Introduction to Java Swing




 Swing is a Java Foundation Classes [JFC] library and an extension of the
Abstract Window Toolkit [AWT].
 Java Swing offers much-improved functionality over AWT, new components,
expanded components features, and excellent event handling with drag-and-
drop support.
Difference between Java Swing and Java AWT
There are certain points from which Java Swing is different than Java AWT as
mentioned below:
Java AWT Java Swing

Swing is a part of Java Foundation

Java AWT is an API to develop GUI
Classes and is used to create various
applications in Java.
applications.

Components of AWT are heavy The components of Java Swing are

weighted. lightweight.

Components are platform dependent. Components are platform independent.

Execution Time is more than Swing. Execution Time is less than AWT.

AWT components require java.awt Swing components requires javax.swing

package. package.

.
What is JFC?
JFC stands for Java Foundation Classes. JFC is the set of GUI components that
simplify desktop Applications. Many programmers think that JFC and Swing are one
and the same thing, but that is not so. JFC contains Swing [A UI component package]
and quite a number of other items:
Features Of Swing Class
 Pluggable look and feel.
 Uses MVC architecture.
 Lightweight Components
 Platform Independent
 Advanced features such as JTable, JTabbedPane, JScollPane, etc.
 Java is a platform-independent language and runs on any client machine, the GUI
look and feel, owned and delivered by a platform-specific O/S, simply does not
affect an application’s GUI constructed using Swing components.
 Lightweight Components: Starting with the JDK 1.1, its AWT-supported
lightweight component development. For a component to qualify as lightweight, it
must not depend on any non-Java [O/s based) system classes. Swing components
have their own view supported by Java’s look and feel classes.
 Pluggable Look and Feel: This feature enable the user to switch the look and feel
of Swing components without restarting an application. The Swing library
supports components’ look and feels that remain the same across all platforms
wherever the program runs. The Swing library provides an API that gives real
flexibility in determining the look and feel of the GUI of an application
 Highly customizable – Swing controls can be customized in a very easy way as
visual appearance is independent of internal representation.
 Rich controls– Swing provides a rich set of advanced controls like Tree
TabbedPane, slider, colorpicker, and table controls.
Swing Classes Hierarchy

The MVC Connection

 In general, a visual component is a composite of three distinct aspects:
1. The way that the component looks when rendered on the screen.
2. The way such that the component reacts to the user.
3. The state information associated with the component.
 Over the years, one component architecture has proven itself to be exceptionally
effective: – Model-View-Controller or MVC for short.
 In MVC terminology, the model corresponds to the state information associated
with the Component.
 The view determines how the component is displayed on the screen, including any
aspects of the view that are affected by the current state of the model.
 The controller determines how the component reacts to the user.
The simplest Swing components have capabilities far beyond AWT components
as follows:
 Swing buttons and labels can be displaying images instead of or in addition to text.
  The borders around most Swing components can be changed easily. For example,
it is easy to put a 1-pixel border around the outside of a Swing label.
 Swing components do not have to be rectangular. Buttons, for example, can be
round.
 Now The Latest Assertive technologies such as screen readers can easily get
information from Swing components. Example: A screen reader tool can easily
capture the text that is displayed on a Swing button or label.
Example of Java Swing Programs
Example 1: Develop a program using label (swing) to display the message “GFG WEB
Site Click”:

 Java

// Java program using label (swing)

// to display the message “GFG WEB Site Click”

import java.io.*;

import javax.swing.*;

// Main class

class GFG {

// Main driver method

public static void main(String[] args)

// Creating instance of JFrame

JFrame frame = new JFrame();

// Creating instance of JButton

 JButton button = new JButton(" GFG WebSite Click");

// x axis, y axis, width, height

button.setBounds(150, 200, 220, 50);

// adding button in JFrame

frame.add(button);

// 400 width and 500 height

frame.setSize(500, 600);

// using no layout managers

frame.setLayout(null);

// making the frame visible

frame.setVisible(true);

Output:
 Example 2: Write a program to create three buttons with caption OK, SUBMIT,
CANCEL.

