How do I Lay it out? setMinimumSize is ignored

Question

Hi:
I've been through about all the layout managers. I spent a pretty good bit of time w/ the gridbag. I finally learned about the TableLayout:
http://www.clearthought.info/software/TableLayout/
I can't make any of it work reliably.
I put buttons into a JPanel that I put into a TableLayout (or GridBag Layout) that I put into another JPanel (nested tables).
Every time I do it my components get squashed to the smallest that they can be. I even did setMinimumSize and it was ignored.
I made sure that each of the exterior panels could easily contain their interior panels which could easily contain the components.
Here, I'm putting stuff into pnBackup (the exterior JPanel).
I put a TableLayout in it w/ 2 columns , FILL and 490.
I remmed all the stuff that would go into the first column (FILL).
In the second column I put a JPanel pnButtons and made the width 450.
I put another TableLayout in that JPanel w/ 1 column 400 & 3 rows @ 35.
I put 2 buttons in the 2nd and 3rd rows.
Their width is 80, height 25, so there's plenty of room to hold them.
I aligned them both r, b so they should be sitting in the bottom right hand corner.
No dice, the Exit button is squashed and they're in the bottom about 3/4 from the left side of pnBackup.
How can I control this thing?
        scroller = new treePane(fileTree); //Extends JScrollablePane       
        double size[][] =
            {{TableLayout.FILL, 490},
             {0.05, TableLayout.FILL, 25}};
        pnBackup = new JPanel(new TableLayout(size));
        pnBackup.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(appWidth - 15, appHeight - 15));
        lbBUInstructions = new JLabel("Check Folders or Files to Back Up");       
        //pnBackup.add(lbBUInstructions, "0, 0, l, t");      
        //pnBackup.add(scroller, "0, 1, l, t");       
        pnBUStatus = new JPanel();
        pnBUStatus.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(appWidth - 200, 25));
        //pnBackup.add(pnBUStatus, "0, 2, l, b");        
        double btnSize[][] =
            {{400},
             {TableLayout.FILL, 35, 35}};
        pnBUButtons = new JPanel(new TableLayout(btnSize));
        pnBUButtons.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(450, appHeight - 15));
        btnBackup = new JButton("Backup");
        btnBackup.setVerticalTextPosition(AbstractButton.CENTER);
        btnBackup.addActionListener(new btnBackupListener(btnBackup));       
        btnBackup.setMinimumSize(new Dimension(80, 25));
        pnBUButtons.add(btnBackup, "0, 1, r, b");
        btnExit = new JButton("Close");
        btnExit.setVerticalTextPosition(AbstractButton.CENTER);       
        btnExit.addActionListener(new btnExitListener(btnExit));       
        btnExit.setMinimumSize(new Dimension(80, 25));
        pnBUButtons.add(btnExit, "0, 2, r, b");
        pnBackup.add(pnBUButtons, "1, 0, 1, 2, r, b");
        tabs = new JTabbedPane();
        tabs.addTab("Backup", pnBackup);
        fme = new JFrame("MRD-Backup");
        fme.setVisible(true);

Answer 1

Put it in rice. As soon as possible. Or get some silica gel (http://bit.ly/NIQonk) and use that. They should have some at like an arts/crafts store. Quickness is the key. Don't try to turn it on.