Unable to set JPanel size in BorderLayout.CENTER

Question

I have a class that defines a GUI for a paint-type program. This class extends JPanel. Within the class, I add a JMenu, a vertical JToolbar to the WEST, a JPanel to the SOUTH and lastly, I add the JPanel that the user draws on in the CENTER.
From my understanding of the BorderLayout, the CENTER object will take up the remaining available space. The program is run from an applet (which has a setPreferredSize() but it does not seem to affect anything - I think b/c the size specified for the applet in the HTML override it). Anyway, when I set the size of the applet in the HTML, the JPanel in the SOUTH gets cut off. In order to fit it, I have to make the size of the applet bigger - but that makes my CENTER JPanel too big. I need the CENTER JPanel to be a certain size b/c I'm saving the image - which needs to be a certain size.
I do not understand why the JPanel SOUTH is getting cut off. The JToolBar on the WEST is not that big that it should be governing the size, rather it seems like that JPanel in the CENTER is. I've tried setPreferredSize() and setSize() for that CENTER JPanel, but neither of them seem to help.
I'll appreciate any thoughts/suggestions - I can elaborate or send code if needed. Thank you all in advance.

Answer 1

Try using setMinimumSize() and setPreferredSize() for all the other components in the frame other than the CENTER Jpanel. For example, if you want you applet to be 300 pixel high by 500 pixels wide, and you want the centre panel to be 200 x 400 pixels, set the other components as follows:
Dimension westPanelSize = new Dimension(100, 300)); // width x height
westPanel.setMinimumSize(westPanelSize);
westPanel.setPreferredSize(westPanelSize);
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Dimension southPanelSize = new Dimension(500, 100)); // width x height
southPanel.setMinimumSize(southPanelSize);
southPanel.setPreferredSize(southPanelSize);Good Luck!
- David