How is it possible to show contents of JComboBox that aren't in list

Question

I have an application that I have developed over time that requires that I be able to select any item in a JComboBox list and send an actionEvent. In order to do this I set the value of the JComboBox selectedIndex to -1 indicating no selection. This enables me to select the first item in the list and send an actionEvent. The only problem is that the window where the items for the box appears is initially blank. (I don't know if window is the correct term). I would like the ability to place a message in this window such as "Please Select FooBar". Anyone know how to do this?

Answer 1

Maybe something like this:
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.plaf.basic.*;
public class ComboBoxPrompt extends JFrame implements ActionListener
     JComboBox comboBox;
     public ComboBoxPrompt()
          String[] items = { "Bryan", "Nick", "Tom" };
          comboBox = new JComboBox( items );
          comboBox.setSelectedIndex(-1);
          comboBox.setRenderer( new PromptRenderer("Select Person") );
          getContentPane().add( comboBox, BorderLayout.NORTH );
          JButton button = new JButton("Clear Selection");
          getContentPane().add( button, BorderLayout.SOUTH );
          button.addActionListener(this);
     public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
          comboBox.setSelectedIndex(-1);
     public static void main(String[] args)
          JFrame frame = new ComboBoxPrompt();
          frame.setDefaultCloseOperation( EXIT_ON_CLOSE );
          frame.pack();
          frame.setLocationRelativeTo( null );
          frame.setVisible( true );
     class PromptRenderer extends BasicComboBoxRenderer
          private String prompt;
          public PromptRenderer(String prompt)
               this.prompt = prompt;
          public Component getListCellRendererComponent(
               JList list, Object value, int index, boolean isSelected, boolean cellHasFocus)
               super.getListCellRendererComponent(list,
                    value, index, isSelected, cellHasFocus);
               if (value == null)
                    setText( prompt );
               return this;
}