Re: GUI in Swing and layout managers... who will explain sth?
On Jun 25, 2:49 am, markspace <nos...@nowhere.com> wrote:
Marteno Rodia wrote:
Source:http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/layout/using.htm=
l
Why it is not recommended to use BorderLayout in the "real
application"?
....
The BorderLayout is fine for simple windows but for anything that must
be cross-platform and work with a variety of locales, you're going to
want something more sophisticated than trying to tweak the layout
yourself using only BorderLayout and FlowLayout.
I was thinking, as I was reading this thread, that
one possible reason the author was saying that, was
because of another fault of the Swing Tutorials. A
lack of underlining the advantage of a nested layout.
(Barring, AFAIR, a single paragraph in one document.)
I would often (no, make that, usually) use a BL
as the /primary/ layout of the main GUI JPanel.
Then I would drop either a GridLayout or BoxLayout
(or something more nested) down the EAST of the BL
(or perhpas a JTree or JList - depending on the
nature of the app.), with NORTH for a tool bar,
SOUTH for a label or any log or messages, and
CENTER for the main content.
Rarely if ever would I use FlowLayout, and only
occasionally would I use *just* a BorderLayout.
Personally I find the GUI layout tool a vast improvement over hand work.
It can make it quicker if you know what you are
doing. I have seen GUIs designed in Matisse
that only used core J2SE layouts, were robust
& X-PLAF compatible.
I mention the last two because I am especially
ruling out GUIs designed with a 'wherever I drop
it and whatever size I drag it to' philosophy,
which might be achieved using a 'null' layout
(cringe) and absolute positioning (shudder).
For the former ones designed using J2SE layouts,
you can create great GUIs using the builder, but
you *first* need to understand the core J2SE
layouts ( and how they can be nested, to good
effect ;).
--
Andrew T.
pscode.org