How do you handle this issue ? HELP !!!

Question

Hi
I am doing a simple GUI programming with netbeans 5 and have a big question to issue to myself at the moment. So I wish someone could give me a fine way to solve this.
The project would have around 10 different screens that contain various components like JPanel, JLabel, JTextField etc depending on the data to handle. But some of those components appear in almost every screens.
Now I don't want to put those common components into every screens but I want to make just a single JPanel screen which contains those things and use the JPanel screen at every other screens. This is the way I tried to and failed and want to know the solution.
My question is how does my approch could run well, or Is there any other simple way to do like this ? or more generous way ? Any good study resouces would be appreciated.
Thanks
Steve
here is the code:
/// This one is that I want to share with other screens
public class ModeControl extends javax.swing.JPanel {
public int MC_ADD = 1;
public int MC_MODIFY = 2;
public int MC_DELETE = 3;
private int mode;
/** Creates new form ModeControl */
public ModeControl() {
initComponents();
public void setMode(int m) {
if (m == MC_DELETE) {
chkDelete.setSelected(true);
} else if (m == MC_MODIFY) {
chkModify.setSelected(true);
} else {
chkAdd.setSelected(true);
public int getMode() {
if (chkAdd.isSelected()) return MC_ADD;
else if (chkModify.isSelected()) return MC_MODIFY;
else if (chkDelete.isSelected()) return MC_DELETE;
else return 0;
/** This method is called from within the constructor to
* initialize the form.
* WARNING: Do NOT modify this code. The content of this method is
* always regenerated by the Form Editor.
// <editor-fold defaultstate="collapsed" desc=" Generated Code ">
private void initComponents() {
chkMode = new javax.swing.ButtonGroup();
chkAdd = new javax.swing.JRadioButton();
chkModify = new javax.swing.JRadioButton();
chkDelete = new javax.swing.JRadioButton();
setBackground(new java.awt.Color(204, 204, 255));
setFont(new java.awt.Font("Verdana", 0, 12));
chkMode.add(chkAdd);
chkAdd.setFont(new java.awt.Font("Verdana", 0, 12));
chkAdd.setText("Add New");
chkAdd.setBorder(javax.swing.BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(0, 0, 0, 0));
chkAdd.setMargin(new java.awt.Insets(0, 0, 0, 0));
chkMode.add(chkModify);
chkModify.setText("Modify");
chkModify.setBorder(javax.swing.BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(0, 0, 0, 0));
chkModify.setMargin(new java.awt.Insets(0, 0, 0, 0));
chkMode.add(chkDelete);
chkDelete.setText("Delete");
chkDelete.setBorder(javax.swing.BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(0, 0, 0, 0));
chkDelete.setMargin(new java.awt.Insets(0, 0, 0, 0));
org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout layout = new org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout(this);
this.setLayout(layout);
layout.setHorizontalGroup(
layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(layout.createSequentialGroup()
.add(chkAdd)
.add(28, 28, 28)
.add(chkModify)
.add(31, 31, 31)
.add(chkDelete))
layout.setVerticalGroup(
layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.BASELINE)
.add(chkAdd)
.add(chkModify)
.add(chkDelete))
}// </editor-fold>
// Variables declaration - do not modify
private javax.swing.JRadioButton chkAdd;
private javax.swing.JRadioButton chkDelete;
private javax.swing.ButtonGroup chkMode;
private javax.swing.JRadioButton chkModify;
// End of variables declaration
/// This one is the test screen.
/// As I click the button, the JPanel should show the common things up here.
public class test extends javax.swing.JFrame {
ModeControl mc = new ModeControl();
/** Creates new form test */
public test() {
initComponents();
// <editor-fold defaultstate="collapsed" desc=" Generated Code ">
private void initComponents() {
jPanel1 = new javax.swing.JPanel();
jButton1 = new javax.swing.JButton();
setDefaultCloseOperation(javax.swing.WindowConstants.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
jPanel1.setBorder(javax.swing.BorderFactory.createEtchedBorder());
org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout jPanel1Layout = new org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout(jPanel1);
jPanel1.setLayout(jPanel1Layout);
jPanel1Layout.setHorizontalGroup(
jPanel1Layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(0, 322, Short.MAX_VALUE)
jPanel1Layout.setVerticalGroup(
jPanel1Layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(0, 58, Short.MAX_VALUE)
jButton1.setText("jButton1");
jButton1.addActionListener(new java.awt.event.ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {
jButton1ActionPerformed(evt);
org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout layout = new org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout(getContentPane());
getContentPane().setLayout(layout);
layout.setHorizontalGroup(
layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(layout.createSequentialGroup()
.add(layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(layout.createSequentialGroup()
.add(41, 41, 41)
.add(jPanel1, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE))
.add(layout.createSequentialGroup()
.add(160, 160, 160)
.add(jButton1)))
.addContainerGap(33, Short.MAX_VALUE))
layout.setVerticalGroup(
layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(layout.createSequentialGroup()
.add(24, 24, 24)
.add(jPanel1, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE)
.add(24, 24, 24)
.add(jButton1)
.addContainerGap(165, Short.MAX_VALUE))
pack();
}// </editor-fold>
private void jButton1ActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {
jPanel1.add(mc);
* @param args the command line arguments
public static void main(String args[]) {
java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
// I have no ideas how does this part should be
new test().setVisible(true);
// Variables declaration - do not modify
private javax.swing.JButton jButton1;
private javax.swing.JPanel jPanel1;
// End of variables declaration
}

Answer 1

I don't speak the netbeans language so I didn't look at the code, but from your
description, this might work
a frame (or panel set as borderLayout)
panel1 to hold all your 'permanent' components - this is added to borderLayout.NORTH (or SOUTH)
panel2 set as a cardLayout - this contains all your different 'view' panels, this
is added to borderLayout.CENTER
in panel1 you would need a way to navigate through panel2, next/previous buttons,
or perhaps a menu with the view panel names