JTextField shrinking to (almost) nothing

[Hendrik Maryns]

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Hi,

I have this JTextField next to a button in a panel.

If I resize the window, such that the text field gets below its
preferred size, it totally disappears. I’d like it to shrink.

Even better: it should expand and shrink to fit its contents, since it
is not editable, only to show the user what he’s working on.

Or should I use something else here? I though of using a label, but
that doesn’t look good either.

SSCCE, not entirely minimal, but good illustration:

import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.*;

public class UIBuilder {
~ public UIBuilder() {
~ super();
~ // Look-and-feel
~ try {
~ UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager
~ .getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
~ } catch (final Exception exc) {
~ // fall back to default
~ exc.printStackTrace();
~ }
~ final JFrame frame = new JFrame();
~ final JPanel np = new JPanel(true);
~ final JButton treebankButton = new JButton("Treebank");
~ treebankButton.setToolTipText("Choose a treebank.");
~ treebankButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
~ @Override
~ public void actionPerformed(final ActionEvent e) {
~ // some useful stuff
~ }
~ });
~ np.add(treebankButton);
~ final JTextField treebankField = new JTextField(
~ "Please choose a treebank.", 30);
~ treebankField.setToolTipText("The treebank being queried.");
~ treebankField.setName("Treebank");
~ treebankField.setEditable(false);
~ np.add(treebankField);
~ frame.getContentPane().add(np, "North"); //$NON-NLS-1$
~ frame.pack();
~ frame.setVisible(true);
~ }

~ public static void main(final String[] args) {
~ SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
~ public void run() {
~ new UIBuilder();
~ }
~ });
~ }
}

Grateful for any comments, H.
- --
Hendrik Maryns
http://tcl.sfs.uni-tuebingen.de/~hendrik/
==================
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[Andrew Thompson]

To: comp.lang.java.gui

On Jun 13, 10:04=A0pm, Hendrik Maryns <gtw37b...@sneakemail.com> wrote:

> import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
> import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
> import javax.swing.*;
>
> public class UIBuilder {

> ~ =A0public UIBuilder() {
> ~ =A0 =A0super();
=2E..
> ~ =A0}

>
> }
>
> Grateful for any comments, H.

Does 'comments' include questions?
Where did all the ~ characters come from?

<sscce>

import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.*;

public class UIBuilder {
public UIBuilder() {
super();
// Look-and-feel
try {
UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager
.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
} catch (final Exception exc) {

// fall back to default

exc.printStackTrace();
}
final JFrame frame =3D new JFrame();
final JPanel np =3D new JPanel(true);
final JButton treebankButton =3D new JButton("Treebank");

treebankButton.setToolTipText("Choose a treebank.");

treebankButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
@Override

public void actionPerformed(final ActionEvent e) {

// some useful stuff
}
});
np.add(treebankButton);
final JTextField treebankField =3D new JTextField(

"Please choose a treebank.", 30);

treebankField.setToolTipText("The treebank being queried.");

treebankField.setName("Treebank");
treebankField.setEditable(false);
np.add(treebankField);
frame.getContentPane().add(np, "North"); //$NON-NLS-1$
frame.pack();

// not the answer to the wider question, but
// one way to solve it for the displayed UI
frame.setMinimumSize( frame.getPreferredSize() );
// please specify a close operation, before setting a PLAF!
frame.setDefaultCloseOperation( JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE );

frame.setVisible(true);
}

public static void main(final String[] args) {

SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
public void run() {
new UIBuilder();
}
});
}
}
</sscce>

--
Andrew T.

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[Flo 'Irian' Schaetz]

And thus spoke Hendrik Maryns...

> If I resize the window, such that the text field gets below its
> preferred size, it totally disappears. I d like it to shrink.

Try using another LayoutManager? For example a BorderLayout...

final JPanel np = new JPanel(new BorderLayout(), true);
...
np.add(treebankButton, BorderLayout.WEST);
...
np.add(treebankField, BorderLayout.CENTER);

Flo

[Evans]

Hi,

Its important that you know that components like Labels, Buttons and
Textfields do not expand once created. Even a TextArea will not expand
expand without ScrollPanes.

That said, if you're looking for something to help you display that
sort of 'progress' notification to your users, I would suggest you use
a textArea and set the Background to the default color:
textArea.setBackground(getBackgound());

That should give you a smooth background that fades to the surrounding
component; then you can display your message on it.

Note: I did not text that piece of code, so it might not be right.

Thats my 2-pence worth ;-)

Evans
http://www.onyxtic.com

[Hendrik Maryns]

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Andrew Thompson schreef:

| On Jun 13, 10:04 pm, Hendrik Maryns <gtw37b...@sneakemail.com> wrote:
|
|> import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
|> import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
|> import javax.swing.*;
|>
|> public class UIBuilder {

|> ~ public UIBuilder() {
|> ~ super();
| ...
|> ~ }

|>
|> }
|>
|> Grateful for any comments, H.
|
| Does 'comments' include questions?

Of course.

| Where did all the ~ characters come from?

I have no idea. I guess they are transformed tab characters from
pasting in. Sorry for that.

| <sscce>

| // not the answer to the wider question, but
| // one way to solve it for the displayed UI
| frame.setMinimumSize( frame.getPreferredSize() );

Almost. This makes the text field disappear at exactly the minimal size.

| // please specify a close operation, before setting a PLAF!
| frame.setDefaultCloseOperation( JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE );

I do this of course, it just got snipped out in making the SSCCE,
unfortunately.

| </sscce>

I used Flo’s suggestion, to my content, thanks both for the answers.

Cheers, H.

- --
Hendrik Maryns
http://tcl.sfs.uni-tuebingen.de/~hendrik/
==================
http://aouw.org
Ask smart questions, get good answers:
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
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[Hendrik Maryns]

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Evans schreef:

It isn’t, indeed. What object is getBackground() defined on? It’s
pretty pointless to do it on the JTextArea itself.

H.
- --
Hendrik Maryns
http://tcl.sfs.uni-tuebingen.de/~hendrik/
==================
http://aouw.org
Ask smart questions, get good answers:
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
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