Using Swing and Placing Components

[capitolc]

..how difficult can this really be.

I'm having so much trouble placing my components on my "frame" that it is making my head. I don't understand all the different layouts, and I heard GridBagLayout is the better one to use. Using GridBag, I can't put a component to the top, others near the middle of the frame, and my button on the bottom right. The coordinate system is just not working the way I want.

Is there another layout where I can say "put this button at x=780, y=800" while I have the bulk of my components near a x=400, y=300 coordinate area?

I think I need some basic help, or some helpful examples, or something... I would like to do this without a visual editor plugin, but I didn't except all this trouble I'm having.

Can you help/suggest anything?

[holestary]

why don't you do null..you can put everything where you want..

[Martin O]

Have you read this:

http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutor...ybigindex.html

...specifically the section 'Creating a GUI With JFC/Swing -> Laying Out Components Within a Container'?

[dlorde]

As Holestary said, if you set a null layout, you can place components by co-ordinate, but this is generally considered to be a Bad Idea, because it doesn't scale, takes a lot of work, and is a nightmare to maintain or change.

It's well worth learning to select and use layouts. See Using Layout Managers

I hear and I forget; I see and I remember; I do and I understand...
Confucius

[capitolc]

... the text at Sun for me isn't that well explained. I did look throughout and still didn't get a good feeling after reading/trying it. Like, is the document saying I shouldn't manually code by hand when using a Layout Manager instead use a tool ie. NetBeans IDE?

I would like to use GridBagLayout since it is so flexible (despite it being so complex), but I can't get it the exact way I want. I want my grid's origin to start at the top-left on my panel; how do I get it there? The borderlayout doesn't have a setting for that.

[nuzzle]

Can you help/suggest anything?

Have you checked out the Swing pages at Sun?

http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutor...ing/index.html

Maybe you're rushing it? You need to start small and go from there.

[dlorde]

I would like to use GridBagLayout since it is so flexible (despite it being so complex), but I can't get it the exact way I want. I want my grid's origin to start at the top-left on my panel; how do I get it there? The borderlayout doesn't have a setting for that.

If you can explain exactly how you want to layout your panel (a picture would help), maybe we can suggest some ways to do it.

Layout managers take a while to become familiar with, but it pays off in the long run. Don't forget that you can put panels inside panels and use different layout managers for each.

Plan to throw one away; you will anyhow...
F. Brooks