Harry Pfohl

Hello,
see how it is done in JEasy. The hole GUI is stored in XML. To build panels and other components dynamically, JEasy offers a XML-Syntax to create new compnentns at runtime.
To test it, run the Example from www.jeasy.de and chose the tabbedpane dynamic panel. Change the xml string at the left and build a form.
Harry

Hello,
the first steps building small applications with swing are hard work.
If the GUI is build in XML and when you have a GUI-Builder with a preview like JEasyRepository, learning SWING is much faster.
You don't have to write source, compile and see what's happen.
Look at www.jeasy.de the Example source code and the Example.xml.
Have fun
Harry

JEasy is a framework to build and run SWING GUI's.
Create SWING component in the JEasy Repository test them ba preview and store them in XML.
The XML is loaded at runtime and the JEasy api brings the user interface on the screeen.
Your source catches the events.
Serialization of forms in XML is very easy.
Donwload your evaluation copy for free from www.jeasy.de.
Best regards
Harry Pfohl

Please visit www.jeasy.de and download your evaluatuion copy.
JEasy is a GUI Builder, where all SWING components are stored in XML.
Best regards
Harry

You first have to get the button event. When the button is pressed get the SWING-object of your panel. Remove all components inside and then add the new items. Don't forget to initialize the new components first.
If you have to do dynamic panels very often think about building an XML interface (see www.jeasy.de; run the Example and select the tabbedpane dynamic container). Is is build 100% dynamically because all GUI components are described in an XML file readed at runtime.
Regards
[ May 28, 2002: Message edited by: Harry Pfohl ]
[ May 28, 2002: Message edited by: Harry Pfohl ]

I had the same problems beginning with SWING. The questions was how to experience with the Layout Managers. The idea has a result in a product called JEasy at www.jeasy.de (no cost).
It's a designer for SWING applications and applets. With the help of the JEasyRepository you define all SWING components like frames, panels, menues, labes and textfields .... Then you build relations like a label and a textfield are members of a panel. If you have done this, what is very quick and easy, you are able to see the
panel and what the LayoutManager has done with the members inside.
You may build and see the complete GUI without writing one line of code.
I think for beginners it is the best way to learn building GUIs with SWING.
Source code is included to show how to act on events.
SWING is great, keep on.
Harry

If you want to learn building SWING GUIs have a look at www.jeasy.de.
JEasy is an application designer for JAVA using JAVA 2 with SWING components.
The main concepts are to store all GUI components in an XML file, to use Layout Managers for presentation at runtime and to use XML-messages for serialization of forms.
All GUI components and messages with their properties are defined inside the JEasy repository. A preview shows at once what you have done.
New in 1.6:
- automation script api for testing
- JEasy Client/Server classes for internet and local connection over http with XML
- dynamic tables and panels
Please download form www.jeasy.de
An example application in source code shows how to define nice forms and how to write code using jeasy api.
Have fun

Harry Pfohl

When I started in 1999 with Java I was fascinated about the feature Layout Manager. You only say what you want (a Label, a Textfield, a Label , a combobox, ...) and the Layout Manager places it justified in a panel. No clicking and moving with the mouse. But it is a long way to create complicated forms using the GridBag Layout Manager. To speed up I wrote an XML-inteface. All SWING components and their relationships are defined in XML. A class reads XML and builds SWING on the fly.
Now we made a product out of it called JEasy http://www.jeasy.de
To learn the Layout Manager its the best way. In a Repository you create all SWING objects. A preview function let you see at once what you would have to code in hours. Try it its free for evaluation.
[This message has been edited by Harry Pfohl (edited August 03, 2001).]

Hi,
get first component of the panel and call seFocus(true) on it.

Hi,
Labels and buttons may understand setText("<html><font size=+2 color=#0000ff>animated Button</html>");
I think a TextArea doesn't work so.
But why didn't you take a JEditorPane instead of a TextArea.
In a JEditorPane you can give out the text in html and format it with html-tags.
[This message has been edited by Harry Pfohl (edited July 09, 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Harry Pfohl (edited July 09, 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Harry Pfohl (edited July 09, 2001).]
[This message has been edited by Harry Pfohl (edited July 09, 2001).]

There is a big applet on the web in http://www.jeasy.de that runs with the PlugIN. Try to run the applet JEasy Repository. If it works it is something wrong in your source or html.
You may download JEasy and look at the Example source. There is an Example.html that works well.
I had the same problem before. Seeing nothing on the screen but the applet runs.
Here are some important lines:
public class Example extends JApplet {
// extends from JApplet not Applet
If your main window is a panel don't forget that you have to add
a child to its contentPane:
getContentPane().setLayout(new BorderLayout());
// first set the Layout of the panel
getContentPane().add( yourPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
// then add your panel to the Applets contentPane
Good luck

[This message has been edited by Harry Pfohl (edited July 09, 2001).]

We started to design such a tool in 1998. Now it's on the market since 1999 and we made a lot of good experiences by using it in our projects.
Look at http://www.jeasy.de and download the evaluation version.
Open the Repository and run the Example. All GUI elements are stored in XML. The Repository let you define a lot of properties for most SWING objects.
A preview function let you see at once you have designed.
A HTTPConnector is used for C/S computing over Internet.
The automation API let you write testing scripts and run them on your application.
And so on ....
I hope you will find what you are looking for.

An easy way to design Swing components offers JEasy (www.jeasy.de). In the repository you define all properties of the Swing components. But there is no source coming out. Instead an XML format is used. At runtime the Swing component is built out of the XML descriptions.
So the GUI is not implemented in your source. To get full access to Swing components you may get them from the jeasy library by an api call. Then you are able to change column witdh or anything else.
Ther are two ways JEasy builds tables. The first is to do a query. Columns are created automaticly by the jeasy library. The second is to define a panel with labels and textfields in it, call it form. Then you may say that your jeasy table is the presentation of the form. That means that every label is a column header of your table. Have a look to the jeasy example.
New in version 1.6 is to define foreground and background color of the table.

Hi Mr. Mark Spritzler,
I'm working with SWING from the beginning. For our company it was
the right way going with SWING in some projects's.
try http://www.jeasy.de before checking for other kinds of
GUI programming.
Harry Pfohl

Originally posted by Mark Spritzler:
Hi, I have an update.
We are scrapping our Java Swing Front-end. because it is just not quite there. It has some quirkiness that makes it not usable by end-users. If you ahve ever seen a Swing front-end, you will notice how easily you can make it mess up, through hitting the Enter Key, Mouse Clicks, and Tabs. You can make more than one component have Focus at the same time.
That along with no good Reporting Tools using Swing and having any speed, makes Swing just a slight bit short on the practical Business Application.
So what is? who knows? I am trying to use JIntegra with VB, so the front-end can be VB, but I am not sure if it will be a ble to do everything.
So I take back all my other posts. Someday soon, Swing will be ready, but until they get the little bugs out, we are stricken to look for another alternative.
We still are using EJBs to access the Oracle Database, and to store the Business Logic.
I hope Swing is there soon, because for the most part, I had fun programming with it.
Mark Spritzler

I vote for Kawa too.
It has all you need except a layout builder.
Did you try JEasy http://www.jeasy.de ?
Harry