Class PanelBuilder

  • Direct Known Subclasses:
    I15dPanelBuilder

    public class PanelBuilder
    extends AbstractFormBuilder
    An general purpose panel builder that uses the FormLayout to lay out JPanels. It provides convenience methods to set a default border and to add labels, titles and titled separators.

    The PanelBuilder is the working horse for layouts when more specialized builders like the ButtonBarBuilder or DefaultFormBuilder are inappropriate.

    The Forms tutorial includes several examples that present and compare different style to build with the PanelBuilder: static row numbers vs. row variable, explicit CellConstraints vs. builder cursor, static rows vs. dynamically added rows. Also, you may check out the Tips & Tricks section of the Forms HTML documentation.

    The text arguments passed to the methods #addLabel, #addTitle, and #addSeparator can contain an optional mnemonic marker. The mnemonic and mnemonic index are indicated by a single ampersand (&). For example "&Save", or "Save &as". To use the ampersand itself duplicate it, for example "Look&&Feel".

    Example:
    This example creates a panel with 3 columns and 3 rows.

     FormLayout layout = new FormLayout(
          "pref, $lcgap, 50dlu, $rgap, default",  // columns
          "pref, $lg, pref, $lg, pref");          // rows
    
     PanelBuilder builder = new PanelBuilder(layout);
     builder.addLabel("&Title:",        CC.xy  (1, 1));
     builder.add(new JTextField(),      CC.xywh(3, 1, 3, 1));
     builder.addLabel("&Price:",        CC.xy  (1, 3));
     builder.add(new JTextField(),      CC.xy  (3, 3));
     builder.addLabel("&Author:",       CC.xy  (1, 5));
     builder.add(new JTextField(),      CC.xy  (3, 5));
     builder.add(new JButton("…"), CC.xy  (5, 5));
     return builder.getPanel();
     
    Version:
    $Revision: 1.21 $
    See Also:
    ComponentFactory, I15dPanelBuilder, DefaultFormBuilder
    • Field Detail

      • LABELED_BY_PROPERTY

        private static final java.lang.String LABELED_BY_PROPERTY
        A JComponent client property that is used to determine the label labeling a component. Copied from the JLabel class.
        See Also:
        Constant Field Values
      • labelForFeatureEnabled

        private boolean labelForFeatureEnabled
        The instance value for the setLabelFor feature. Is initialized using the global default.
        See Also:
        #setLabelForFeatureEnabledDefault(boolean), #setLabelForFeatureEnabledDefault(boolean)
      • mostRecentlyAddedLabelReference

        private java.lang.ref.WeakReference mostRecentlyAddedLabelReference
        Refers to the most recently added label. Used to invoke JLabel.setLabelFor(java.awt.Component) for the next component added to the panel that is applicable for this feature (for example focusable). After the association has been set, the reference will be cleared.
        See Also:
        add(Component, CellConstraints)
    • Constructor Detail

      • PanelBuilder

        public PanelBuilder​(FormLayout layout)
        Constructs a PanelBuilder for the given layout. Uses an instance of JPanel as layout container with the given layout as layout manager.
        Parameters:
        layout - the FormLayout to use
        Throws:
        java.lang.NullPointerException - if layout is null
      • PanelBuilder

        public PanelBuilder​(FormLayout layout,
                            javax.swing.JPanel panel)
        Constructs a PanelBuilder for the given FormLayout and layout container.
        Parameters:
        layout - the FormLayout to use
        panel - the layout container to build on
        Throws:
        java.lang.NullPointerException - if layout or container is null
    • Method Detail

      • getPanel

        public final javax.swing.JPanel getPanel()
        Returns the panel used to build the form. Intended to access panel properties. For returning the built panel, you should use build().
        Returns:
        the panel used by this builder to build the form
      • background

        public PanelBuilder background​(java.awt.Color background)
        Sets the panel's background color and the panel to be opaque.
        Parameters:
        background - the color to set as new background
        Since:
        1.6
        See Also:
        JComponent.setBackground(Color)
      • border

        public PanelBuilder border​(javax.swing.border.Border border)
        Sets the panel's border.
        Parameters:
        border - the border to set
        Since:
        1.6
        See Also:
        JComponent.setBorder(Border)
      • border

        public PanelBuilder border​(java.lang.String emptyBorderSpec)
        Sets the panel's border as an EmptyBorder using the given specification for the top, left, bottom, right in DLU. For example "1dlu, 2dlu, 3dlu, 4dlu" sets an empty border with 1dlu in the top, 2dlu in the left side, 3dlu at the bottom, and 4dlu in the right hand side.

