How to ouput into JTextArea

Question

Hi, I'm creating a Boggle game in Java and I'm in need of help importing what outputs on the 'status' into the JTextArea called 'textL' which is the left text area of the program. If you run the program, it should show a main panel with two text area on each side. I just need words to be sent to the left text area when the 'Submit' or 'Reset' button is clicked. I'm just trying to test out the JText to make sure it works. I've tried coding it myself in the AcitionPerform method, but had no luck. What I have tested was calling my 'text'(JText variable) and having it setText("asdf") when 'button' is clicked, there's not output into the text area.
All help is greatly appreciated.
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.GridLayout;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.BorderFactory;
import javax.swing.Box;
import javax.swing.BoxLayout;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
import javax.swing.JTextArea;
// Your Class
public class Boggle extends JPanel implements ActionListener {
     public final static int NUM_ROWS_COLUMNS = 5;
     private JButton reset;
     private JButton submit;//submit
     //     private JButton clrwrd;
     private JButton arrayofButtons[][] = new JButton[NUM_ROWS_COLUMNS][NUM_ROWS_COLUMNS];
     private JLabel status;
     private JLabel messStatus;
     private JTextArea textL;
     private JTextArea textR;
     private JButton prevButton;
     private int prevRow, prevCol;
     private Lexicon lex = new Lexicon("ENABL.txt");
     // Your Constructor
     public Boggle() {
          BoxLayout ourLayout = new BoxLayout(this, BoxLayout.X_AXIS);
          setLayout(ourLayout);
          JScrollPane scrollLeft = new JScrollPane(buildTextAreaLeft());          
          scrollLeft.setVerticalScrollBar(scrollLeft.createVerticalScrollBar());
          scrollLeft.setVerticalScrollBarPolicy(JScrollPane.VERTICAL_SCROLLBAR_ALWAYS);
          JPanel MainAreaPanel = new JPanel();
          MainAreaPanel.setLayout(new BoxLayout(MainAreaPanel, BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));
          //                    MainAreaPanel.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(1000, 1000));
          add(scrollLeft);
          add(MainAreaPanel);
          JScrollPane scrollRight = new JScrollPane(buildTextAreaRight());
          scrollRight.setVerticalScrollBar(scrollRight.createVerticalScrollBar());
          scrollRight.setVerticalScrollBarPolicy(JScrollPane.VERTICAL_SCROLLBAR_ALWAYS);          
          add(scrollRight);          
          MainAreaPanel.add(buildMainPanel());
          MainAreaPanel.add(buildControlPanel());
          MainAreaPanel.add(buildMessagePanel());
     //Right JTextArea
     private JTextArea buildTextAreaRight(){     
          JTextArea textR = new JTextArea();
          textR = new JTextArea();
          textR.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(300,200));
          textR.setBorder(BorderFactory.createLineBorder(Color.black));
          textR.setLineWrap(true);
          textR.setEditable(true);
          return textR;
     //Left JTextArea
     private JTextArea buildTextAreaLeft(){     
          JTextArea textL = new JTextArea();
          textL= new JTextArea();
          textL.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(300,200));
          textL.setBorder(BorderFactory.createLineBorder(Color.black));
          textL.setLineWrap(true);
          textL.setEditable(true);
          return textL;
     // Your MainPanel
     private JPanel buildMainPanel() {
          JPanel panel = new JPanel();
          GridLayout gridLayout = new GridLayout(0, NUM_ROWS_COLUMNS);
          panel.setLayout(gridLayout);
          for (int row = 0; row < arrayofButtons.length; ++row)
               for (int column = 0; column < arrayofButtons[0].length; ++column) {
                    char letters = (char)(Math.random()*26+65);
                    //                    System.out.println(letters + 0);
                    arrayofButtons[row][column] = new JButton();
                    arrayofButtons[row][column].setBackground(Color.white);
                    arrayofButtons[row][column].setText(letters+"");// Set your letters
                    // in boxes.
                    arrayofButtons[row][column].setPreferredSize(new Dimension(100, 100));
                    arrayofButtons[row][column].addActionListener(this);
                    // Use actionCommand to store x,y location of button
                    arrayofButtons[row][column].setActionCommand(Integer.toString(row)+ " " + Integer.toString(column));
                    panel.add(arrayofButtons[row][column]);
          //          JTextArea textA = new JTextArea();
          //          panel.add(textA);
          //          BoxLayout ourLayout = new BoxLayout(textA, BoxLayout.X_AXIS);
          //          textA.setLayout(ourLayout);
          //          textA.setPreferredSize(new Dimension (100, 50));
          return panel;
      * Called when user clicks buttons with ActionListeners.
     public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
          JButton button = (JButton) e.getSource();
          if (button == reset){
               status.setText("");
               for (int row = 0; row < arrayofButtons.length; ++row)
                    for (int column = 0; column < arrayofButtons[0].length; ++column){
                         char letters = (char)(Math.random()*26+65);
                         arrayofButtons[row][column].setText(letters+"");
                         arrayofButtons[row][column].setBackground(Color.white);
                         prevButton = null;
                         messStatus.setText("");
          else if (button == submit){
               boolean b = lex.contains(status.getText());
               //               System.out.println(lex); // checking what came in.
               if (b==true){
