how to build swing applications with bidirectional support

[Abhishek Reddy]

how to build swing applications with bidirectional support?

I have build the swing application with english language support, Now they want the same application in arabic language...

i need some suggestions in implementing the application compatible to arabic language...

[Campbell Ritchie]

There are internationalisation topics in the Java Tutorials, here and here.

[Abhishek Reddy]

thanks for the reply, i have already gone through these links...

the swing application has to be implemented in arabic culture...the major problem is aligning the swing components from right to left...

currently i have build the application, where components are aligned in left to right fashion.

My problem is how to shift the components from left to right and right to left based on the user selected Locale.

Is it possible possible to modify the appln. in such a way that it will support both english and arabic languages or else i have to rebuild the same application in arabic culture...

[Campbell Ritchie]

I tried looking in the API index for LEFT_TO_RIGHT and found it in ComponentOrientation. If you click on the USE tab at the top, you find it is used in classes like Component. I think one of those methods will allow you to specify an orientation.
You can probably set the orientation depending on the Locale for the computer being used; there is a getOrientation method which seems to provide that functionality.

[Abhishek Reddy]

I have tried in this way...but the Jpanel components are not aligned in arabic culture i.e. from right to left

I have build the JFrame using netbeans 5.0

/*
* I18NFrame.java
*
* Created on October 21, 2008, 11:12 PM
*/

package i18n;

import java.awt.ComponentOrientation;
import java.util.Locale;

/**
*
* @author Administrator
*/
public class I18NFrame extends javax.swing.JFrame {

/** Creates new form I18NFrame */
public I18NFrame() {
initComponents();


this.getContentPane().applyComponentOrientation(ComponentOrientation.getOrientation(new Locale("ar","SA")));


jPanel1.setComponentOrientation(ComponentOrientation.getOrientation(new Locale("ar")));

jPanel1.applyComponentOrientation(ComponentOrientation.getOrientation(new Locale("ar","SA")));

}

/** This method is called from within the constructor to
* initialize the form.
* WARNING: Do NOT modify this code. The content of this method is
* always regenerated by the Form Editor.
*/
// <editor-fold defaultstate="collapsed" desc=" Generated Code ">
private void initComponents() {
jPanel1 = new javax.swing.JPanel();
jLabel1 = new javax.swing.JLabel();
jTextField1 = new javax.swing.JTextField();
jLabel2 = new javax.swing.JLabel();
jScrollPane1 = new javax.swing.JScrollPane();
jTextArea1 = new javax.swing.JTextArea();

setDefaultCloseOperation(javax.swing.WindowConstants.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
jLabel1.setText("Name");

jTextField1.setText("abhishek");

jLabel2.setText("Address");

jTextArea1.setColumns(20);
jTextArea1.setRows(5);
jScrollPane1.setViewportView(jTextArea1);

org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout jPanel1Layout = new org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout(jPanel1);
jPanel1.setLayout(jPanel1Layout);
jPanel1Layout.setHorizontalGroup(
jPanel1Layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(jPanel1Layout.createSequentialGroup()
.add(39, 39, 39)
.add(jPanel1Layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(jLabel1, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE, 73, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE)
.add(jLabel2))
.addPreferredGap(org.jdesktop.layout.LayoutStyle.RELATED)
.add(jPanel1Layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(jScrollPane1, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE)
.add(jTextField1, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE, 105, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE))
.addContainerGap(102, Short.MAX_VALUE))
);
jPanel1Layout.setVerticalGroup(
jPanel1Layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(jPanel1Layout.createSequentialGroup()
.add(31, 31, 31)
.add(jPanel1Layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.BASELINE)
.add(jLabel1)
.add(jTextField1, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE))
.add(22, 22, 22)
.add(jPanel1Layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(jLabel2)
.add(jScrollPane1, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.PREFERRED_SIZE))
.addContainerGap(114, Short.MAX_VALUE))
);

org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout layout = new org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout(getContentPane());
getContentPane().setLayout(layout);
layout.setHorizontalGroup(
layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(layout.createSequentialGroup()
.addContainerGap()
.add(jPanel1, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, Short.MAX_VALUE)
.addContainerGap())
);
layout.setVerticalGroup(
layout.createParallelGroup(org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.LEADING)
.add(layout.createSequentialGroup()
.addContainerGap()
.add(jPanel1, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, org.jdesktop.layout.GroupLayout.DEFAULT_SIZE, Short.MAX_VALUE)
.addContainerGap())
);
pack();
}// </editor-fold>

/**
* @param args the command line arguments
*/
public static void main(String args[]) {
java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
new I18NFrame().setVisible(true);
}
});
}

// Variables declaration - do not modify
private javax.swing.JLabel jLabel1;
private javax.swing.JLabel jLabel2;
private javax.swing.JPanel jPanel1;
private javax.swing.JScrollPane jScrollPane1;
private javax.swing.JTextArea jTextArea1;
private javax.swing.JTextField jTextField1;
// End of variables declaration

}


tanks in advance

[Rob Spoor]

Please Use Code Tags.

[Campbell Ritchie]

Please show us where in your code you used LEFT_TO_RIGHT or RIGHT_TO_LEFT.

[Abhishek Reddy]

thanks for the reply...
here is the part of the code.....
this.getContentPane().applyComponentOrientation(ComponentOrientation.getOrientation(new Locale("ar","SA")));


jPanel1.setComponentOrientation(ComponentOrientation.getOrientation(new Locale("ar")));

jPanel1.applyComponentOrientation(ComponentOrientation.getOrientation(new Locale("ar","SA")));

the orientation of text inside the components is working, but the components
are not aligned from right to left in arabic locale

[Abhishek Reddy]

just have a look at this image files..

English Locale..(image1)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26246340@N00/119723963/

Arabic Locale..(image2)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26246340@N00/119723964/

I want exactly the same functionality...

Is it possible to implement both locales functionality in a single JFrame.
i.e. if the user selects English Locale, the JFrames gui should appear in english culture.(as shown in image1)

if the user selects Arabic Locale, the same JFrames gui should appear in arabic culture. (as shown in image2)

If it is possible, please help me..

thanks again

[Campbell Ritchie]

Have you checked that the Locale is interpreting "ar" as Arabic? And where's "SA?" Is is South Africa?

[Abhishek Reddy]

thanks for the reply...

http://www.chemie.fu-berlin.de/diverse/doc/ISO_3166.html.
"SA" is the two letter country code for Saudi Arabia
I have also checked removing the country code from the Locale, but is of no use..

[Darryl Burke]

Just another cross poster.
http://forums.sun.com/thread.jspa?threadID=5341216