        Equivalent to setBorder(Borders.createEmptyBorder(emptyBorderSpec)).

        Parameters:
        emptyBorderSpec - describes the top, left, bottom, right sizes of the EmptyBorder to create
        Since:
        1.6
        See Also:
        Borders.createEmptyBorder(String)
      • opaque

        public PanelBuilder opaque​(boolean b)
        Sets the panel's opaque state.
        Parameters:
        b - true for opaque, false for non-opaque
        Since:
        1.6
        See Also:
        JComponent.setOpaque(boolean)
      • focusTraversal

        public PanelBuilder focusTraversal​(java.awt.FocusTraversalPolicy policy)
        Sets the panel's focus traversal policy and sets the panel as focus traversal policy provider. Hence, this call is equivalent to:
         builder.getPanel().setFocusTraversalPolicy(policy);
         builder.getPanel().setFocusTraversalPolicyProvider(true);
         
        Parameters:
        policy - the focus traversal policy that will manage keyboard traversal of the children in this builder's panel
        Since:
        1.7
        See Also:
        Container.setFocusTraversalPolicy(FocusTraversalPolicy), Container.setFocusTraversalPolicyProvider(boolean)
      • labelForFeatureEnabled

        public PanelBuilder labelForFeatureEnabled​(boolean b)
        Enables or disables the setLabelFor feature for this PanelBuilder. The value is initialized from the global default value FormsSetup.getLabelForFeatureEnabledDefault(). It is globally disabled by default.
        Parameters:
        b - true for enabled, false for disabled
      • setBorder

        @Deprecated
        public void setBorder​(javax.swing.border.Border border)
        Deprecated.
        Replaced by border(Border)
        Sets the panel's border.
        Parameters:
        border - the border to set
        See Also:
        JComponent.setBorder(Border)
      • setDefaultDialogBorder

        @Deprecated
        public void setDefaultDialogBorder()
        Deprecated.
        Replaced by #border(Borders.DIALOG)
        Sets the default dialog border.
        See Also:
        Borders
      • setOpaque

        @Deprecated
        public void setOpaque​(boolean b)
        Deprecated.
        Replaced by opaque(boolean)
        Sets the panel's opaque state.
        Parameters:
        b - true for opaque, false for non-opaque
        Since:
        1.1
        See Also:
        JComponent.setOpaque(boolean)
      • build

        public final javax.swing.JPanel build()
        Returns the panel used to build the form. Intended to return the panel in build methods.
        Returns:
        the panel used by this builder to build the form
        Since:
        1.6
      • addLabel

        public final javax.swing.JLabel addLabel​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic)
        Adds a textual label to the form using the default constraints.

         addLabel("Name:");       // No Mnemonic
         addLabel("N&ame:");      // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addLabel("Save &as:");   // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addLabel("Look&&Feel:"); // No mnemonic, text is "look&feel"
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        Returns:
        the new label
        See Also:
        ComponentFactory
      • addLabel

        public final javax.swing.JLabel addLabel​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic,
                                                 CellConstraints constraints)
        Adds a textual label to the form using the specified constraints.

         addLabel("Name:",       CC.xy(1, 1)); // No Mnemonic
         addLabel("N&ame:",      CC.xy(1, 1)); // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addLabel("Save &as:",   CC.xy(1, 1)); // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addLabel("Look&&Feel:", CC.xy(1, 1)); // No mnemonic, text is "look&feel"
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        constraints - the label's cell constraints
        Returns:
        the new label
        See Also:
        ComponentFactory
      • addLabel

        public final javax.swing.JLabel addLabel​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic,
                                                 java.lang.String encodedConstraints)
        Adds a textual label to the form using the specified constraints.

         addLabel("Name:",       "1, 1"); // No Mnemonic
         addLabel("N&ame:",      "1, 1"); // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addLabel("Save &as:",   "1, 1"); // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addLabel("Look&&Feel:", "1, 1"); // No mnemonic, text is "look&feel"
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        encodedConstraints - a string representation for the constraints
        Returns:
        the new label
        See Also:
        ComponentFactory
      • addLabel

        public final javax.swing.JLabel addLabel​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic,
                                                 CellConstraints labelConstraints,
                                                 java.awt.Component component,
                                                 CellConstraints componentConstraints)
        Adds a label and component to the panel using the given cell constraints. Sets the given label as the component label using JLabel.setLabelFor(java.awt.Component).

