packed into a JScrollPane (hence the grey scroller to the right of the image).
Any help would be really appreciated.
Here's another image I created that shows the issue a little more clearly. The third panel in the image wraps to a new row to display all the 1x16 grids that it contains, and in so doing, doubles the height of the other two panels, despite them not needing to resize.
Here's how I want the GUI to display:
Judging from the desired behaviour vs the actual behaviour images, the problem lies in the LayoutManager you use to lay out the 3 panels into their parent panel/frame (which I am guessing is a GridLayout because the 3 panels have equally distributed sizes). If so, use some other LayoutManager, such as a vertical BoxLayout.
An example code and tutorial can be found in the Oracle's corresponding one (the actual code sample of which, can be found in this link with fancy code coloring, or here as plain text).
I created the following GUI.
I created a JFrame. I created one main JPanel to place inside the JFrame. The main JPanel uses a GridBaglayout to separate three cyan JPanels.
Each cyan JPanel calculates a preferred size based on the number of black JPanels placed in the cyan JPanel. Change the boxesPerRow value to get a different number of boxes per row.
Each black JPanel is created with a preferred size of 20 x 80 pixels;
Here's the complete runnable code. A minimal reproducible example, in other words.
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.FlowLayout;
import java.awt.GridBagConstraints;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
import java.awt.Insets;
import javax.swing.BorderFactory;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
public class BoxesGUI implements Runnable {
public static void main(String[] args) {
SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new BoxesGUI());
}
#Override
public void run() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Boxes");
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.add(createMainPanel(), BorderLayout.CENTER);
frame.pack();
frame.setLocationByPlatform(true);
frame.setVisible(true);
}
private JPanel createMainPanel() {
JPanel panel = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
panel.setBackground(Color.BLACK);
panel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(5, 5, 5, 5));
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.LINE_START;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
gbc.insets = new Insets(5, 5, 5, 5);
gbc.weightx = 1.0;
gbc.gridx = 0;
gbc.gridy = 0;
panel.add(createCyanPanel(1), gbc);
gbc.gridy++;
panel.add(createCyanPanel(1), gbc);
gbc.gridy++;
panel.add(createCyanPanel(20), gbc);
return panel;
}
private JPanel createCyanPanel(int count) {
JPanel panel = new JPanel(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEADING, 5, 5));
panel.setBackground(Color.CYAN);
JPanel dummyPanel = createBlackPanel();
Dimension d = dummyPanel.getPreferredSize();
int boxesPerRow = 8;
int width = (d.width + 5) * boxesPerRow + 5;
int height = ((count + boxesPerRow - 1) / boxesPerRow) * (d.height + 5) + 5;
panel.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(width, height));
for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
panel.add(createBlackPanel());
}
return panel;
}
private JPanel createBlackPanel() {
JPanel panel = new JPanel();
panel.setBackground(Color.BLACK);
panel.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(20, 80));
return panel;
}
}
I have done tons of searching over the past two hours, and I've given up. The image below shows what I am trying to achieve (don't judge my drawing it's late and I made it in paint quickly):
Basically, I want a JScrollPane to have a JPanel with a 2-column GridLayout, and as I add elements I want the GridLayout to expand downward. I want the elements to use their Preferred Size and to NOT expand within the GridLayout.
Currently I have a JScrollPane and a JPanel with a GridLayout, and a JPanel containing the grid with a FlowLayout. As a test, I add 10 buttons to the grid. Here's my current code:
// Setup main panel
JPanel pnlUsers = new JPanel(new GridLayout(0, 2));
pnlUsers.setOpaque(true);
pnlUsers.setBackground(Color.GREEN);
// Setup GridLayout Container
JPanel pnl2 = new JPanel();
pnl2.setOpaque(false);
pnl2.add(pnlusers);
// Setup scrollpane
JScrollPane scrUsers = new JScrollPane(pnl2);
scrUsers.setVerticalScrollBarPolicy(JScrollPane.VERTICAL_SCROLLBAR_AS_NEEDED);
scrUsers.setHorizontalScrollBarPolicy(JScrollPane.HORIZONTAL_SCROLLBAR_NEVER);
scrUsers.setOpaque(false);
scrUsers.getViewport().setOpaque(false);
scrUsers.setBorder(null);
// Add users
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
pnlUsers.add(new JButton("Button " + (i + 1));
}
This gives a very good result, with the buttons using their preferred size as seen in the image below:
Unfortunately, the buttons are still not filling the horizontal space. So, I attempted to make pnl2 a BoxLayout instead and add some vertical glue...
