JButton Action Listener Problem

[Justin Char]

I have Head First Java and Analysis and Design.

I am able to create JButton, Panel and Frame.

I want to beable to Hit the JButton and Have it open another class.

I created a class that opens a text file in a Joption Pane.

I want to select that JButton and have it open my other class in the same
package.

I know I need Action Listner I just don't know how to make it all work.

any ideas

Thank You in advance

[Gregg Bolinger]

button.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
    public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
        // do stuff here
    }
});

[prateek chaudhari]

Gregg Did it Very Corrrect

You need to have a ActionListener Class (A class which implements an ActionListener) which will listen to the Events, Here Gregg has done that with annonymous class.

This class will have a single method named actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) which will be invoked as and when the button pressed event is fired. You can add your functionality here.

After which you need to register that with the Action Generator here in this cas A JButton by using addActionListener() method.

That's it and you are there....

[Justin Char]

I tried this and it doesn't work.

Am I putting it in the wrong place or is this not right.

This cannot be this hard. I am missing something.

Thank You. Here is my code maybe that will help.

package Collections;
 
import javax.swing.*;
 
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.util.*;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
 
public class CollectionsJAC implements ActionListener
{
JTextArea text;
JFrame frCollectionsJAC;
JPanel pnCollectionsJAC;
JButton bnJK, bnMCCR, btn1;
private MainProgram parent;
public CollectionsJAC(MainProgram Parent) 
{
//    this.parent = parent;
 
    try
    {
    UIManager.setLookAndFeel(
    UIManager.getCrossPlatformLookAndFeelClassName());
    
    } catch (Exception e) {}
    
    JFrame.setDefaultLookAndFeelDecorated(true);
    JDialog.setDefaultLookAndFeelDecorated(true);
    frCollectionsJAC = new JFrame("Collections");
    frCollectionsJAC.setSize(600,600);
    frCollectionsJAC.setLocation(400,300);
    frCollectionsJAC.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    frCollectionsJAC.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(610, 610));
    
    pnCollectionsJAC = new JPanel(new GridLayout(3,1));
    
    JLabel[] labels = new JLabel[48];
         for (int i = 0; i < 48; i++) 
         {
         
         
   labels[i] = new JLabel();
             }
         bnJK = new JButton("JK");
         bnJK.addActionListener(this);
         pnCollectionsJAC.add(bnJK);
        // text = new JTextArea(10,20);
        // text.setLineWrap(true);
        // frCollectionsJAC.setVisible(true);
       frCollectionsJAC.getContentPane().add(pnCollectionsJAC);
   frCollectionsJAC.setVisible(true);
   
   
         bnMCCR = new JButton("MCCR");
         bnJK.addActionListener(this);
         pnCollectionsJAC.add(bnMCCR);
     //    frCollectionsJAC.setVisible(true);
     //    frCollectionsJAC.getContentPane().add(pnCollectionsJAC);
 //    frCollectionsJAC.setVisible(true);
         btn1 = new JButton("Collections");
         btn1.addActionListener(this);
     pnCollectionsJAC.add(btn1);
   //  frCollectionsJAC.getContentPane().add(pnCollectionsJAC);
   //  frCollectionsJAC.setVisible(true);
}
 
void jbInit() throws Exception {}
 
bnJK.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {   
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {       

System.out.println("IT Worked");
} 
 
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) 
{

// text.append("button clicked ");
System.out.println("public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) ");
parent.CollectionsJAC = e.getActionCommand().toString();
frCollectionsJAC.setVisible(true);
parent.next();



   
 

}

 
}

[ October 01, 2007: Message edited by: Gregg Bolinger ]

[Gregg Bolinger]

From your code I would infer that when pressing the bnJK button you could get the following on your console:

IT Worked

Is this happening? I guess the real question is what are you expecting the code you've shown?

[Justin Char]

I can't even run the code.

I am getting bracket error or something is wrong with the below.
I thought it should be this simple to get the button to work.

