Frame extended state and window bounds.

Question

I'm trying to save the bounds of a window when my program exits, so that I can initialize the next session to the same window bounds. It seems well known that calling getBounds() on a maximized window will basically give you your screen dimensions. So this means that if the user exits the program when the window is maximized, the next time they start it up, the window will be set to fill their screen as though it were maximized, but in the restored state. Not good. It also seems well known that there is no clean way to get the restored bounds on a maxmized window. Also not good. I found this forum on the subject:
http://forum.java.sun.com/thread.jspa?forumID=57&threadID=603605
Someone suggested restoring the window manually before checking the bounds, but I don't want to do this because the action would be visible to the user, and takes time. Instead I opted for the component listener approach. Here's where my problem comes in:
It seems that move and resize events happen at inconsistent times. In my component listener, I poll window.getExtendedState() and getBounds() in componentMoved() and componentResized(). When I maximize the window, I get MOVE event that shows getExtendedState() to be NORMAL, but getBounds() to be maximized. When I restore the window, I get a RESIZE event that shows getBounds() to be restored.
Maybe I'm just confused here, but this doesn't make any sense. Those two values should be consistent-- and I should get the event after everything is DONE, including the extended state flag being properly set. It seems to me that this is bug-like behavior. Am I wrong?
Furthermore, my problem remains, because if the user exits in the maximized state, the last event will have been a reporting of the maximized window bounds-- so my attempts to remember what the window was before it was maximized will have failed. It really steams me that the API seems to be conspiring to prevent me from getting this simple piece of information.
So has there been any progress on the front of a clean solution to getting the restored bounds without restoring the window? Surely that information exists somewhere in the JVM. I shouldn't have to do backflips to get it. (Perhaps I should post a feature request).
How should I get around this?
P.S.
Here's a test case:
import java.awt.event.ComponentEvent;
import java.awt.event.ComponentListener;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
* @author Tim Babb
public class Main {
    static JFrame frame;
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        frame = new JFrame("Test Case");
        frame.addComponentListener(new ComponentListener(){
            public void componentHidden(ComponentEvent evt){
                //do nothing
            public void componentMoved(ComponentEvent evt){
                if (frame.getExtendedState() == frame.NORMAL){
                    System.out.println("Moved: " + frame.getBounds());
            public void componentResized(ComponentEvent evt){
                if (frame.getExtendedState() == frame.NORMAL){
                    System.out.println("Resized: " + frame.getBounds());
            public void componentShown(ComponentEvent evt){
                //do nothing
        frame.setVisible(true);
}

Answer 1

I am seeing the same thing, it seems that in Windows maximize delivers two events a move and then a resize. The change state event comes in the middle, I am sure there is some good reason.
I have had a go at writing a NormalBoundsListener that compensates for this. Would be interested to find out if this was Windows specific.
Hope this helps, if you have a better solution please let me know.
private class NormalBoundsListener implements ComponentListener {
private final Rectangle previousNormalBounds = new Rectangle();
private int previousExtendedState = 0;
public void componentHidden(ComponentEvent e) {
// do nothing
public void componentMoved(ComponentEvent e) {
storeNormalBounds();
public void componentResized(ComponentEvent e) {
storeNormalBounds();
public void componentShown(ComponentEvent e) {
storeNormalBounds();
private void storeNormalBounds() {
int extendedState = getExtendedState();
if(extendedState == Frame.NORMAL) {
previousExtendedState = extendedState;
previousNormalBounds.setBounds(normalBounds);
getBounds(normalBounds);
} else if(extendedState == Frame.MAXIMIZED_BOTH && previousExtendedState == Frame.NORMAL) {
previousExtendedState = extendedState;
normalBounds.setBounds(previousNormalBounds);
}