How to repaint a panel

Question

Hi All!
I am trying to display a few textFields in an AWT applet. The number of textFields I need to set is variable. I want to repaint a portion of an applet (the panel in which these textFields are placed) when a button is clicked.
In the code below, I added a textField array in panel 1(p1), initialized with record size (no_of_rec), which I know at the beginning (no_of_rec = 2 at INDEX = 0).
When I click "Next Item" button, I want to show 4 textFields (no_of_rec = 4 at INDEX = 1), with the values C, D, E, F.
One more click (INDEX = 2) should show one textField only, with the value X.
The codes for the textFields are in a method(addDataPanel), so that I can call it when I click "Next Item" button. A system.out check shows that 4 textFields are created when INDEX = 1, and so on, but with calling repaint() inside the button's actionPerformed method, I am unable to update the panel (p1) dynamically.
When I minimize the window with [-] button, and get back to the original size, I can see the no of textFields have increased to 6; 2 from the beginning and 4 from the first click.
Could someone please help?
Thank you.
Tienshan
Here is my code:
import java.awt.*;                           
import java.applet.*;                       
import java.awt.event.*;
public class test1020 extends Applet{
     int NO_OF_REC = 0;
     int INDEX = 0;
     TextField[] txtDataRowDisplay;
     String[] data;
     Panel p1;
     GridBagConstraints c1;
     Color pnlBgColor = new Color(144, 196, 222);
     public void init() {     
          data = getData(INDEX);
          NO_OF_REC = data.length;
          //main Panel
          Panel pMain = new Panel();
          pMain.setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
          GridBagConstraints c  = new GridBagConstraints();
          pMain.setBackground(pnlBgColor);
          //p0
          Panel p0 = new Panel();
          p0.setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
          GridBagConstraints c0  = new GridBagConstraints();
          c0.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
          p0.setBackground(pnlBgColor);
          //p1
          p1 = new Panel();
          p1.setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
          c1  = new GridBagConstraints();
          Button btnNext = new Button("Next Item");
          c0.insets = new Insets(0, 0, 10, 0);
          c0.gridx = 3;
          c0.gridy = 0;
          p0.add(btnNext, c0);
          btnNext.addActionListener(
               new ActionListener() {
                    public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e){
                         INDEX++;     
                         data = getData(INDEX);
                         NO_OF_REC = data.length;
                         addDataPanel(p1, c1);
                         display(data);
                         p1.repaint();
          //call a method to add data row(s)
          addDataPanel(p1, c1);
          //add p0 and p1 to pMain;
          c.gridx = 0;
          c.gridy = 0;
          pMain.add(p0, c);
          c.gridx = 0;
          c.gridy = 1;
          pMain.add(p1, c);
          add(pMain);
          this.setBackground(pnlBgColor);
          display(data);
     }//init
     private String[] getData(int index){
          if(index == 0){
               String[] names = { "A", "B" };
               return names;
          else if (index==1) {
               String[] names = { "C", "D", "E", "F" };
               return names;
          else {
               String[] names = { "X" };
               return names;
    private void addDataPanel(Panel p1, GridBagConstraints c1){
          txtDataRowDisplay = new TextField[NO_OF_REC];
          for(int i = 0; i < NO_OF_REC; i++){
               txtDataRowDisplay[i] = new TextField(4);
          int cnt = 0;
          for(int m = 0; m < txtDataRowDisplay.length; m++ ){
               c1.gridx = 0;
               c1.gridy = m + cnt;
               p1.add(txtDataRowDisplay[m], c1);
               cnt++;
     private void display(String[] data){
          for(int i = 0; i < data.length; i++){
               txtDataRowDisplay.setText(data[i]);

Answer 1

BickelT , yes, it does work! I am almost there, only a small hurdle. When I initialize my textFields with a bigger size, all the smaller sizes are painted correctly. But when the initial size (when index is 0, that is at the time of init) is small, all the subsequent sizes are fixed to that init size.
For example, when I change my code to the following, it works fine.
private String[] getData(int index){
          if(index == 0){
               String[] names = { "C", "D", "E", "F" };
               return names;
          else if (index==1) {
               String[] names = { "A", "B" };
               return names;
          else {
               String[] names = { "X"};
               return names;
     } With the code as it is (as posted originally), in the first click, a textField with space(=height) for two textFields is painted with the value C and the lower half is empty. It is refusing to draw the area bigger than the init size of 2. When I resize the applet, I can see that four textFields with the values C, D, E, F.have been painted.
I added the codes you suggested inside the addActionListner class. Isn't that the correct place to add the codes?
BTW, with or without p1.repaint, the result is the same.
What could have gone wrong?
Thank you.