        Note: The CellConstraints objects for the label and the component must be different. Cell constraints are implicitly cloned by the FormLayout when added to the container. However, in this case you may be tempted to reuse a CellConstraints object in the same way as with many other builder methods that require a single CellConstraints parameter. The pitfall is that the methods CellConstraints.xy*(...) just set the coordinates but do not create a new instance. And so the second invocation of xy*(...) overrides the settings performed in the first invocation before the object is cloned by the FormLayout.

        Wrong:

         builder.addLabel(
             "&Name:",            // Mnemonic is 'N'
             cc.xy(1, 7),         // will be modified by the code below
             nameField,
             cc.xy(3, 7)          // sets the single instance to (3, 7)
         );
         
        Correct:
         builder.addLabel(
             "&Name:",
             CC.xy(1, 7),         // creates an instance
             nameField,
             CC.xy(3, 7)          // creates another instance
         );
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        labelConstraints - the label's cell constraints
        component - the component to add
        componentConstraints - the component's cell constraints
        Returns:
        the added label
        Throws:
        java.lang.IllegalArgumentException - if the same cell constraints instance is used for the label and the component
        See Also:
        JLabel.setLabelFor(java.awt.Component), ComponentFactory, DefaultFormBuilder
      • addROLabel

        public final javax.swing.JLabel addROLabel​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic)
        Adds a textual label intended for labeling read-only components to the form using the default constraints.

         addROLabel("Name:");       // No Mnemonic
         addROLabel("N&ame:");      // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addROLabel("Save &as:");   // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addROLabel("Look&&Feel:"); // No mnemonic, text is "look&feel"
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        Returns:
        the new label
        Since:
        1.3
      • addROLabel

        public final javax.swing.JLabel addROLabel​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic,
                                                   CellConstraints constraints)
        Adds a textual label intended for labeling read-only components to the form using the specified constraints.

         addROLabel("Name:",       CC.xy(1, 1)); // No Mnemonic
         addROLabel("N&ame:",      CC.xy(1, 1)); // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addROLabel("Save &as:",   CC.xy(1, 1)); // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addROLabel("Look&&Feel:", CC.xy(1, 1)); // No mnemonic, text is "look&feel"
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        constraints - the label's cell constraints
        Returns:
        the new label
        Since:
        1.3
      • addROLabel

        public final javax.swing.JLabel addROLabel​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic,
                                                   java.lang.String encodedConstraints)
        Adds a textual label intended for labeling read-only components to the form using the specified constraints.

         addROLabel("Name:",       "1, 1"); // No Mnemonic
         addROLabel("N&ame:",      "1, 1"); // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addROLabel("Save &as:",   "1, 1"); // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addROLabel("Look&&Feel:", "1, 1"); // No mnemonic, text is "look&feel"
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        encodedConstraints - a string representation for the constraints
        Returns:
        the new label
        Since:
        1.3
      • addROLabel

        public final javax.swing.JLabel addROLabel​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic,
                                                   CellConstraints labelConstraints,
                                                   java.awt.Component component,
                                                   CellConstraints componentConstraints)
        Adds a label and component to the panel using the given cell constraints. Sets the given label as the component label using JLabel.setLabelFor(java.awt.Component).

        Note: The CellConstraints objects for the label and the component must be different. Cell constraints are implicitly cloned by the FormLayout when added to the container. However, in this case you may be tempted to reuse a CellConstraints object in the same way as with many other builder methods that require a single CellConstraints parameter. The pitfall is that the methods CellConstraints.xy*(...) just set the coordinates but do not create a new instance. And so the second invocation of xy*(...) overrides the settings performed in the first invocation before the object is cloned by the FormLayout.