Actually I want it to run a class and give me the results of that class.
But I think I should start with this simple example but it doesn't even work. I am confused.


bnJK.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {

System.out.println("IT Worked");
}

[Gregg Bolinger]

Alright. Take a deep breath. Now, look at your code:

bnJK.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {   
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {       
   System.out.println("IT Worked");
} 

And now look at my code:

button.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
    public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
        // do stuff here
    }
});

See the difference? Also, you don't need the extra public void actionPerformed method you have arbitrarily stuck in your code. And just for the sake of learning, you don't run a class. Typically you would refer to this as instantiating a class. So your statement would be:

Actually I want it to instantiate a class and give me the results of that class.

[Justin Char]

Okay I took a breath (smile...) Thanks for that...I needed it.
It worked it printed out IT WORKED but then it gives me the below error.
Can I not have a actionPerformed and a action listener together???
Again Thank You very much for your help.

public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
Exception in thread "AWT-EventQueue-0" java.lang.NullPointerException
at Collections.CollectionsJAC.actionPerformed(CollectionsJAC.java:90)
at javax.swing.AbstractButton.fireActionPerformed(Unknown Source)
at javax.swing.AbstractButton$Handler.actionPerformed(Unknown Source)
at javax.swing.DefaultButtonModel.fireActionPerformed(Unknown Source)
at javax.swing.DefaultButtonModel.setPressed(Unknown Source)
at javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicButtonListener.mouseReleased(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Component.processMouseEvent(Unknown Source)
at javax.swing.JComponent.processMouseEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Component.processEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Container.processEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.retargetMouseEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.processMouseEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.LightweightDispatcher.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Window.dispatchEventImpl(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventQueue.dispatchEvent(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpOneEventForHierarchy(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEventsForHierarchy(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.pumpEvents(Unknown Source)
at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(Unknown Source)
[ October 01, 2007: Message edited by: Justin Charpenter ]

[Gregg Bolinger]

Can you repost your code now that you have fixed a few things? Be sure and enclose it in UBB Code tags.

Thanks.

[Justin Char]

I hope my UBB is right.

package Collections;
 
import javax.swing.*;
 
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.util.*;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
 
public class CollectionsJAC implements ActionListener
{
JTextArea text;
JFrame frCollectionsJAC;
JPanel pnCollectionsJAC;
JButton bnJK, bnMCCR, btn1;
private MainProgram parent;
public CollectionsJAC(MainProgram Parent) 
{
 
    try
    {
    UIManager.setLookAndFeel(
    UIManager.getCrossPlatformLookAndFeelClassName());
    
    } catch (Exception e) {}
    
    JFrame.setDefaultLookAndFeelDecorated(true);
    JDialog.setDefaultLookAndFeelDecorated(true);
    frCollectionsJAC = new JFrame("Collections");
    frCollectionsJAC.setSize(600,600);
    frCollectionsJAC.setLocation(400,300);
    frCollectionsJAC.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    frCollectionsJAC.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(610, 610));
    
    pnCollectionsJAC = new JPanel(new GridLayout(3,1));
    
    JLabel[] labels = new JLabel[48];
         for (int i = 0; i < 48; i++) 
         {
         
         
   labels[i] = new JLabel();
             }
         bnJK = new JButton("JK");
         bnJK.addActionListener(this);
         pnCollectionsJAC.add(bnJK);
   
         frCollectionsJAC.getContentPane().add(pnCollectionsJAC);
 frCollectionsJAC.setVisible(true);
 
         bnMCCR = new JButton("MCCR");
         bnJK.addActionListener(this);
         pnCollectionsJAC.add(bnMCCR);
 
         btn1 = new JButton("Collections");
         btn1.addActionListener(this);
     pnCollectionsJAC.add(btn1);
  
 

      bnJK.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {   
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {       

System.out.println("IT Worked");

}
 
});
}
 
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) 
{
 
System.out.println("public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) ");
parent.CollectionsJAC = e.getActionCommand().toString();
frCollectionsJAC.setVisible(true);
parent.next();


 
}
}
 

[Justin Char]

If you want my main program that kicks the above program off let me know.

