Various questions (GridBagLayout, Showing Panel, Paste)

Question

Hi everybody,
I'm quite new to GUI and swing programming and I'm having some problems. I'm trying to use a GridBagLoyaout, to add Components I use the following method:
protected void add(Component c, int posx, int posy, int lenx, int leny, int weightx, int weighty){
     GridBagConstraints constraints = new GridBagConstraints();
     constraints.gridx = posx;
     constraints.gridy = posy;
     constraints.gridwidth = lenx;
     constraints.gridheight = leny;
     constraints.weightx = weightx;
     constraints.weighty = weighty;
     constraints.fill = GridBagConstraints.NONE;
     constraints.anchor = GridBagConstraints.WEST;
     add(c, constraints);
}this method is in an abstract class which extends JPanel and which is extended by all of my panels.
About that I have to say that there is a panel which contains other panel, in this way:
     JTextField name = new JTextField(40);
     JTextField surname = new JTextField(40);
     JTextArea notes = new JTextArea(4, 50);
     JPanel address = new AddressPane();
     JPanel[] phones = {new PhonePane(), new PhonePane(), new PhonePane(), new PhonePane()};
     JButton add = new JButton("Aggiungi");
     JButton cancel = new JButton("Annulla");
     JButton delete = new JButton("Cancella");
     JButton search = new JButton("Cerca");
     JButton edit = new JButton("Modifica");
     JButton remove = new JButton("Elimina");I add the declared component to the "main panel" using tese methods, which call the previous described add method
private void addMandatoryButtons(){
     add(delete, 2, 4+phones.length, 1, 1, 0, 0);
     add(cancel, 3, 4+phones.length, 1, 1, 0, 0);
private void addPanes(){
     add(address, 0, 2, 4, 1, 0, 0);
     address.setBorder(BorderFactory.createTitledBorder(BorderFactory.createEtchedBorder(), "Indirizzo"));
     for(int i=0;i<phones.length;i++){
          add(phones, 0, 3+i, 4, 1, 0, 0);
          phones[i].setBorder(BorderFactory.createTitledBorder(BorderFactory.createEtchedBorder(), "Telefono " + String.valueOf(i+1)));
protected void addTextFields(){
     add(surname, 1, 0, 3, 1, 40, 0);
     add(name, 1, 1, 3, 1, 40, 0);
private void addTextAreasWithBorders(){
     JPanel notesPanel = new JPanel();
     notesPanel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createTitledBorder(BorderFactory.createEtchedBorder(), "Note"));
     notesPanel.add(notes);
     notes.setLineWrap(true);
     add(notesPanel, 0, 3+phones.length, 4, 1, 0, 0);
In the AddressPane and Phone Frame I add the components, in the same way, using these methods:
protected void addTextFields(){
     add(street, 1, 0, 3, 1, 30, 0);
     add(number, 5, 0, 1, 1, 5, 0);
     add(zip, 1, 1, 1, 1, 7, 0);
     add(town, 3, 1, 1, 1, 20, 0);
     add(country, 1, 2, 5, 1, 30, 0);
private void addCombo(){
     Province[] lista = AddressBookManager.current().getAllProvinces();
     province.setEditable(true);
     for(int i=0; i < lista.length; i++)
          province.addItem(lista.getCode());
     add(province, 5, 1, 1, 1, 2, 0);
protected void addTextFields(){
     add(prefix, 1, 0, 1, 1, 8, 0);
     add(number, 3, 0, 1, 1, 15, 0);
     add(note, 5, 0, 1, 1, 50, 0);
private void addCheckBox(){
     add(cellulare, 6, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0);
And the result being is really bad...
Apart the labels the other components are bad sized, if the window is not enlarged at the maximum the JTextFields are as short as they cannot be seen; being the window enlarged the pane is not shown as rectangle, but it's a kind of polygon made of different rectangles one on another.
What is my fault? What do I miss?
Then I have another question: I have a kind of desktop and in order to open a "window" I call this method
public void openWindow(JPanel panel){
     this.panel = panel;
     getContentPane().add(panel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
     repaint();
}But why I don't see the newly added panel until I resize the desktop window??
Last but not least question, I'm trying to implement a paste emthod, but how do I know where I have to paste having more than one JTextComponent? How do I get to know where is the caret?
I tried with the methods isFocusOwner(), getCaret()!=null and getCaretPosition()>=0.
I hope to get answerd to all of my questions soon, thanks a lot in advance.
Best regards.
Giorgio

