JTRee's not updating when your not using DefaultTreeNode

Question

See topic @ http://forums.sun.com/thread.jspa?threadID=153854&start=0&tstart=0
I have very similar issue, I have a JTree (with CheckBoxes for it's leaves and branches), and I am using a custom TreeModel rather than DefaultTreeModel.
I can add nodes to my TreeModel correctly, but the tree has doesn't always display new nodes.
Any nodes added to a node/branch show correctly if, and only if I have not expanded the branch yet. Once I expand a branch new nodes never appear. They are being added to the model correctly, because I can select them(by selcting the parent) and print all selected nodes.
In the the thread listed above it looks like all I sould have to do is implement hashCode() and equals()..
But when looking @ http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/api/javax/swing/tree/DefaultTreeModel.html
I cann't find anything about equals() or hashCode()
Can anyone provide some insight on what they do, or if I'm barking up the wrong tree.
PS sorry for zombifying the previous thread, most MB I've been on preffered zombies to 30 threads regarding the same issue.

Answer 1

so here's a severely condensed version of my code.
class CheckTreeModelSupport implements TreeModelListener {
   List alistListeners = new ArrayList<TreeModelListener>;
   //Above just struck me as odd... but I believe that's how Sun said to do it.
   public void addTreeModelListener(TreeModelListener listener) {
       if ((listener != null)  && !alistListeners.contains(listener))
          alistListeners.add(listener);
   // Also defined removeTreeModelListener(TreeModelListener), fireTreeNodesChanged(TreeModelEvent),
   // fireTreeNodesInserted(TreeModelEvent), fireTreeNodesRemoved(TreeModelEvent), fireTreeStructureChanged(TreeModelEvent)
   // and the fireTreeNodesInserted(Object, Object[], int[] Object[]) as you reccomended above.
class CheckBoxNode extends TreeModelSupport implements TreeModel {
         private String strText;                                         // text for node
         private boolean bState;                                       // stores wether the CheckBox is Checked or not
         private int iBranchCount;                                     // strores number of children
         private int iIndex;                                               //  stores index among siblings
         static CheckBoxNode cbnodeLastSelected;         // for keeping track of where to insert new nodes
   .     private List<CheckBoxNode> alistChildren;          // ArrayList of childNodes
// skipping, a laundrylist of stuff that doesn't apply    
         public CheckBoxNode addChild(String strName) {
             CheckBoxNode cbnodeNew= new CheckBoxNode(strName, this, iBranchCount);
//Constructor sets node text to strName, uses this to identify it's parent, for various initializing, and iBranchCount to set the iIndex
             TreeModelEvent eventNodeAdded = null;
             if (alistChildren == null)
                alistChildren = new ArrayListCheckBoxNode();
             alistChildren.add(cbnodeNew);
             iBranch++;
             eventNodeAdded = new TreeModelEvent(this,getPathToRoot(this), new int[]{cbnodeNew.getIndex()}, new CheckBoxNode[]{cbnodeNew});
             return cbnodeNew; } Let me know if any other code is of use, and if so what you need to see
Edited by: porpoisepower on Feb 1, 2010 10:19 PM