// Setup GridLayout Container
JPanel pnl2 = new JPanel();
pnl2.setLayout(new BoxLayout(pnl2, BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));
pnl2.setOpaque(false);
pnl2.add(pnlusers);
pnl2.add(Box.createVerticalGlue());
I also created my own temporary button class that sets the preferred size to use the minimum size:
public class TempButton extends JButton {
public PLTempButton(String msg) {
super(msg);
this.setPreferredSize(this.getMinimumSize());
}
}
Which resulted in the following:
This is much better, but there's still a problem. If there are not enough buttons to cause the JScrollPane to scroll, the buttons height are not consistent and will resize as you resize the window vertically. Why?
Obviously when I add 100 buttons, they use their preferred size:
Maybe I'm just not understanding the differences between minimum, preferred and maximum size? But I want the buttons to use the height they're set even if there aren't enough to cause the scroll-pane to, well, scroll. What can I do to fix this?
1) How do I even get a GridLayout within a ScrollPane?
Create a JPanel
Apply a GridLayout to the JPanel
Wrap the JPanel in a JScrollPane
For example
JPanel panel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(0, 2));
JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane(panel);
// Add the scroll pane to what ever parent container you're using
2) How do I get said GridLayout to expand horizontally, including the added components?
That doesn't make sense with regards to all previous part of the question, you said "and have it slowly expand downward the more things I add"
Having said that, the "basic" answer is, you configure the GridLayout and let it do it's job. The above example is configured for 2 columns and n number of roes
3) How would I add a "margin" to the components?
That's a broad answer, you could:
Make use of the horizontal and vertical gap properties of the GridLayout
Use a compound layout and adjust the insets of the an appropriate layout manager (like GridBagLayout)
Recommendations
I would recommend reading through Laying Out Components Within a Container to get a better understanding of the layout managers.
Remember, you not stuck to using one.
I would also recommend reading through How to Use Scroll Panes as you're asking basic questions about the API which are better covered through the tutorials
The following mre demonstrates creating a JPanel with GridLayout warped by JScrollPane and setting its horizontal and vertival gaps.
The Jpanel is added using a BorderLayout (the default layout manager of JFrame content pane) which allows it to expand:
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.GridLayout;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
public class SwingMain {
private String text ="Growing ";
private JPanel grid;
private JFrame f;
SwingMain() {
creategui();
}
void creategui(){
f = new JFrame();
f.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
f.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
JButton addComponentBtn = new JButton("Add Component");
addComponentBtn.addActionListener(e-> addComponent());
f.add(addComponentBtn, BorderLayout.PAGE_START);
grid = new JPanel(new GridLayout(0, 2, 10, 10)); //any number of rows, 2 columns, H and V gap
f.add(new JScrollPane(grid), BorderLayout.CENTER);
f.pack();
f.setVisible(true);
}
void addComponent() {
grid.add(new JLabel(text) );
text +="."; //make text longer so JLable grows
f.pack();
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
new SwingMain();
}
}
I'm trying Swing programming but I can't do what I want.
I would like to place a top bar button with 2 lines of button but I just have 1 line in my case.
Here is my code:
Container contentPane = getContentPane();
contentPane.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
setMinimumSize(new Dimension(1000,500));
setMaximumSize(new Dimension(1000,500));
JPanel panelButton = new JPanel();
JPanel panelTopButton = new JPanel();
JPanel panelBottomButton = new JPanel();
panelTopButton.add(dashboard);
panelTopButton.add(journal);
panelTopButton.add(myPlans);
panelTopButton.add(myFavorites);
panelTopButton.add(shoppingCart);
panelBottomButton.add(profile);
panelBottomButton.add(notifications);
panelButton.add(panelTopButton, BorderLayout.NORTH);
panelButton.add(panelBottomButton, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
contentPane.add(panelButton,BorderLayout.NORTH);
//Display
setSize(400,120);
setVisible(true);
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
I have this
And I want this
Can somebody help me?
You need one panel for each line.
Try to do this:
JPanel panelButtonsL1 = new JPanel();
JPanel panelButtonsL2 = new JPanel();
panelButtonsL1.add(dashboard);
panelButtonsL1.add(journal);
panelButtonsL1.add(myPlans);
panelButtonsL1.add(myFavorites);
panelButtonsL1.add(shoppingCart);
panelButtonsL2.add(profile);
panelButtonsL2.add(notifications);
The default layour of JPanel is FlowLayout. Bear in mind that layout is very important to work with swing component disposition.
Define the bottom panel as GridLayout.
JPanel panelButton = new JPanel(new GridLayout(2, 1)); // 2 rows x 1 column
panelButton.add(panelButtonsL1);
panelButton.add(panelButtonsL2);
Details of GridLayout you can find on API.
You can achieve that using a GridLayout: assign a GridLayout to panelButton with two rows and one column, and then add the two panels to it.
According to what you want there is a simpler alternative by continue using the default FlowLayout from the panel. It is more appropriate than using GridLayout since you wanted the last 2 buttons to move to the next row and center itself.
If you use GridLayout, the buttons at the next row are likely going to be directly below one of the buttons above. Here are 2 ways to get what you want.