                    messStatus.setText("'" + status.getText() + "'" + " found. ");
                    status.setText("");
                    textL.setText(status.getText());
                    for (int row = 0; row < arrayofButtons.length; ++row)
                         for (int column = 0; column < arrayofButtons[0].length; ++column){                                   
                              arrayofButtons[row][column].setBackground(Color.white);
                              prevButton = null;
               if (b!=true){
                    messStatus.setText("'" + status.getText() + "'" + " not found. ");
                    status.setText("");
                    for (int row = 0; row < arrayofButtons.length; ++row)
                         for (int column = 0; column < arrayofButtons[0].length; ++column){                                   
                              arrayofButtons[row][column].setBackground(Color.white);
                              prevButton = null;
          else {
               String rowColumn[] = button.getActionCommand().split(" ");
               int row = Integer.parseInt(rowColumn[0]);
               int column = Integer.parseInt(rowColumn[1]);
               if(prevButton == null){
                    prevButton = button;
                    prevRow = row;
                    prevCol = column;
                    arrayofButtons[row][column].setBackground(Color.orange);
                    status.setText(status.getText()+ arrayofButtons[row][column].getText());
               else{
                    int dist = (int)Math.pow((prevRow - row)*(prevRow - row) + (prevCol - column)*(prevCol - column),0.5);
                    if(dist == 1 && button.getBackground() == Color.white ){
                         prevButton.setBackground(Color.green);
                         arrayofButtons[row][column].setBackground(Color.orange);
                         status.setText(status.getText()+ arrayofButtons[row][column].getText());
                         prevButton = button;
                         prevRow = row;
                         prevCol = column;
                * when submit button is clicked, grab status and place in messStatus
     // Your Control Panel
     private JPanel buildControlPanel() {
          JPanel panel = new JPanel();
          BoxLayout ourLayout = new BoxLayout(panel, BoxLayout.X_AXIS);
          panel.setLayout(ourLayout);
          //Your reset button
          reset = new JButton("Reset");
          reset.addActionListener(this);
          panel.add(reset);
          //distance of status from Reset button
          JPanel space = new JPanel();
          space.setPreferredSize(new Dimension (10,10));
          panel.add(space);
          //Your status label
          status = new JLabel();
          panel.add(status);
          //the distance from Reset button to Submit button
          JPanel blank = new JPanel();
          blank.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(400, 30));
          panel.add(blank);
          //your Submit button
          submit= new JButton("SUMBIT");
          submit.addActionListener(this);
          panel.add(submit);
          //button panel
          panel.add(Box.createHorizontalGlue());
          JLabel statusLabel = new JLabel();
          panel.add(statusLabel);
          panel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createLineBorder(Color.black));
          return panel;
     private JPanel buildMessagePanel(){
          JPanel messPanel = new JPanel();
          BoxLayout ourLayout = new BoxLayout(messPanel, BoxLayout.X_AXIS);
          messPanel.setLayout(ourLayout);
          messPanel.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(100,50));
          messStatus = new JLabel();
          messPanel.add(messStatus);
          return messPanel;
     // create and show GUI
     private static void createAndShowGUI() {
          // Create and set up the window.
          JFrame frame = new JFrame("BoggleUI");
          frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
          // Add contents to the window.
          frame.add(new Boggle());
          // Display the window.
          frame.pack();
          frame.setVisible(true);
     public static void main(String[] args) {
          // Schedule a job for the event-dispatching thread:
          // creating and showing this application's GUI.
          javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
               public void run() {
                    createAndShowGUI();
}Edited by: user13813121 on Mar 22, 2011 8:39 AM

Answer 1

I found this code, which is not so different from mine, but a lot simpler easier to understand. I just don't know how this code works even without implementing the Policies for JScroll.
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class scrollDemo extends JFrame {
    //============================================== instance variables
   JTextArea _resultArea = new JTextArea(6, 20);
    //====================================================== constructor
    public scrollDemo() {
        //... Set textarea's initial text, scrolling, and border.
        _resultArea.setText("Enter more text to see scrollbars");
        _resultArea.setLineWrap(true);
        JScrollPane scrollingArea = new JScrollPane(_resultArea);
        //... Get the content pane, set layout, add to center
        JPanel content = new JPanel();
        content.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
        content.add(scrollingArea, BorderLayout.CENTER);
        //... Set window characteristics.
        this.setContentPane(content);
        this.setTitle("TextAreaDemo B");
        this.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        this.pack();
    //============================================================= main
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        JFrame win = new scrollDemo();
        win.setVisible(true);
}