JTextField in a JPanel

Question

It's been a couple years since I worked with GridBagLayout. I'm trying to add a JTextField
to a JPanel but it does not seem to be working - it ignores the GridBagConstraints fill and anchor, changes
to the JTextField are only visible when resizing the window, and if the text is longer than the
component it disappears altogether. All I'm trying to do is add some padding around the
component.
I'm using 1.6.0u12. Is this related to [this bug|http://bugs.sun.com/view_bug.do?bug_id=4238932]?
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class Example{
public static void main(String[] args){
     new Example().start();
public void start(){
     JTextField tf = new JTextField();
     GridBagLayout gbl = new GridBagLayout();
     GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
     gbc.insets = new Insets(7, 7, 7, 7);
     gbc.gridx = 0;
     gbc.gridy = 0;
     gbc.gridwidth = 1;
     gbc.gridheight = 1;
     gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.BOTH;
     gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.EAST;
     JPanel box = new JPanel();
     box.setBackground(Color.YELLOW);
     box.setLayout(gbl);
     box.add(tf, gbc);
     JFrame frame = new JFrame();
     frame.setContentPane(box);
     frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
     frame.setSize(800, 600);
     frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
     frame.setVisible(true);
}

Answer 1

Apparently x, y, width, height are optional, but the weight is necessary.From the doco
If all the weights are zero, all the extra space appears between the grids of the cell and the left and right edges.
There's a gothcha when using weights in a multi column/row GBLayout that's clearly documented but often overlooked: the extra space is distributed in the proportion of the weights. Not the total space. And how the GBLayout treats the weight when gridwidth/height > 1 is anybody's guess, since all that's said is
The grid bag layout manager calculates the weight of a column to be the maximum weightx of all the components in a column.
How are you?Same old, same old. Counting down to my retirement next year, [b3]if the posers that be don't raise the retirement age yet again ;-)
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Darryl