How do I use different Layouts?

Question

I am trying to make a program that runs in a window like this:
http://www.exyt-web.com/Window.gif
The problem I'm having is with the layout.
How do I have more than one layout ?
For example - as you can see in the image (hyperlink above) I wish to have a border layout with a JFrame at the North position and then in the South position I want to have buttons laid out in a FlowLayout.
Also with my radio buttons I want these in a GridLayout(3, 0) layout.
I made up some example code to test using different layouts - but it seems one layout always overrides the other...
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
public class LayoutTest extends JFrame
    public LayoutTest()
        setTitle("Hello World");
        Container contents = getContentPane();
        Container contents2 = getContentPane();
        contents.setLayout(new FlowLayout());
        contents.add(new JLabel("<FILTER [Type a th|    ]>"));
        contents.add(contents2);
        contents.add(new JLabel("< Filter Button >"));
        contents.add(new JLabel("<  Add Button   >"));
        contents2.setLayout(new GridLayout());
        contents2.add(new JLabel("< Button 1 >"));
        contents2.add(new JLabel("< Button 2 >"));
        contents2.add(new JLabel("< Button 3 >"));
        contents2.add(new JLabel("< Button 4 >"));
        setDefaultCloseOperation(EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        pack();
    } // HelloWorld
    public static void main(String [] args)
        LayoutTest theLayoutTest = new LayoutTest();
        theLayoutTest.show();
    } // main
} // class HelloWorldI know this obviously doesn't work but I hoped it would show what I was trying to do.
I also tried creating a new 'contents2' and then adding it into 'contents'
e.g. contents.add(contents2); My current code for the window I'm trying to create so far is:
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class Menus extends JFrame
    public static void Menus()
        // Creates a new JFrame, with the title specified in quotation marks.
        JFrame frame = new JFrame("Film Database");
        // Sets the default close operation of the frame.
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        // Creates a new menu bar for the frame.
        JMenuBar menuBar = new JMenuBar();
        // Creates a new menu for the menu bar.
        JMenu menu = new JMenu("File");
        addFrameContents(frame, menuBar, menu);
        // Sets the new menu bar on the frame
        frame.setJMenuBar(menuBar);
        frame.pack();
        frame.setVisible(true);
    } // HelloWorld
    public static void addFrameContents(JFrame frame, JMenuBar menuBar, JMenu menu)
        // Adds the menu to the menu bar.
        menuBar.add(menu);
        // Creates a new item for the menu with a small icon.
        JMenuItem menuLoad = new JMenuItem("Load", new ImageIcon("C:/load.gif"));
        // Adds the new item to the menu.
        menu.add(menuLoad);
        JMenuItem menuSave = new JMenuItem("Save", new ImageIcon("C:/save.gif"));
        menu.add(menuSave);
        JMenuItem menuQuit = new JMenuItem("Quit", new ImageIcon("C:/quit.gif"));
        menu.add(menuQuit);
        // Creates a new container.
        Container contents = frame.getContentPane();
        // Sets a new layout for contents, in this case FlowLayout.
        contents.setLayout(new GridLayout(2, 0));
        // Adds new JLabels to the container.
        contents.add(new JLabel("< JLabel 1 >"));
        contents.add(new JLabel("< JLabel 2 >"));
        contents.add(new JLabel("< JLabel 3 >"));
        contents.add(new JLabel("< JLabel 4 >"));
        JLabel thisLabel = new JLabel("Hello");
        thisLabel.setLayout(new FlowLayout());
        JLabel thisLabel2 = new JLabel("Hello2");
        thisLabel2.setLayout(new FlowLayout());
        contents.add(thisLabel);
        contents.add(thisLabel2);
    public static void main(String [] args)
        Menus();
    } // main
} // class HelloWorldAny help on how I can use two separate layouts in the same frame would be great!
Regards,
Tom

Answer 1

doing this:
Container contents = getContentPane();
Container contents2 = getContentPane();
does not create 2 different containers. It's just creating 2 variables that refer to the same container. There is only 1 content pane in a window/frame. A container can only have 1 layout.
If you want to have 2 layouts, you create 2 panels with separate layouts and put what you want in each panel, and put both panels in the content page.