Card layout trouble

Question

I cannot figure out why when I run the program it shows the second card, and will not change when I click on the buttons that should change the card.
import java.io.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.text.*;
import java.util.*;
public class Payroll extends JFrame
    // Card Layout to hold panels of GUI
    private CardLayout cardLayout = new CardLayout();
    // panels for various parts of GUI
    private JPanel homePanel = new JPanel();
    private static JPanel filePanel = new JPanel();
    private JPanel processedPanel = new JPanel();
    private JPanel journalPanel = new JPanel();
    private JPanel checkPanel = new JPanel();
    private JPanel stubPanel = new JPanel();
    // contentPane will hold other panels via cardLayout
    private JPanel contentPane;
    //row panels that will be used in various other panels
    private JPanel firstRow = new JPanel();
    private JPanel secondRow = new JPanel();
    private JPanel thirdRow = new JPanel();
    private JPanel fourthRow = new JPanel();
    private JPanel fifthRow = new JPanel();
    //create other data
    private int fileReturnValue;
    private JFileChooser fc = new JFileChooser();
    private File file;
    public Payroll()
        super("Widget Incorporated Payroll");
        contentPane = (JPanel)getContentPane(); // get contentpane
        contentPane.setLayout(cardLayout);  //set its layout to cardlayout
        //create the panels as cards
        homePanel = createHomePanel();
        filePanel = createFilePanel();
        /*processedPanel = createProcessedPanel();
        journalPanel = createJournalPanel();
        checkPanel = createCheckPanel();
        stubPanel = createStubPanel();*/
        contentPane.add(homePanel,"home");
        contentPane.add(filePanel,"file");
        /*contentPane.add(processedPanel);
        contentPane.add(journalPanel);
        contentPane.add(checkPanel);
        contentPane.add(stubPanel);*/
        cardLayout.show(contentPane, "home");
    private JPanel createHomePanel()
        //Create the layout for this panel
        JPanel homePanel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(4,1));
        FlowLayout rowSetup = new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.CENTER);
            firstRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            secondRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            thirdRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
        //Create components for this panel
        JLabel hoursWorkedLabel = new JLabel("Default hours worked:");
        JTextField hoursWorkedField = new JTextField("40",2);   
        JButton processButton = new JButton ("Process payroll for all non-terminated employees");  
        JButton closeButton = new JButton ("End Program");
        //Clear all rows
        firstRow.removeAll();
        secondRow.removeAll();
        thirdRow.removeAll();
        fourthRow.removeAll();
        fifthRow.removeAll();
        //Add the components to rows
        firstRow.add(hoursWorkedLabel);
        firstRow.add(hoursWorkedField);
        secondRow.add(processButton);
        thirdRow.add(closeButton);
        //Add the rows to this panel
        homePanel.add(firstRow);
        homePanel.add(secondRow);
        homePanel.add(thirdRow);
        //Add action listeners to the buttons
        processButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
                //creates next part of GUI
                cardLayout.show(contentPane,"file");
        processButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
                //Verfies user wants to close program
                int answer = JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog(null,"Are you sure you want to end the program","Exit",JOptionPane.YES_NO_OPTION);
                if (answer == JOptionPane.YES_OPTION)
                System.exit(0);
        return homePanel;
    private JPanel createFilePanel()
        //Create the layout for this panel
        JPanel filePanel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(3,1));
        FlowLayout rowSetup = new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.CENTER);
            firstRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            secondRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            thirdRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
        //Create components for this panel
        JLabel chooseFileLabel = new JLabel("Select the payroll file");
        final JTextField fileChooseField = new JTextField(25);
        JButton fileChooseButton = new JButton("Find");
        JButton fileOKButton = new JButton("Process");
        JButton fileBackButton = new JButton ("Back");
        //Clear all rows
        firstRow.removeAll();
        secondRow.removeAll();
        thirdRow.removeAll();
        fourthRow.removeAll();
        fifthRow.removeAll();
        //Add the components to rows
        firstRow.add(chooseFileLabel);
        secondRow.add(fileChooseField);
        secondRow.add(fileChooseButton);
        thirdRow.add(fileBackButton);
        thirdRow.add(fileOKButton);
        //Add the rows to this panel
        homePanel.add(firstRow);
        homePanel.add(secondRow);
        homePanel.add(thirdRow);
        //Add action listeners to the buttons
        fileChooseButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
                //Goes back to previous part of GUI
                chooseFile(fileChooseField);
        fileBackButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
                //Goes back to previous part of GUI
                cardLayout.show(contentPane,"home");
        return filePanel;
    private void chooseFile(JTextField field)
        fileReturnValue = fc.showOpenDialog(filePanel);
        if (fileReturnValue == JFileChooser.APPROVE_OPTION)
            file = fc.getSelectedFile();
        field.setText(file.toString());
    public static void main(String[] args)
        java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable()
            public void run()
                Payroll frame = new Payroll();
                frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
                frame.pack();
                frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
                frame.setVisible(true);           
    }

Answer 1

I used an example from Encephtalophathic as a guide
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class SimpleCardLO1 extends JFrame
    // first create a CardLayout object
    private CardLayout cardlayout = new CardLayout();
    // contentPane will hold the next two panels via CardLayout
    private JPanel contentPane;
    private JPanel firstPanel;
    private JPanel nextPanel;
    public SimpleCardLO1()
        super("Simple Card Layout");
        contentPane = (JPanel)getContentPane(); // get contentpane
        contentPane.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(160, 80));
        contentPane.setLayout(cardlayout); //set its layout to cardlayout
        // create the two panels held in contentPane as cards
        firstPanel = createFirstPanel();
        nextPanel = createProcessPanel();
        // and add them.  The String helps to recognize which panel is which
        contentPane.add(firstPanel, "First");
        contentPane.add(nextPanel, "Next");
    private JPanel createFirstPanel()
        JPanel firstPanel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(0, 1, 20, 20));
        JPanel buttonPanel = new JPanel();
        JButton nextButton = new JButton("Process");
        buttonPanel.add(nextButton);
        firstPanel.add(buttonPanel);
        nextButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
                // to get the next panel, simply call cardlayout's next method
                // also pass a reference the component that is using the cardlayout as its manager
                cardlayout.next(contentPane);
        return firstPanel;
    private JPanel createProcessPanel()
        JPanel processPanel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(0, 1, 20, 20));
        JPanel buttonPanel = new JPanel();
        JButton backButton = new JButton("Back");
        buttonPanel.add(backButton);
        processPanel.add(buttonPanel);
        backButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
                // to get the previous panel, call the previous method
                cardlayout.previous(contentPane);
        return processPanel;
    // code to call this program in a thread-safe way
    public static void main(String[] args)
        java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable()
            public void run()
                SimpleCardLO1 frame = new SimpleCardLO1();
                frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
                frame.pack();
                frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
                frame.setVisible(true);            }
}The example works and mine doesn't and I just can't find the difference
Edited by: tim.raptorrunner on Jan 17, 2008 8:54 PM
As far as I can tell it decided to randomly work.