Dynamic jmenu bar

Question

i have a dynamic JMenu on a jframe. The menu is populated by looking up database entries and ptting them into the right place. This is done by a method 'menus()'.
I also have an addingredients class which adds new ingredient entries into the database, problem is when it does this, the JMenu has to be repopulated. The following code shows the main frame
// Recipe Creation GUI
// Written by Michael Emett
// Monday 15th Decemeber 2003
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.JFrame.*;
import java.sql.*;
import java.util.*;
public class TextAreaDemo extends JFrame     {
private static JTextArea part1;
private JButton Browse, Enter, Preview, Remove;
public static JList printList, newList;
private JCheckBox pic;
private JLabel namePrompt, title1, title2, title3;
private static JTextField nameInput;
private JPanel jp, jp1, jp2, jp3, jp4, jp5;
private Connection con;
private Statement stmt;
public static JMenu fileMenu;
private static JMenuBar bar;
// additions /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//set up GUI
public TextAreaDemo()     {
super( "Recipe Entry Sheet" );
// set up File menu and its menu items
// Menu and button Initialization ////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//myMouse = new MyMouseAdapter();
//final JMenu
fileMenu = new JMenu( "Ingredients");
         fileMenu.setMnemonic( 'I' );
fileMenu.add(menus());
bar = new JMenuBar();
setJMenuBar( bar );
JMenu file = new JMenu( "File");
file.setMnemonic( 'F' );
    bar.add(file);
          JMenuItem Adder = new JMenuItem( "New Ingredient");
         Adder.setMnemonic( 'N' );
JMenuItem Subber = new JMenuItem( "New subMenu");
         Subber.setMnemonic( 'S' );
         // set up About... menu item
         JMenuItem aboutItem = new JMenuItem( "About..." );
         aboutItem.setMnemonic( 'A' );
namePrompt = new JLabel( "Recipe Name " );
nameInput = new JTextField( 20 );
title1 = new JLabel( "Selected ingredients" );
title3 = new JLabel( "Please enter the Recipe Instructions" );
title2 = new JLabel( "Enter The SubMenu Name " );
pic = new JCheckBox("Add Picture", false);
file.add( Adder );
     Adder.addActionListener(
          new ActionListener()     {
                public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent event )
                    getList f = new getList();
// Add Ingredient menu item //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
file.add( Subber );
     Subber.addActionListener(
          new ActionListener()     {
                public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent event )
                    AddSubMenu f = new AddSubMenu();
// About menu item ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
file.add( aboutItem );
      aboutItem.addActionListener(
         new ActionListener() {  // anonymous inner class
            // display message dialog when user selects About...
            public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent event )
               JOptionPane.showMessageDialog( TextAreaDemo.this,
                  "Developed by Michael Emett, 2004",
                  "About", JOptionPane.PLAIN_MESSAGE );
          }     // end anonymous inner class
     );  // end call to addActionListener
// Exit menu item ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
     JMenuItem exitItem = new JMenuItem( "Exit" );
     exitItem.setMnemonic( 'x' );
     file.add( exitItem );
      exitItem.addActionListener(
         new ActionListener() {  // anonymous inner class
            // terminate application when user clicks exitItem
            public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent event )
               System.exit( 0 );
         }  // end anonymous inner class
      ); // end call to addActionListener
//create Button Enter
Enter = new JButton("Enter");
Enter.addActionListener(
          new ActionListener()     {
                          public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent event )
                    StringBuffer a = new StringBuffer();
                    StringBuffer b = new StringBuffer();
                    StringBuffer c = new StringBuffer();
                    for(int i= 0; i< victor.size(); i++){
                    b.append(victor.elementAt(i));
                    b.append("; ");
                    a.append(nameInput.getText());
                    c.append(part1.getText());
                    //System.out.println(a);
                    //System.out.println(b);
                    //System.out.println(c);
                    InsertRecipe f = new InsertRecipe(a,b,c);
                    //invalidate();
            //fileMenu.updateUI();
           // fileMenu.revalidate();
//create Button Remove
Remove = new JButton("Remove");
//add Actionlistener
Remove.addActionListener(
          new ActionListener()     {
                public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent event )
int[] arr;
arr = printList.getSelectedIndices();
int counter = 0;
     for (int i= 0; i< arr.length; i++){
          int n=arr;
          victor.remove(n-counter);
          counter++;
printList.setListData(victor);
//create Button Remove
Browse = new JButton("Browse");
//create Button Preview
Preview = new JButton("Clear");
Preview.addActionListener(
new ActionListener() {  // anonymous inner class
// display message dialog when user selects Preview...
