How can i get a counter to tell me how many checkboxes have been selected?

Question

package arabiclanguagelearning;
import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Frame;
import javax.swing.JDialog;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import javax.swing.JTextArea;
import com.borland.jbcl.layout.VerticalFlowLayout;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Font;
import java.awt.Toolkit;
import java.awt.Image;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.CheckboxGroup;
import java.awt.event.ItemListener;
import java.awt.event.ItemEvent;
import java.awt.event.KeyEvent;
* <p>Title: Arabic Language Learning</p>
* <p>Description: </p>
* <p>Copyright: Copyright (c) 2007</p>
* <p>Company: </p>
* @author iPortal
* @version 1.0
public class ReadingTest extends JDialog implements ItemListener{
    //ImageIcon myImage = new ImageIcon("image.jpg");
    JPanel panel1 = new JPanel();
    JLabel jLabel1 = new JLabel();
    JLabel jLabel3 = new JLabel();
    JButton jButton1 = new JButton(new ImageIcon ("image.jpg"));
    ButtonGroup question1 = new ButtonGroup();
    CheckboxGroup question2 = new CheckboxGroup();
    JTextArea question1Text = new JTextArea();
    JRadioButton q1A = new JRadioButton();
    JRadioButton q1B = new JRadioButton();
    JRadioButton q1C = new JRadioButton();
    JTextArea question2Text = new JTextArea();
    JTextField question2TextArabic = new JTextField();
    JCheckBox jCheckBox1 = new JCheckBox();
    JCheckBox jCheckBox2 = new JCheckBox();
    JCheckBox jCheckBox3 = new JCheckBox();
    JCheckBox jCheckBox4 = new JCheckBox();
    JLabel jLabel2 = new JLabel();
    StringBuffer choices;
    //will keep a count on how many checkboxes selected for question 2
    int count;
    JLabel jLabel4 = new JLabel();
    JLabel jLabel5 = new JLabel();
    JLabel jLabel6 = new JLabel();
    JButton Submit = new JButton();
    JLabel jLabel7 = new JLabel();
    public ReadingTest(Frame owner, String title, boolean modal) {
        super(owner, title, modal);
        try {
            setDefaultCloseOperation(DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE);
            jbInit();
            pack();
        } catch (Exception exception) {
            exception.printStackTrace();
    public ReadingTest() {
        this(new Frame(), "ReadingTest", false);
    private void jbInit() throws Exception {
        panel1.setLayout(null);
        this.getContentPane().setLayout(null);
        jLabel1.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Tahoma", Font.BOLD, 24));
        jLabel1.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.CENTER);
        jLabel1.setIcon(null);
        jLabel1.setText("Welcome to the reading tutorial");
        jLabel1.setBounds(new Rectangle(49, 4, 509, 67));
        jLabel3.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Tahoma", Font.PLAIN, 14));
        jLabel3.setToolTipText("");
        jLabel3.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.CENTER);
        jLabel3.setHorizontalTextPosition(SwingConstants.CENTER);
        jLabel3.setText(
                "Please answer the questions below after reading the text");
        jLabel3.setVerticalTextPosition(SwingConstants.TOP);
        jLabel3.setBounds(new Rectangle(48, 83, 515, 60));
        jButton1.setBounds(new Rectangle(509, 63, 98, 44));
        jButton1.setText("Hide me!");
        jButton1.addActionListener(new ReadingTest_jButton1_actionAdapter(this));
        question1Text.setBackground(Color.lightGray);
        question1Text.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Tahoma", Font.BOLD, 14));
        question1Text.setEditable(false);
        question1Text.setText("What is the first letter of the arabic alphabet?");
        question1Text.setBounds(new Rectangle(64, 158, 319, 19));
        q1A.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Tahoma", Font.BOLD, 16));
        q1A.setText("?");
        q1A.setBounds(new Rectangle(60, 189, 93, 23));
        q1B.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Tahoma", Font.BOLD, 16));
        q1B.setText("?");
        q1B.setBounds(new Rectangle(60, 214, 93, 23));
        q1C.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Tahoma", Font.BOLD, 16));
        q1C.setText("?");
        q1C.setBounds(new Rectangle(60, 241, 93, 23));
        question2Text.setBackground(Color.lightGray);
        question2Text.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Tahoma", Font.BOLD, 14));
        question2Text.setEditable(false);
        question2Text.setText(
                "Choose the two correct words which finish the sentence.");
        question2Text.setBounds(new Rectangle(64, 281, 402, 19));
        question2TextArabic.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Tahoma", Font.BOLD, 16));
        question2TextArabic.setText("?? ????? ??????? ___ ???? ___ ?? ???????");
        question2TextArabic.setBounds(new Rectangle(63, 311, 404, 30));
        this.setForeground(Color.white);
        jCheckBox1.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Tahoma", Font.BOLD, 13));
        jCheckBox1.setText("????");
        jCheckBox1.setBounds(new Rectangle(63, 356, 81, 23));
