JTextField and JButtons not appearing until clicked.

Question

I'm writing a program to refresh my CS1 java skills. For some reason when I try to add a JTextField and two JButtons to my container they don't appear until Ive clicked them.
Actually more specifically, this only happens after a 100ms wait after setting the frame visible. Any less and the components wind up visible, but scrunched up in the top middle of my frame.
Ive found that if I add the components before and after the wait they are visible and in the correct place, but this makes a noticeable flicker.
I'm running windows vista if that matters.
If someone could help me I would appreciate it.
snippet of code:
public scrollText()
     drawingThread.start();
     mainFrame.setSize(640,160);
     mainFrame.setContentPane(draw);
     mainPane = mainFrame.getContentPane();
     mainPane.setBackground(Color.white);
     mainFrame.setResizable(false);
     mainFrame.setVisible(true);
     try
          Thread.sleep(100);
          addInterface();
     catch(InterruptedException e){}
public void addInterface()
     textInput.setBounds(1,103,501,31);
     play.setBounds(502,103,65,30);
     play.addActionListener(this);
     stop.setBounds(568,103,65,30);
     stop.addActionListener(this);
     mainPane.add(textInput);
     mainPane.add(play);
     mainPane.add(stop);
}

Answer 1

Postings can't be moved between forums. Now you know for the next time.
The general form for building a GUI is
frame.getContentPane().add( yourComponentsHere );
frame.pack();
frame.setVisible( true );Then all the compnoent will show up according to the rules of the layout managers used.
However is you add components to the GUI "after" the GUI is visible then the components are not automatically painted. You need to tell the GUI to invoke the layout manager again so your code would be:
frame.getContentPane().add( componentsToVisibleGUI );
frame.getContentPane().validate();