Answer 1

Help me...
Hi everybody,
I'm quite new to GUI and swing programming and I'm
having some problems. I'm trying to use a
GridBagLoyaout, to add Components I use the following
method:
protected void add(Component c, int posx, int posy,
int lenx, int leny, int weightx, int weighty){
GridBagConstraints constraints = new
GridBagConstraints();
     constraints.gridx = posx;
     constraints.gridy = posy;
     constraints.gridwidth = lenx;
     constraints.gridheight = leny;
     constraints.weightx = weightx;
     constraints.weighty = weighty;
     constraints.fill = GridBagConstraints.NONE;
     constraints.anchor = GridBagConstraints.WEST;
     add(c, constraints);
}this method is in an abstract class which extends
JPanel and which is extended by all of my panels.
About that I have to say that there is a panel which
contains other panel, in this way:
     JTextField name = new JTextField(40);
     JTextField surname = new JTextField(40);
     JTextArea notes = new JTextArea(4, 50);
     JPanel address = new AddressPane();
JPanel[] phones = {new PhonePane(), new PhonePane(),
new PhonePane(), new PhonePane()};
     JButton add = new JButton("Aggiungi");
     JButton cancel = new JButton("Annulla");
     JButton delete = new JButton("Cancella");
     JButton search = new JButton("Cerca");
     JButton edit = new JButton("Modifica");
     JButton remove = new JButton("Elimina");I add the declared component to the "main panel" using
tese methods, which call the previous described add
method
private void addMandatoryButtons(){
     add(delete, 2, 4+phones.length, 1, 1, 0, 0);
     add(cancel, 3, 4+phones.length, 1, 1, 0, 0);
private void addPanes(){
     add(address, 0, 2, 4, 1, 0, 0);
     address.setBorder(BorderFactory.createTitledBorder(Bor
erFactory.createEtchedBorder(), "Indirizzo"));
     for(int i=0;i<phones.length;i++){
          add(phones, 0, 3+i, 4, 1, 0, 0);
          phones[i].setBorder(BorderFactory.createTitledBorder(
orderFactory.createEtchedBorder(), "Telefono " +
String.valueOf(i+1)));
protected void addTextFields(){
     add(surname, 1, 0, 3, 1, 40, 0);
     add(name, 1, 1, 3, 1, 40, 0);
private void addTextAreasWithBorders(){
     JPanel notesPanel = new JPanel();
     notesPanel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createTitledBorder(
orderFactory.createEtchedBorder(), "Note"));
     notesPanel.add(notes);
     notes.setLineWrap(true);
     add(notesPanel, 0, 3+phones.length, 4, 1, 0, 0);
In the AddressPane and Phone Frame I add the
components, in the same way, using these methods:
protected void addTextFields(){
     add(street, 1, 0, 3, 1, 30, 0);
     add(number, 5, 0, 1, 1, 5, 0);
     add(zip, 1, 1, 1, 1, 7, 0);
     add(town, 3, 1, 1, 1, 20, 0);
     add(country, 1, 2, 5, 1, 30, 0);
private void addCombo(){
Province[] lista =
AddressBookManager.current().getAllProvinces();
     province.setEditable(true);
     for(int i=0; i < lista.length; i++)
          province.addItem(lista.getCode());
     add(province, 5, 1, 1, 1, 2, 0);
protected void addTextFields(){
     add(prefix, 1, 0, 1, 1, 8, 0);
     add(number, 3, 0, 1, 1, 15, 0);
     add(note, 5, 0, 1, 1, 50, 0);
private void addCheckBox(){
     add(cellulare, 6, 0, 1, 1, 0, 0);
And the result being is really bad...
Apart the labels the other components are bad sized,
if the window is not enlarged at the maximum the
JTextFields are as short as they cannot be seen; being
the window enlarged the pane is not shown as
rectangle, but it's a kind of polygon made of
different rectangles one on another.
What is my fault? What do I miss?
Then I have another question: I have a kind of desktop
and in order to open a "window" I call this method
public void openWindow(JPanel panel){
     this.panel = panel;
     getContentPane().add(panel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
     repaint();
}But why I don't see the newly added panel until I
resize the desktop window??
Last but not least question, I'm trying to implement a
paste emthod, but how do I know where I have to paste
having more than one JTextComponent? How do I get to
know where is the caret?
I tried with the methods isFocusOwner(),
getCaret()!=null and getCaretPosition()>=0.
I hope to get answerd to all of my questions soon,
thanks a lot in advance.
Best regards.
Giorgio