        Wrong:

         builder.addROLabel(
             "&Name:",            // Mnemonic is 'N'
             cc.xy(1, 7),         // will be modified by the code below
             nameField,
             cc.xy(3, 7)          // sets the single instance to (3, 7)
         );
         
        Correct:
         builder.addROLabel(
             "&Name:",
             CC.xy(1, 7),          // creates an instance
             nameField,
             CC.xy(3, 7)           // creates another instance
         );
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        labelConstraints - the label's cell constraints
        component - the component to add
        componentConstraints - the component's cell constraints
        Returns:
        the added label
        Throws:
        java.lang.IllegalArgumentException - if the same cell constraints instance is used for the label and the component
        Since:
        1.3
        See Also:
        JLabel.setLabelFor(java.awt.Component), DefaultFormBuilder
      • addTitle

        public final javax.swing.JLabel addTitle​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic)
        Adds a title label to the form using the default constraints.

         addTitle("Name");       // No mnemonic
         addTitle("N&ame");      // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addTitle("Save &as");   // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addTitle("Look&&Feel"); // No mnemonic, text is Look&Feel
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the title label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        Returns:
        the added title label
        See Also:
        ComponentFactory
      • addTitle

        public final javax.swing.JLabel addTitle​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic,
                                                 CellConstraints constraints)
        Adds a title label to the form using the specified constraints.

         addTitle("Name",       CC.xy(1, 1)); // No mnemonic
         addTitle("N&ame",      CC.xy(1, 1)); // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addTitle("Save &as",   CC.xy(1, 1)); // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addTitle("Look&&Feel", CC.xy(1, 1)); // No mnemonic, text is Look&Feel
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the title label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        constraints - the separator's cell constraints
        Returns:
        the added title label
        See Also:
        ComponentFactory
      • addTitle

        public final javax.swing.JLabel addTitle​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic,
                                                 java.lang.String encodedConstraints)
        Adds a title label to the form using the specified constraints.

         addTitle("Name",       "1, 1"); // No mnemonic
         addTitle("N&ame",      "1, 1"); // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addTitle("Save &as",   "1, 1"); // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addTitle("Look&&Feel", "1, 1"); // No mnemonic, text is Look&Feel
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the title label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        encodedConstraints - a string representation for the constraints
        Returns:
        the added title label
        See Also:
        ComponentFactory
      • addSeparator

        public final javax.swing.JComponent addSeparator​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic)
        Adds a titled separator to the form that spans all columns.

         addSeparator("Name");       // No Mnemonic
         addSeparator("N&ame");      // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addSeparator("Save &as");   // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addSeparator("Look&&Feel"); // No mnemonic, text is "look&feel"
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the separator label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        Returns:
        the added separator
      • addSeparator

        public final javax.swing.JComponent addSeparator​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic,
                                                         CellConstraints constraints)
        Adds a titled separator to the form using the specified constraints.

         addSeparator("Name",       CC.xy(1, 1)); // No Mnemonic
         addSeparator("N&ame",      CC.xy(1, 1)); // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addSeparator("Save &as",   CC.xy(1, 1)); // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addSeparator("Look&&Feel", CC.xy(1, 1)); // No mnemonic, text is "look&feel"
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the separator label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        constraints - the separator's cell constraints
        Returns:
        the added separator
      • addSeparator

        public final javax.swing.JComponent addSeparator​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic,
                                                         java.lang.String encodedConstraints)
        Adds a titled separator to the form using the specified constraints.

         addSeparator("Name",       "1, 1"); // No Mnemonic
         addSeparator("N&ame",      "1, 1"); // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addSeparator("Save &as",   "1, 1"); // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addSeparator("Look&&Feel", "1, 1"); // No mnemonic, text is "look&feel"
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the separator label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        encodedConstraints - a string representation for the constraints
        Returns:
        the added separator
      • addSeparator

        public final javax.swing.JComponent addSeparator​(java.lang.String textWithMnemonic,
                                                         int columnSpan)
        Adds a titled separator to the form that spans the specified columns.

