Scrolling through a textarea

[Martin vanPutten]

How do I make a scrollbar in my textarea?

  import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
 
/**
 * Class ViewPanel - Manages the panels in the frame.
 * 
 * @author  Martin vanPutten
 * @version 2007.04.05
 */
 
public class ViewPanel extends JPanel
{
private Game game = new Game();
 
public ViewPanel(Container pane)
{
pane.setLayout(null);

JLabel titleLabel = new JLabel("ZUUL");
titleLabel.setFont(new Font("Comic Sans", Font.BOLD, 70));
JLabel authorLabel = new JLabel("By: Martin vanPutten");
authorLabel.setFont(new Font("Comic Sans", Font.PLAIN, 24));
JLabel goLabel = new JLabel("...Go...");
goLabel.setFont(new Font("Comic Sans", Font.PLAIN, 18));

JButton northButton = new JButton("North");
JButton eastButton = new JButton("East");
JButton southButton = new JButton("South");
JButton westButton = new JButton("West");
JButton northeastButton = new JButton("Northeast");
JButton northwestButton = new JButton("Northwest");
JButton southeastButton = new JButton("Southeast");
JButton southwestButton = new JButton("Southwest");
JButton takeButton = new JButton("Take");
JButton dropButton = new JButton("Drop");
JButton giveButton = new JButton("Give");
JButton backButton = new JButton("Back");
JButton chargeButton = new JButton("Charge");
JButton fireButton = new JButton("Fire");
JButton itemsButton = new JButton("Items");
JButton helpButton = new JButton("Help");
JButton fallButton = new JButton("Fall");
JButton quitButton = new JButton("Quit");

ImageIcon picture;

if(game.currentRoom == game.construction)
picture = new ImageIcon("images/construction.jpg");
else if(game.currentRoom == game.library)
picture = new ImageIcon("images/library.jpg");
else if(game.currentRoom == game.pub)
picture = new ImageIcon("images/pub.jpg");
else if(game.currentRoom == game.hallway1)
picture = new ImageIcon("images/hallway1.jpg");
else if(game.currentRoom == game.hallway2)
picture = new ImageIcon("images/hallway2.jpg");
else if(game.currentRoom == game.hallway3)
picture = new ImageIcon("images/hallway3.jpg");
else if(game.currentRoom == game.lab)
picture = new ImageIcon("images/lab.jpg");
else if(game.currentRoom == game.mainEntrance)
picture = new ImageIcon("images/mainEntrance.jpg");
else if(game.currentRoom == game.office)
picture = new ImageIcon("images/office.jpg");
else if(game.currentRoom == game.theatre)
picture = new ImageIcon("images/theatre.jpg");
else
picture = new ImageIcon("images/outside.jpg");

JLabel map = new JLabel(picture, JLabel.CENTER);

final JTextArea textArea = new JTextArea();
JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane(textArea, JScrollPane.VERTICAL_SCROLLBAR_ALWAYS, JScrollPane.HORIZONTAL_SCROLLBAR_ALWAYS);
textArea.setEditable(false);
        textArea.setRows(17);
        textArea.setColumns(29);
        textArea.setLineWrap(true);
    textArea.setWrapStyleWord(true);
        
pane.add(titleLabel);
pane.add(authorLabel);
pane.add(goLabel);
pane.add(northButton);
pane.add(eastButton);
pane.add(southButton);
pane.add(westButton);
pane.add(northeastButton);
pane.add(northwestButton);
pane.add(southeastButton);
pane.add(southwestButton);
pane.add(map);
pane.add(textArea);
pane.add(takeButton);
pane.add(dropButton);
pane.add(giveButton);
pane.add(backButton);
pane.add(chargeButton);
pane.add(fireButton);
pane.add(itemsButton);
pane.add(helpButton);
pane.add(fallButton);
pane.add(quitButton);

Insets insets = pane.getInsets();
Dimension size;

size = titleLabel.getPreferredSize();
titleLabel.setBounds(45 + insets.left, 7 + insets.top, size.width, size.height);
size = authorLabel.getPreferredSize();
authorLabel.setBounds(75 + insets.left, 90 + insets.top, size.width, size.height);
size = goLabel.getPreferredSize();
goLabel.setBounds(523 + insets.left, 85 + insets.top, size.width, size.height);
size = northButton.getPreferredSize();
northButton.setBounds(500 + insets.left, 50 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = eastButton.getPreferredSize();
eastButton.setBounds(610 + insets.left, 85 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = southButton.getPreferredSize();
southButton.setBounds(500 + insets.left, 120 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = westButton.getPreferredSize();
westButton.setBounds(390 + insets.left, 85 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = northeastButton.getPreferredSize();
northeastButton.setBounds(610 + insets.left, 50 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = northwestButton.getPreferredSize();
northwestButton.setBounds(390 + insets.left, 50 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = southeastButton.getPreferredSize();
southeastButton.setBounds(610 + insets.left, 120 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = southwestButton.getPreferredSize();
southwestButton.setBounds(390 + insets.left, 120 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
map.setBounds(75 + insets.left, 170 + insets.top, 275, 272);
size = textArea.getPreferredSize();
textArea.setBounds(390 + insets.left, 170 + insets.top, size.width, size.height);
size = takeButton.getPreferredSize();
takeButton.setBounds(120 + insets.left, 465 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = dropButton.getPreferredSize();
dropButton.setBounds(120 + insets.left, 500 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = giveButton.getPreferredSize();
giveButton.setBounds(230 + insets.left, 465 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = backButton.getPreferredSize();
backButton.setBounds(230 + insets.left, 500 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = chargeButton.getPreferredSize();
chargeButton.setBounds(340 + insets.left, 465 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = fireButton.getPreferredSize();
fireButton.setBounds(340 + insets.left, 500 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = itemsButton.getPreferredSize();
itemsButton.setBounds(450 + insets.left, 465 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = helpButton.getPreferredSize();
helpButton.setBounds(450 + insets.left, 500 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = fallButton.getPreferredSize();
fallButton.setBounds(560 + insets.left, 465 + insets.top, 100, size.height);
size = quitButton.getPreferredSize();
quitButton.setBounds(560 + insets.left, 500 + insets.top, 100, size.height);

textArea.append(game.printWelcome());

helpButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
{
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event)
{
textArea.setText("");
textArea.append(game.printHelp());
} 
}
);

quitButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
{
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event)
{
System.exit(0);
} 
}
);
}
}  

[Michael Dunn]

    
pane.add(map);
//pane.add(textArea);
pane.add(scrollPane);//<----
pane.add(takeButton);

as pane is a null layout, you may have to give the textArea a preferredSize
so that the scrollPane knows when to 'kick in' the scrollBars. Experiment,
see what happens.

[Martin vanPutten]

I've played with the JScrollBar and Pane for a day now... and I must be missing something... what should it look like?

[Martin vanPutten]

There we go... I figured it out!