public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent event )
int result = JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog
                         (null,      "Are you sure to want to clear this form", "Clear?",      JOptionPane.YES_NO_OPTION, JOptionPane.PLAIN_MESSAGE);
                         if(result == JOptionPane.YES_OPTION)
                         {TextAreaDemo.clear();
                              //System.out.println("Recipe Entered");
          }//end of joptionpane
printList = new JList();
printList.setVisibleRowCount(9);
printList.setFixedCellWidth(150);
printList.setFixedCellHeight(15);
printList.setSelectionMode(ListSelectionModel.MULTIPLE_INTERVAL_SELECTION );
newList = new JList();
newList.setVisibleRowCount(9);
newList.setFixedCellWidth(150);
newList.setFixedCellHeight(15);
newList.setSelectionMode(ListSelectionModel.SINGLE_INTERVAL_SELECTION );
// Initialise Text Areas //
part1 = new JTextArea( 25, 50);
part1.setFont(new Font("Courier", Font.BOLD, 12));
part1.setLineWrap(true);
part1.setWrapStyleWord(true);
// JPanels for Layout //
jp = new JPanel();
jp1 = new JPanel();
jp2 = new JPanel();
jp3 = new JPanel();
jp4 = new JPanel();
jp5 = new JPanel();
final Container c = getContentPane();
GridBagLayout gbl = new GridBagLayout();
GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
     c.setLayout(gbl);
     gbc.weightx = 0.1;
     gbc.weighty = 0.5;
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.NONE;
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.NORTHWEST;
add(jp1, gbc, 0, 0, 1, 1);
gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.NONE;
add(jp2, gbc, 0, 1, 1, 1);
add(jp3, gbc, 1, 0, 2, 2);
jp1.add(jp4, BorderLayout.CENTER);
jp2.add(jp, BorderLayout.CENTER);
bar.add( namePrompt );
bar.add( nameInput);
bar.add( fileMenu );
jp4.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
jp4.add(title1, BorderLayout.NORTH);
jp4.add(new JScrollPane( printList), BorderLayout.CENTER);
jp4.add(Remove, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
jp.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
jp.add(pic, BorderLayout.NORTH);
jp.add(new JScrollPane (newList), BorderLayout.CENTER);
jp.add(Browse, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
jp3.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
jp3.add (title3, BorderLayout.NORTH);
jp3.add (new JScrollPane(part1), BorderLayout.CENTER);
//c.addMouseListener(myMouse);
gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.LAST_LINE_END;
add(jp5, gbc, 2, 3, 1, 1);
jp5.setLayout(new FlowLayout());
jp5.add(Preview);
jp5.add(Enter);
setSize(770, 620);
     pack();
     setVisible(true);
     setResizable(false);
private static Vector victor = new Vector();
public static void printListset(String t) {
     victor.add(t);
for(int i = 0; i<victor.size(); i++)
printList.setListData(victor);
public void add(Component ce, GridBagConstraints constraints, int x, int y, int w, int h) {
               constraints.gridx = x;
               constraints.gridy = y;
               constraints.gridwidth = w;
               constraints.gridheight = h;
               getContentPane().add(ce, constraints);
public static JMenu menus()     {
     // Map Created to Handle JMenuItem Addition //
          Map labelToMenu = new HashMap();
          Map labelToMenu2 = new HashMap();
          Map labelToMenu3 = new HashMap();
          String url = "jdbc:odbc:database";
          Connection con;
          Statement stmt;
                    try     {
                         Class.forName("sun.jdbc.odbc.JdbcOdbcDriver");
                    catch(ClassNotFoundException e)     {
                    System.err.print("Class Not found");
                    String query = "select baseIngred.IngredientType, baseIngred.PrimaryKey FROM baseIngred";
                    String query2 = "select baseIngred.IngredientType, baseIngred.PrimaryKey,"
                    + "subMenu.menuNumber, subMenu.subMenu FROM baseIngred, "
                    + "subMenu WHERE baseIngred.PrimaryKey = subMenu.menuNumber ORDER BY submenu";
                              String query3 = "select subMenu.subMenu, subMenu.PrimaryNumber,"
                                   + "Ingredient.Ingredient, Ingredient.MenuNumber FROM subMenu, Ingredient"
                    + " WHERE Ingredient.MenuNumber = subMenu.PrimaryNumber ORDER BY PrimaryNumber";
     String query4 = "select Ingredient.Ingredient, Ingredient.MenuNumber FROM Ingredient";
                         try     {
                                   con = DriverManager.getConnection(url, "myLogin", "myPassword");
                                   stmt = con.createStatement();
     // Initial Jmenu added ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
               ResultSet rs = stmt.executeQuery(query);
               String[] arr = new String[100];
               int[] num = new int[200];
               int[] num2 = new int[200];
               int counter = 0;
               int counter2 = 0;
               while     (rs.next())     {
                              //String t is set to the value contained in ingredient type