         addSeparator("Name",       3); // No Mnemonic
         addSeparator("N&ame",      3); // Mnemonic is 'a'
         addSeparator("Save &as",   3); // Mnemonic is the second 'a'
         addSeparator("Look&&Feel", 3); // No mnemonic, text is "look&feel"
         
        Parameters:
        textWithMnemonic - the separator label's text - may contain an ampersand (&) to mark a mnemonic
        columnSpan - the number of columns the separator spans
        Returns:
        the added separator
      • add

        public final javax.swing.JLabel add​(javax.swing.JLabel label,
                                            CellConstraints labelConstraints,
                                            java.awt.Component component,
                                            CellConstraints componentConstraints)
        Adds a label and component to the panel using the given cell constraints. Sets the given label as the component label using JLabel.setLabelFor(java.awt.Component).

        Note: The CellConstraints objects for the label and the component must be different. Cell constraints are implicitly cloned by the FormLayout when added to the container. However, in this case you may be tempted to reuse a CellConstraints object in the same way as with many other builder methods that require a single CellConstraints parameter. The pitfall is that the methods CellConstraints.xy*(...) just set the coordinates but do not create a new instance. And so the second invocation of xy*(...) overrides the settings performed in the first invocation before the object is cloned by the FormLayout.

        Wrong:

         CellConstraints cc = new CellConstraints();
         builder.add(
             nameLabel,
             cc.xy(1, 7),         // will be modified by the code below
             nameField,
             cc.xy(3, 7)          // sets the single instance to (3, 7)
         );
         
        Correct:
         builder.add(
             nameLabel,
             CC.xy(1, 7),         // creates an instance
             nameField,
             CC.xy(3, 7)          // creates another instance
         );
         
        Parameters:
        label - the label to add
        labelConstraints - the label's cell constraints
        component - the component to add
        componentConstraints - the component's cell constraints
        Returns:
        the added label
        Throws:
        java.lang.IllegalArgumentException - if the same cell constraints instance is used for the label and the component
        See Also:
        JLabel.setLabelFor(java.awt.Component), DefaultFormBuilder
      • add

        public java.awt.Component add​(java.awt.Component component,
                                      CellConstraints cellConstraints)
        Adds a component to the panel using the given cell constraints. In addition to the superclass behavior, this implementation tracks the most recently added label, and associates it with the next added component that is applicable for being set as component for the label.
        Overrides:
        add in class AbstractFormBuilder
        Parameters:
        component - the component to add
        cellConstraints - the component's cell constraints
        Returns:
        the added component
        See Also:
        isLabelForApplicable(JLabel, Component)
      • manageLabelsAndComponents

        private void manageLabelsAndComponents​(java.awt.Component c)
      • isLabelForApplicable

        protected boolean isLabelForApplicable​(javax.swing.JLabel label,
                                               java.awt.Component component)
        Checks and answers whether the given component shall be set as component for a previously added label using JLabel.setLabelFor(Component). This default implementation checks whether the component is focusable, and - if a JComponent - whether it is already labeled by a JLabel. Subclasses may override.
        Parameters:
        label - the candidate for labeling component
        component - the component that could be labeled by label
        Returns:
        true if focusable, false otherwise
      • setLabelFor

        protected void setLabelFor​(javax.swing.JLabel label,
                                   java.awt.Component component)
        Sets label as labeling label for component or an appropriate child. In case of a JScrollPane as given component, this default implementation labels the view of the scroll pane's viewport.
        Parameters:
        label - the labeling label
        component - the component to be labeled, or the parent of the labeled component
      • getMostRecentlyAddedLabel

        private javax.swing.JLabel getMostRecentlyAddedLabel()
        Returns the most recently added JLabel that has a mnemonic set - if any, null, if none has been set, or if it has been cleared after setting an association before, or if it has been cleared by the garbage collector.
        Returns:
        the most recently added JLabel that has a mnemonic set and has not been associated with a component applicable for this feature. null otherwise.
      • setMostRecentlyAddedLabel

        private void setMostRecentlyAddedLabel​(javax.swing.JLabel label)
        Sets the given label as most recently added label using a weak reference.
        Parameters:
        label - the label to be set
      • clearMostRecentlyAddedLabel

        private void clearMostRecentlyAddedLabel()
        Clears the reference to the most recently added mnemonic label.