A question about how to change a button in a JPanel during runtime

Question

I am a beginner of GUI. Now I am trying to change a specific component, a button, when the application is running. For example, I have 3 buttons in a JPanel. Each button has its onw icon. If I click one of them, it will change its icon, but the other two don't change. I don't know if there is any method for changing a specific component during runtime. If any one knows please let me know, I will appreciate that very much!!!

Answer 1

What you're going to have to do is loop inside the actionlistener but still have accessability to click while its looping. I don't know much about it, but I think you're going to need a thread. Try something like this... (it doesn't work yet, but I have to take off)
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
class buttonxdemo extends JFrame implements ActionListener{
  Buttonx mybutton;
  //set it all up, make it look pretty  =]
  public buttonxdemo()
       mybutton = new Buttonx("default");
       getContentPane().add(mybutton.thebutton);
       mybutton.thebutton.addActionListener(this);
       this.setDefaultCloseOperation(3);
       this.setSize(200,200);
  public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae){
    if (ae.getSource() == mybutton.thebutton)
         if (mybutton.keepGoing)
           mybutton.keepGoing = false;
            else if (!mybutton.keepGoing)
                 mybutton.keepGoing = true;     
      mybutton = new Buttonx(/*Icon,*/"My Button");
      //getContentPane().remove(mybutton);
      //getContentPane().add(mybutton.thebutton);
      mybutton.startstop();
  }//actionperformed
  static void main(String args[])
       new buttonxdemo().show();
} //movingicondemo
class Buttonx extends Thread{
  public boolean keepGoing;
  //public Icon ICx;            //perhaps an array, so you can loop through?
  public String strbuttonx;
  public JButton thebutton;     //may have to extend JFrame?
  public Buttonx(/*Icon IC,*/ String strbutton){
    //ICx = IC;
    strbuttonx = strbutton;
    thebutton = new JButton(strbuttonx);
  public void startstop()
    int i = 0;
    while (keepGoing)
      thebutton.setLabel(strbuttonx.substring(0,i));
      //if an array of Icons ICx
      //thebutton.setIcon(ICx);
i++;
if (i > strbuttonx.length() - 1)
i = 0;
try
     Thread.sleep(1000);
catch (InterruptedException ie)
     System.out.println("sleep caught: " + ie);
}//startstop()
}//buttonx
kev