 Java

// Java program to create three buttons

// with caption OK, SUBMIT, CANCEL

import java.awt.*;

class button {

button()

Frame f = new Frame();

// Button 1 created

// OK button

Button b1 = new Button("OK");

b1.setBounds(100, 50, 50, 50);

f.add(b1);

// Button 2 created

// Submit button

Button b2 = new Button("SUBMIT");

b2.setBounds(100, 101, 50, 50);

f.add(b2);

// Button 3 created
 // Cancel button

Button b3 = new Button("CANCEL");

b3.setBounds(100, 150, 80, 50);

f.add(b3);

f.setSize(500, 500);

f.setLayout(null);

f.setVisible(true);

public static void main(String a[]) { new button(); }

Output:
 Example 3: Program to Add Checkbox in the Frame

 Java

// Java Swing Program to Add Checkbox

// in the Frame

import java.awt.*;

// Driver Class

class Lan {

// Main Function

Lan()

// Frame Created
Frame f = new Frame();

Label l1 = new Label("Select known Languages");

l1.setBounds(100, 50, 120, 80);

f.add(l1);

// CheckBox created

Checkbox c2 = new Checkbox("Hindi");

c2.setBounds(100, 150, 50, 50);

f.add(c2);

// CheckBox created

Checkbox c3 = new Checkbox("English");

c3.setBounds(100, 200, 80, 50);

f.add(c3);

// CheckBox created

Checkbox c4 = new Checkbox("marathi");

c4.setBounds(100, 250, 80, 50);

f.add(c4);
 f.setSize(500, 500);

f.setLayout(null);

f.setVisible(true);

public static void main(String ar[]) { new Lan(); }

Output:
Components of Swing Class the task’s percentage
Class Description

A Component is the Abstract base class

for about the non-menu user-interface
Component controls of Java SWING. Components
are representing an object with a
graphical representation.

A Container is a component that can

Container
container Java SWING Components

JComponent A JComponent is a base class for all

swing UI Components In order to use a
swing component that inherits from
JComponent, the component must be in
 Class Description

a containment hierarchy whose root is a

top-level Java Swing container.

A JLabel is an object component for

JLabel
placing text in a container.

JButton This class creates a labeled button.

A JColorChooser provides a pane of

JColorChooser controls designed to allow the user to
manipulate and select a color.

A JCheckBox is a graphical (GUI)

JCheckBox component that can be in either an on-
(true) or off-(false) state.

The JRadioButton class is a graphical

(GUI) component that can be in either
JRadioButton
an on-(true) or off-(false) state. in the
group

A JList component represents the user

JList
with the scrolling list of text items.

A JComboBox component is Presents

JComboBox the User with a show up Menu of
choices.

A JTextField object is a text component

JTextField that will allow for the editing of a single
line of text.

A JPasswordField object it is a text

JPasswordField component specialized for password
entry.

A JTextArea object is a text component

JTextArea that allows for the editing of multiple
lines of text.
 Class Description

A ImageIcon control is an
Imagelcon implementation of the Icon interface
that paints Icons from Images

A JScrollbar control represents a scroll

JScrollbar bar component in order to enable users
to Select from range values.

JOptionPane provides set of standard

JOptionPane dialog boxes that prompt users for a
value or Something.

A JFileChooser it Controls represents a

JFileChooser dialog window from which the user can
select a file.

As the task progresses towards

JProgressBar completion, the progress bar displays
the tasks percentage on its completion.

A JSlider this class is letting the user

graphically (GUI) select by using a
JSlider
value by sliding a knob within a
bounded interval.

A JSpinner this class is a single line

input where the field that lets the user
JSpinner
select by using a number or an object
value from an ordered sequence.