        jCheckBox1.addActionListener(new ReadingTest_jCheckBox1_actionAdapter(this));
        jCheckBox1.addItemListener(this);
        jCheckBox2.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Tahoma", Font.BOLD, 13));
        jCheckBox2.setText("????");
        jCheckBox2.setBounds(new Rectangle(162, 356, 81, 23));
        jCheckBox2.addItemListener(this);
        jCheckBox3.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Tahoma", Font.BOLD, 13));
        jCheckBox3.setText("??????");
        jCheckBox3.setBounds(new Rectangle(260, 356, 81, 23));
        jCheckBox3.addItemListener(this);
        jCheckBox4.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Tahoma", Font.BOLD, 13));
        jCheckBox4.setText("?????");
        jCheckBox4.setBounds(new Rectangle(359, 355, 81, 23));
        jCheckBox4.addItemListener(this);
        jLabel2.setText("jLabel2");
        jLabel2.setBounds(new Rectangle(63, 402, 234, 32));
        jLabel4.setText("jLabel4");
        jLabel4.setBounds(new Rectangle(63, 433, 254, 28));
        jLabel5.setText("jLabel5");
        jLabel5.setBounds(new Rectangle(63, 465, 194, 37));
        jLabel6.setText("jLabel6");
        jLabel6.setBounds(new Rectangle(63, 500, 258, 32));
        Submit.setBounds(new Rectangle(507, 575, 115, 52));
        Submit.setText("Submit");
        Submit.addActionListener(new ReadingTest_Submit_actionAdapter(this));
        jLabel7.setText("jLabel7");
        jLabel7.setBounds(new Rectangle(472, 480, 95, 34));
        question1.add(q1A);
        question1.add(q1B);
        question1.add(q1C);
        this.getContentPane().add(panel1, null);
        this.getContentPane().add(Submit);
        panel1.add(jLabel1);
        panel1.add(jLabel3);
        panel1.add(q1A);
        panel1.add(q1B);
        panel1.add(q1C);
        panel1.add(question1Text);
        panel1.add(question2Text);
        panel1.add(question2TextArabic);
        panel1.add(jCheckBox1);
        panel1.add(jCheckBox2);
        panel1.add(jCheckBox3);
        panel1.add(jCheckBox4);
        panel1.add(jButton1);
        panel1.add(jLabel6);
        panel1.add(jLabel5);
        panel1.add(jLabel4);
        panel1.add(jLabel2);
        panel1.add(jLabel7);
        panel1.setBounds(new Rectangle(10, 10, 623, 549));
    public void jButton1_actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
        this.setVisible(false);
    public void itemStateChanged(ItemEvent e) {
        int index = 0;
        char c = '-';
        Object source = e.getItemSelectable();
//count variable works fine in this part
        if (source == jCheckBox1) {
            index = 0;
            c = 'c';
            //assign new string variable the value of text for the checkbox
            String textSelected = jCheckBox1.getText();
            jLabel2.setText("You checked"+ textSelected);
            count = count + 1;
            jLabel7.setText(Integer.toString(count));
        } else if (source == jCheckBox2) {
            index = 1;
            c = 'g';
            String textSelected = jCheckBox2.getText();
            jLabel4.setText("You checked"+ textSelected);
            count = count + 1;
            jLabel7.setText(Integer.toString(count));
        } else if (source == jCheckBox3) {
            index = 2;
            c = 'h';
            String textSelected = jCheckBox3.getText();
            jLabel5.setText("You checked"+ textSelected);
            count = count + 1;
            jLabel7.setText(Integer.toString(count));
        } else if (source == jCheckBox4) {
            index = 3;
            c = 't';
            String textSelected = jCheckBox4.getText();
            jLabel6.setText("You checked"+ textSelected);
            count = count + 1;
            jLabel7.setText(Integer.toString(count));
        //Now that we know which button was pushed, find out
         //whether it was selected or deselected.
//count variable does not work in this section.
         if (e.getStateChange() == ItemEvent.DESELECTED) {
             c = '-';
             Object deselectedItem = e.getItemSelectable();
             if (deselectedItem==jCheckBox1)
                 jLabel2.setText("You deselected checkbox 1");
                 count = count - 1;
                 jLabel7.setText(Integer.toString(count));
             else if (deselectedItem==jCheckBox2)
                 jLabel4.setText("You deselected checkbox 2");
                 count = count - 1;
                 jLabel7.setText(Integer.toString(count));
             else if (deselectedItem==jCheckBox3)
                 jLabel5.setText("You deselected checkbox 3");
                 count = count - 1;
                 jLabel7.setText(Integer.toString(count));
             else if (deselectedItem==jCheckBox4)
                 jLabel6.setText("You deselected checkbox 4");
                 count = count - 1;
                 jLabel7.setText(Integer.toString(count));
   

Answer 1

you can call your_checkbox.isSelected() to know whether it's selected for all your check boxes !
suppose you have an jcheckbox array : JCheckBox[] myCheckBoxArray = ...;
int counter = 0;
for(int i=0; i<myCheckBoxArray.legth; i++){
  if(myCheckBoxArray.isSelected())
  counter++;
}and that's all