How to use BoxLayout in Java?

[Beter 2 Burn Out]

Hi folks,
You guys are really cool in explaining the things. So I thought that instead of doing the searching on web and wasting the time, it would be better if I post here. I have just completed about the layout manager in Java. Now I am told to use the BoxLayout, which I don't know how to do..!! So please help me by telling how to use BoxLayout in Java.?? Hope that you will have me sooner.!! Thanks in Advance.

[kyosang]

A layout manager that allows multiple components to be laid out either vertically or horizontally. The Swing packages include a general purpose layout manager named BoxLayout. According to your choice, a BoxLayout either stacks its components on top of each other or places them in a row. The components will not wrap. The BoxLayout manager is constructed with an axis parameter that specifies the type of layout that will be done. There are four types from which you can choose one :

1. X_AXIS - In this type, the components are laid out horizontally from left to right.
2. Y_AXIS - If you choose this choice, then the arrangement of the components would be vertically from top to bottom.
3. LINE_AXIS - In this type components are laid out the way words are laid out in a line, based on the container's ComponentOrientation property.

[Solitario]

I have provided you the full coding of the BoxLayout, which is described as follows :

import java.awt.Component;
import java.awt.Container;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.BoxLayout;
import javax.swing.JFrame;

public class BoxLayoutTrial {
    public static void addComponentsToPane(Container pane) {
        pane.setLayout(new BoxLayout(pane, BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));

        addAButton("Button 1", pane);
        addAButton("Button 2", pane);
        addAButton("Button 3", pane);
        addAButton("Long-Named Button 4", pane);
        addAButton("Button 5", pane);
    }

    private static void addAButton(String text, Container container) {
        JButton button = new JButton(text);
        button.setAlignmentX(Component.CENTER_ALIGNMENT);
        container.add(button);
    }
    private static void createAndShowGUI() {
        JFrame frame = new JFrame("BoxLayoutTrial");
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);

        addComponentsToPane(frame.getContentPane());

        frame.pack();
        frame.setVisible(true);
    }

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

[CodGuru]

I have given you the coding which lays out the GUI. This code is in the constructor for the dialog, which is implemented as a JDialog subclass. So have a look at the sample of code :

JScrollPane listScroller = new JScrollPane(list);
listScroller.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(320, 110));
listScroller.setAlignmentX(LEFT_ALIGNMENT);
...
JPanel listPane = new JPanel();
listPane.setLayout(new BoxLayout(listPane, BoxLayout.PAGE_AXIS));
JLabel label = new JLabel(labelText);
...
listPane.add(label);
listPane.add(Box.createRigidArea(new Dimension(0,7)));
listPane.add(listScroller);
listPane.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(20,20,20,20));

JPanel buttonPane = new JPanel();
buttonPane.setLayout(new BoxLayout(buttonPane, BoxLayout.LINE_AXIS));
buttonPane.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEmptyBorder(0, 20, 20, 20));
buttonPane.add(Box.createHorizontalGlue());
buttonPane.add(cancelButton);
buttonPane.add(Box.createRigidArea(new Dimension(20, 0)));
buttonPane.add(setButton);

Container contentPane = getContentPane();
contentPane.add(listPane, BorderLayout.CENTER);
contentPane.add(buttonPane, BorderLayout.PAGE_END);

[Allan.d]

For Creating BoxLayout Objects, you will need some methods. The following are the methods that are used to do that :

• BoxLayout(Container, int) - This method creates a BoxLayout instance that controls the specified Container.
• Box(int) - This method creates a Box which is just like a container that uses a BoxLayout with the specified axis.
• static Box createHorizontalBox() - This method creates a Box that lays out its components from left to right.
• static Box createVerticalBox() - This method creates a Box that lays out its components from top to bottom.