Re: Adding a toolbar, stoped JPanel animation

From:
RedGrittyBrick <RedGrittyBrick@spamweary.invalid>
Newsgroups:
comp.lang.java.gui
Date:
Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:51:13 +0100
Message-ID:
<4a6db0d3$0$2543$da0feed9@news.zen.co.uk>
jny0 wrote:

Hi,

I got some advice a few days ago, which solved a dissapearing menubar
problem. But in implementing the solution the original JPanel
animation no longer works. It should start as soon as the toolbar is
created (see main), but the panel remains blank. I've tried using
invokeLater and invokeAndWait, but to no avail. Here's the (now
rather lengthy) code. I've removed the actionListeners code as it's
not relevant. Any ideas would be gratefully read.

Regards,
JNY

import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.GridLayout;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JMenu;
import javax.swing.JMenuBar;
import javax.swing.JMenuItem;
import java.io.*;

public class Main {

final JFrame frmMainFrame = new JFrame("2D-CA Viewer-ImportData");
JPanel pnlCAPanel = new JPanel(new FlowLayout());
JMenuBar menuBar = new JMenuBar();
JMenu file = new JMenu("File");
JMenu control = new JMenu("Control");
JMenuItem getData = new JMenuItem("Get Data");
JMenuItem startCA = new JMenuItem("Iterate CA");

int i_Height = 5;
int i_Width = 5;

    private void createToolBar()
    {
        frmMainFrame.setLayout(new GridLayout(5, 5));
        frmMainFrame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        frmMainFrame.setSize(500, 500);
        frmMainFrame.setVisible(true);


I only make a JFrame visible *after* I've added all it's components to it.

        menuBar.add(file);
        menuBar.add(control);
        file.add(getData);
        control.add(startCA);
        frmMainFrame.setJMenuBar(menuBar);

        getData.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
        {
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0)
            {
                System.out.println("You have clicked on the getData");
                frmMainFrame.setTitle("Hello");
                //GetData();


In this situation, I'd use SwingWorker to run GetData() in its own
thread to avoid blocking the EDT. Bad choice of method name BTW. I'd
rename the getData JMenuItem as getDataItem so that I could call this
getData().

            }
        });

        startCA.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
        {
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0)
            {
                System.out.println("You have clicked on the startCA");


I'd consider running the CA in a separate thread, maybe using
SwingWorker. Use SwingWorkers methods to have the CA notify the display
classes of any events that need (parts of) the display to be redrawn.

            }
        });

    }

    private void createAndShowGUI()
     {
        Color colors[] = { Color.WHITE, Color.RED, Color.BLUE,
Color.GREEN, Color.YELLOW , Color.CYAN, Color.MAGENTA,
Color.DARK_GRAY, Color.PINK, Color.LIGHT_GRAY,
Color.WHITE};

        frmMainFrame.setTitle("CA Running");
        frmMainFrame.repaint();

        try
        {
            for (int iHeightCtr = 1 ; iHeightCtr <= i_Height ;
iHeightCtr++)
            {
                for (int iWidthCtr = 1 ; iWidthCtr <= i_Width ;
iWidthCtr++)
                {
                    JPanel panel = new JPanel();
                    panel.setBackground(colors[iWidthCtr]);
                    panel.setSize(10, 10);
                    panel.setLocation(iHeightCtr * 20, iWidthCtr *
20);
                    frmMainFrame.add(panel);
                    panel.setVisible(true);

                    frmMainFrame.repaint();
                    //menuBar.repaint();
                }
                frmMainFrame.setTitle("2D-CA Viewer-ImportData - " +
Integer.toString(iHeightCtr));
                Thread.sleep(1000);
            }

            print("creating code block for event thread");
            Runnable setTextRun = new Runnable()
            {
                public void run()
                {
                    frmMainFrame.repaint();
                    //print("about to do setText()");
                }
            };
            //print("about to invokeAndWait()");
            SwingUtilities.invokeLater(setTextRun); //.invokeAndWait
(setTextRun);
            //print("back from invokeAndWait()");
        }

        catch (InterruptedException ix)
        {
            print("interrupted while waiting on invokeAndWait()");
        }
// catch (InvocationTargetException x)
// {
// //print("exception thrown from run()");
// }
    }

    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable()
        {
            public void run()
            {
                new Main().createToolBar();
            }
        });
        new Main().createAndShowGUI
();


I'd put the createAndShowGUI() method call *inside* the run() method so
that I'm sure it runs on the EDT.

    }

    private static void print(String msg)
    {
        String name = Thread.currentThread().getName();
        System.out.println(name + ": " + msg);
    }


Suggestions untested. Just my ?0.02 worth.

--
RGB

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