Thank you again

[Gregg Bolinger]

Aha! Well, you've stumbled on something that can be a real pain when it comes to Swing. There's more than one way to skin a cat. What you have is not wrong per say. But it's unnecessary.

Your class implements ActionListener. This requires you to implement the actionPerformed method in the body of your class, which you have done. You've also added this class as the action listener for your button.

bnJK.addActionListener(this);

Perfectly fine. Then you added an anonymous inner class for your button with another event:

bnJK.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {   
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {       
System.out.println("IT Worked");

        }
});

Again, perfectly fine. A component can have multiple event listeners attached to them. However, for your purpose, its pointless. You should just choose one over the other.

As far as your actual error is concerned I believe it might have something to do with:

parent.CollectionsJAC = e.getActionCommand().toString();
frCollectionsJAC.setVisible(true);
parent.next();

Which I honestly am not sure what you are trying to do. You already have a visible frCollectionsJAC frame. But you are calling visible on it again. I'm not sure where the parent stuff is coming from since that code was not included.

[Rob Spoor]

Why are you calling toString() on the result of e.getActionCommand()? That already returns a string (or null! hint hint!).

[Justin Char]

Here is my Main program
This program is opening the collection jpanel with a button on it
Now I want to click this button and open another jpanel that is reading data from a text file which I have working. I can read and write files but I can't get these buttons to work right.

package Collections;
 
public class MainProgram  {
 
CollectionsJAC  collectionsJAC; 

public String CollectionsJAC;
 
public MainProgram () 
{
       System.out.println("Public MainProgram()");
       collectionsJAC = new CollectionsJAC(this); 
}    
//System.out.println("public MainProgram");
//System.out.println("got started");
 

public void next ()
{

System.out.println(" Right Here");
collectionsJAC  = new CollectionsJAC(this);
 
//test.show()
}
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("public static void main(String[] args)");

System.out.println("got started");

new MainProgram();


}
}

[Justin Char]

Rob are you saying I should take out the too string and just leave it as

parent.CollectionsJAC = e.getActionCommand();

[Rob Spoor]

Exactly.

As I said, getActionCommand() already returns a string (or null). Calling toString() on a string will just return the string itself. Calling toString() on a null reference however will throw a NullPointerException.

[Justin Char]

I took out toSTring on line 91 and I still get a line 91 error.

parent.CollectionsJAC = e.getActionCommand();

The Button works but I connot figure out why I am getting red (errors).

Any more suggestions. I hope one day I am giving the advice.

[Rob Spoor]

NullPointerExceptions (NPEs) are always caused because something before the . is null. Especially when chaining commands like e.getActionCommand().toString(), if the intermediate part (getActionCommand()) is null then it is harder to find.

If that line is still causing the NPE, then there are two probable causes:
1) parent is null
2) e is null

Seeing as 2) won't happen, parent has to be null. Seeing as you set it correctly in the constructor, it must be the value passed to the constructor. How do you instantiate your CollectionsJAC?

[Justin Char]

I instantiate in my main program collectionsJAC = new CollectionsJAC(this);

public class MainProgram  {
 
CollectionsJAC  collectionsJAC; 

public String CollectionsJAC;
 
public MainProgram () 
{
       System.out.println("Public MainProgram()");
       collectionsJAC = new CollectionsJAC(this); 
}    

[Rob Spoor]

I think I just found it:

//    this.parent = parent;

This line is commented out. As a result, the parent never gets set, and remains null.

[Justin Char]

This is the message I get when I uncomment it.

 this.parent = parent; 

"The assignment to parent variable has no effect"

So I commented it out because it says it has no effect.

Then when I run the program I still get the line 91 error

[Rob Spoor]

Try renaming the constructor parameter from Parent to parent

[Justin Char]

I know you already know this...

It really worked..

Thanks to you and Gregg I learned a few
things along the way. Thanks for explaining everything.

Thank you