Please help: how do you pass events between two panels?

Question

hi
this is probably very simple but so far no one of you could help me. i checked the tutorials but there's nothing. i've got a panel in a panel. when a child-panel-button is clicked i want to notify the parent which then exchanges the child panel with another.
another question
if i use paint() in a swing program, most components don't get displayed. why? paint() would be a useful loop to make user events visible.
thanks

Answer 1

code:
class PnlParent extends JPanel implements ActionListener
add( pnlChild1Obj ) ;
add( pnlChild2Obj ) ;
public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent e )
//if button of pnlChild clicked then exchange pnlChild
// the invisible button method in PnlParent does not work
// i get a NullPointExeption, maybe i cannot reference an outer panel button
// from an inner panel
remove( pnlChild2Obj ) ;
add( pnlChild3Obj ) ;
class PnlChild1 extends JPanel implemts ActionListener
add( btn1 ) ;
add( brn2 ) ;
public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent e )
class PnlChild2 extends JPanel
add( text )
class PnlChild3 extends JPanel implemts ActionListener
add( btn3 ) ;
add( brn4 ) ;
public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent e )
}