Java design conundrum

Question

I have a design conundrum that I have been wrestling with for a while and have not been able to come up with a viable solution. So I decided to post it here in hopes someone can recommend a solution. Here it goes;
I have an applet with many packages that make it up. I have a status window that is always displayed as part of the applet. I use this window for Objects to write their status to. Currently I am using a static method to write to this window. This works great in that any object in any package that wants to write to the window merely has to invoke the static method to write it's status. The problem arises if I then spawn another applet. The new applet's status window displays the text that was in the previous applets status window. I looked at event/listener, observer/observable et al. The problem is that a object in another package does not have access to the window to add itself as a listener. If I try and arrange it so the object that contains the status window gets passed around the code will get very ugly and very tightly coupled, something I want to avoid. I am trying to do this without using static's or singletons. Any ideas?

Answer 1

This works great in that any object in any packagethat wants to write to
the window merely has to invoke the static methodto
write it's status. Any object in any package that wants to write to
object ABC merely has to invoke the method to write
its status. Sure, it has to obtain a reference to
this object first, but a well-designed program can do
this without compromising anything. What's your
point?
I am trying to come up with a way to rewrite the classes so that static's are not used. However the behavior is such that I need away to write to a single point from any class that wants to. Example the applets window has a split pane with the bottom half displaying status(text) from other classes. During the prototype I just used a static to write the text. I want to eliminate the static's so multiple invocations of the applet are separate, even though they are running in the same JVM. I have not had much luck comeing up with a design and/or way to implement it. That's why I hoping someone here can point me in the right direction or slap me upside the head so I see the really simple solution.
The problem arises if I then spawn
another applet. The new applet's status window
displays the text that was in the previous applets
status window. Definition of static variables. Use instance
variables, which belong to an object rather than a
class.
Yep, I trying to come up with that.
>
I looked at event/listener, observer/observable etal. The problem is that a
object in another package does not have access tothe window to add
itself as a listener. If I try and arrange it sothe object that contains the
status window gets passed around the code will getvery ugly and very
tightly coupled, something I want to avoid. I amtrying to do this without
using static's or singletons. Any ideas?Your code is already tightly coupled. Static calls
are the worst possible dependency for the client
class -- there is no way to abstract it. So if you
are going to make a client class coupled with a
static class, that static class should be pretty
reusable and project non-specific.
Yes, I am trying to un-couple it. I agree static's are bad but they are soooo easy. At least initially then of course, yuck.
Instead of using the status window class staticly,
the objects in your model layer should be passed an
abstraction of the status window view -- be it an
interface (preferred), abstract class, high-level
concrete class, etc. In order to do this you will
have to make objects out of your status window rather
than utilizing it staticly, since you cannot abstract
static-based classes.That is what I hope to be able to come up with but so far no luck.