                              String t = rs.getString("IngredientType");
                              //map labelToMenu has String t and a new JMenu with the menu
                              //name contained in t stored in it
                              labelToMenu.put(t, fileMenu.add(new JMenu(t)));
                              //an array containing values of the priamry key is produced
                              num[counter] = rs.getInt("PrimaryKey");
                              //a counter is incremeted so that upon further
                              //interations it is stored in a new array field
                              counter++;
     // Second Jmenu added ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
               ResultSet rs2 = stmt.executeQuery(query2);
               while     (rs2.next()) {
                              //String first is set to the value contained in ingredient type
                              String first = rs2.getString("IngredientType");
                              //String second is set to the value contained in subMenu
                              String second = rs2.getString("subMenu");
                              //firstlevel looks up item t in the map, and creates a jmenu name as it.
                              JMenu firstLevel = (JMenu)labelToMenu.get(first);
                              //handles menu placement by comparing PrimaryKeys with MenuNumbers
                              // f = rs2.getInt("menuNumber");
                              num2[counter2] = rs2.getInt("menuNumber");
     for (int nm = 0; nm<num.length; nm++){
               if (num[nm] == num2[counter2]
                                        //adds the second value to the jmenu with th name stored in t.
                                        labelToMenu2.put(second, (firstLevel.add(new JMenu (second))));
                                   }counter2++;
     // Third JMenu added /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
     ResultSet rs3 = stmt.executeQuery(query3);
          while     (rs3.next()) {
                              //String next is set to the value contained in subMenu
                              String next = rs3.getString("subMenu");
                              //String third is set to the value contained in ingredient
                              String third = rs3.getString("Ingredient");
                              JMenu secondLevel = (JMenu)labelToMenu2.get(next);
                              int f2 = rs3.getInt("MenuNumber");
                              //System.out.println(f2);
                              int f3 = rs3.getInt("PrimaryNumber");
               if (f3 == f2){
                         labelToMenu3.put(third, secondLevel.add(new JMenuItem(third)));
     // Add AtionListeners ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
     ResultSet rs4 = stmt.executeQuery(query4);
          while     (rs4.next()) {
               String third2 = rs4.getString("Ingredient");
     JMenuItem thirdLevel = (JMenuItem)labelToMenu3.get(third2);
     thirdLevel.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
          public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
               JMenuItem source = (JMenuItem)(e.getSource());
               String actionText = source.getText();
               PopUp pop = new PopUp(actionText);
                    stmt.close();
                    con.close();
                         }catch(SQLException ex)     {
                    System.err.println(ex);
return (fileMenu);
     //                                        End Of Connection                                             //
     // Add subMenu menu item /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
public static void clear()     {
nameInput.setText("");
victor.removeAllElements();
printList.setListData(victor);
part1.setText("");
public static void rebuild()     {
fileMenu.removeAll();
fileMenu.add(menus());
bar.add( fileMenu );
public static void main(String args[])     {
     TextAreaDemo t = new TextAreaDemo();
     t.setDefaultCloseOperation( JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
the code inside the method 'rebuild()' will work from inside the main JFrame body if assigned to a button (such as the example position denoted by HERE in the code), but that is undesirable as it requires the user to refresh manually every time they add a new ingredient. what i need is a method that can be called from another class/method/whatever.
thankyou for any help you can offer, it is much appreciated

Answer 1

The code you offered did not solve my problem. I have since entered the followinginto the actionlistener of a button on the JFrame,
refreshMenu = new JButton("Refresh Menu");
refreshMenu.addActionListener(
         new ActionListener() { 
            // display message dialog when user selects Preview...
            public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent event )
fileMenu.removeAll();
fileMenu.add(menus());
bar.add( fileMenu );          
);This does what i need, but i need these statements to be made from an external class, not a JButton,