Re: Observer for Swing JPanel; custom component

From:
Mark Space <markspace@sbc.global.net>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.java.gui
Date:
Fri, 15 Aug 2008 18:44:30 -0700
Message-ID:
<fiqpk.16914$LG4.12530@nlpi065.nbdc.sbc.com>
thufir wrote:

Follow up to comp.lang.java.gui

Given that SourceTableBean extends JPanel, how can SourceTableBean send
messages to Main? Or, to turn that question around, how can Main listen
for events which SourceTableBean sends? How does the JFrame observe the
JPanel?


Well, one way to do this would be to add the bean you made to the GUI
builder palette.

<http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/javabeans/nb/index.html>

Another would be just to added the bean to the class in the constructor,
like below.

public class Main extends javax.swing.JFrame /*implements
PropertyChangeListener*/ {


   private SourceTableBean stb;

    public Main() {
        initComponents();


           stb = new SourceTableBean();
           stb.addPropertyChangeListener( this );//Main must implement
                                                 //PropertyChangeListener
                                                 //for this to work.
           add( stb ); // or some way to add to layout
           pack(); // repack since we've changed layout

    }


Another would be to make a third class that's responsible for starting
up the GUI. This class has a method to bind the Main instance to the
SourceTableBean instance. Note that you really should be creating the
GUI on the EDT, it's the only safe way to do it. Consider making the
constructor of Main package private to enforce this.

public class StartHere {

   public static void createAndShowGUI() {

     java.awt.EventQueue.invokeAndWait( new Runnable() {
        @Override
        public void run() {
          Main m = new Main();
          SourceTableBean stb = new SourceTableBean();
           stb.addPropertyChangeListener( m); // Main must implement
                                              // PropertyChangeListener
                                              // for this to work.
           m.add( stb ); // or some way to add to layout
           m.pack(); // repack since we've changed layout
           m.setVisible( true );
         }
     } );
   }
}

Not compiled, beware of unbalanced braces. Also, I have no idea why you
want to use PropertyChangeListeners. I think there might be a better
way of doing this. Look at the type of events PropertyChangeLister.
Look at the types of events they handle for a JPanel (it's under
java.awt.Container, I think) and they're really low-level GUI type
events. Possibly you want something higher level.

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