Method 1. Reduce the width of the main panel holding your buttons:
Dosing so, you will have to add the main panel using BorderLayout.CENTER.
Method 2. Add the buttons to a sub-panel of smaller width and add it to the main panel. All your buttons will be added to the smaller sub-panel:
I'm trying to create a program using BorderLayout() that I want to look like this (but with even left right height and such)
although I am having trouble resizing the two JPanels (two boxes within the large box). At the moment my GUI looks like this,
I believe it is due to the CENTER still being there, I looked up on how to remove it but could not get it to work,
Question
Can can I edit this so that it will look like the top image.
package fuelstation;
import java.awt.*;
import java.util.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class Fuelstation extends JFrame {
JButton btn1 = new JButton("Random Button");
public Fuelstation() {
JFrame frame = new JFrame("Fuel Station");
frame.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
frame.setResizable(false);
frame.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(500,350));
frame.setMaximumSize(new Dimension(500,350));
// Left Hand Side
JPanel lhs = new JPanel();
JTextArea tf_list = new JTextArea();
tf_list.setEditable(false);
tf_list.setWrapStyleWord(true);
tf_list.setText("This is a list of items");
lhs.add(tf_list);
tf_list.setSize(245, 325);
lhs.setBorder(BorderFactory.createTitledBorder("Left"));
// Left Hand Side End
// Right Hand Side
JPanel rhs = new JPanel();
rhs.setAlignmentX(Component.CENTER_ALIGNMENT);
rhs.setBorder(BorderFactory.createTitledBorder("Right"));
rhs.add(btn1);
tf_list.setSize(245, 325);
JPanel center = new JPanel();
center.setSize(0, 0);
// Right Hand Side End
frame.add(lhs, BorderLayout.WEST);
frame.add(center, BorderLayout.CENTER);
frame.add(rhs, BorderLayout.EAST);
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible(true);
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
Fuelstation gui = new Fuelstation();
}
}
You need to drop the requirement to use a BorderLayout. The resizing policy for components when using a BorderLayout is stated in the class javadoc
The components are laid out according to their preferred sizes and the constraints of the container's size. The NORTH and SOUTH components may be stretched horizontally; the EAST and WEST components may be stretched vertically; the CENTER component may stretch both horizontally and vertically to fill any space left over.
By forcing your JFrame to a certain size
frame.setResizable(false);
frame.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(500,350));
frame.setMaximumSize(new Dimension(500,350));
your center component will take the extra width, as the EAST and WEST component will only stretch vertically.
So you need to use another LayoutManager. You can use the Visual guide to layout managers to get a grasp of the available LayoutManagers and their capabilities. That document states that a GridLayout would be a good candidate:
GridLayout simply makes a bunch of components equal in size and displays them in the requested number of rows and columns
I have 3 panels. One is the main panel which holds 2 smaller panels.
For the main panel, I used
setPreferredSize(new Dimension(350, 190));
For the smaller left panel, I used
setPreferredSize(new Dimension(100, 190));
For the smaller right panel, I used
setPreferredSize(new Dimension(250, 190));
but the smaller panels remain the same size. How can I fix this?
This is the code I have in my main Panel.
import model.*;
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class Panel extends JPanel
{
public Panel(Prison prison)
{
setup();
build(prison);
}
private void setup()
{
setBorder(BorderFactory.createLineBorder(Color.blue));
setLayout(new BorderLayout(1, 1));
setPreferredSize(new Dimension(350, 190));
}
private void build(Prison prison)
{
JTabbedPane tab = new JTabbedPane();
tab.addTab("Input", null, new InputPanel(), "Input");
tab.addTab("Display", null, new DisplayPanel(), "Display");
add(tab);
}
}
Don't do this.
The whole point of layout managers is to allow dynamic resizing, which is necessary not just for user-resizable windows but also changing texts (internationalization) and different default font sizes and fonts.
If you just use the layout managers correctly, they will take care of panel sizes. To avoid having your components stretched out all over the screen when the user increases the window size, have an outermost panel with a left-aligned FlowLayout and the rest of the UI as its single child - that will give the UI its preferred size and any surplus is filled with the background color.
It looks like you're using a GridLayout, or perhaps a FlowLayout, neither being what you want. You probably want to use a BoxLayout, which respects its components preferred sizes.
final JPanel p = new JPanel();
p.setLayout(new BoxLayout(p, BoxLayout.X_AXIS));
p.add(leftPanel);
p.add(mainPanel);
p.add(rightPanel);
also- that is the preferred size. if you don't want to allow resizing, you can also set the maximum sizes as well.
if you're able, you may want to check out the MIG layout, but BoxLayout is also easy to use and in the java toolkit already.
It's this one.
buttonPanel = new JPanel();
buttonPanel.setSize(new Dimension(30, 100));
Don't let the layout manager adjust your sizes.