TableCombos[finalj].getSelectedIndex() always returns initial value

Question

Hello.
I have a JPanel class with an array of JComboboxes. The combos are filled in from an SQL database at the JPanel launch, and the indexes are selected also based on a database. However, when I change the combo selection, the action fires, but getSelectedIndex() on the combo just changed returns the original selection number.
I tried using the code below to try and catch the loss of the selection:
this.tableCombos[finalj].addActionListener(new java.awt.event.ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed (ActionEvent e){
System.out.println(table.getColumnAt(finalj)+" (combo["+finalj+"]) changed: " + tableCombos[finalj].getSelectedIndex() + " selected");
The selection item visually changes, while the selectIndex returns as the original selection, not the new one. what could be causing this?
TIA,
- aenik

Answer 1

You should use an ItemListener (see attached sample working code) instead of overriding the actionPerformed() method. The following is an excerpt from the JComboBox class's actionPerformed() method:
This method is public as an implementation side effect. do not call or override.
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class ComboTest {
public static void main(String args[]) {
  new ComboTestFrame();
class ComboTestFrame extends JFrame {
JComboBox jcb = new JComboBox(new Object[] {"Red","Green","Blue","Yellow"});
ComboTestFrame() {
  super();
  /* Components should be added to the container's content pane */
  Container cp = getContentPane();
  cp.add(BorderLayout.NORTH,jcb);
  jcb.addItemListener(new ItemListener() {
   public void itemStateChanged(ItemEvent evt) {
    Object obj = evt.getSource();
    if (evt.getStateChange() == ItemEvent.SELECTED)
     System.out.println("Selected index: " + ((JComboBox) obj).getSelectedIndex());
  /* Add the window listener */
  addWindowListener(new WindowAdapter() {
   public void windowClosing(WindowEvent evt) {
    dispose(); System.exit(0);}});
  /* Size the frame */
  setSize(200,200);
  /* Center the frame */
  Dimension screenDim = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getScreenSize();
  Rectangle frameDim = getBounds();
  setLocation((screenDim.width - frameDim.width) / 2,(screenDim.height - frameDim.height) / 2);
  /* Show the frame */
  setVisible(true);