AWT (Abstract Windowing Toolkit)
The AWT is roughly broken into three categories
Components
Layout Managers
Graphics
Many AWT components have been replaced by Swing components
It is generally not considered a good idea to mix Swing components and AWT
components. Choose to use one or the other
AWT Class Hierarchy
Container
The Container is a component in AWT that can contain another components like
buttons, textfields, labels etc. The classes that extends Container class are known as
container such as Frame, Dialog and Panel.
Window
The window is the container that have no borders and menu bars. You must use frame,
dialog or another window for creating a window.
Panel
The Panel is the container that doesn't contain title bar and menu bars. It can have other
components like button, textfield etc.
Frame
The Frame is the container that contain title bar and can have menu bars. It can have
other components like button, textfield etc.
Useful Methods of Component class
Method Description
public void add(Component c) inserts a component on this component.
public void setSize(int width,int sets the size (width and height) of the
height) component.
public void defines the layout manager for the component.
setLayout(LayoutManager m)
public void setVisible(boolean status) changes the visibility of the component, by
default false.
AWT contains various classes and methods that allow you to create and manage
windows.
AWT Classes:
Button Create a push button control
Checkbox Creates a check box control
CheckboxGroup Creates a group of checkboxes
Choice Creates a pop-up list
Color Manages colors in a portable
platform-independentfashion
Component An abstract superclass for various
AWT components
Container A subclass of Component that can
hold other components
Dialog Creates a dialog window
Font Encapsulates a type font
Frame Creates a standard window that has
a title bar, resize corners and a menu
bar.
Graphics Encapsulates the graphics context
GridLayout The grid layout manager,displays
components in a two dimensional
grid
Label Creates a label that displays a string
List Creates a list from which the user
can choose
Menu Creates a pulldown menu
MenuBar Creates a menubar
Panel Simplest concrete subclass of
Container
Scrollbar Creates a scrollbar control
TextArea Creates a multiline edit control
TextComponent A super class of TextArea and
TextField
TextField Creates a single line edit control
Window Creates a window with no frame,no
menu bar , and no title
Working with Graphics
Graphics class defines a number of drawing functions
Drawing Lines:
void drawLine(int X,int Y,int P,int Q);
The above method displays aline in the current drawing color that begins at x,y and ends at p,q
Drawing Rectngles
void drawRect(int top,int left,int w,int h);
Upper left corner is at top,left.The dimensions are in w,h
void fillRect(int top,int left,int width,int height);
Draws a filled rectangle.
void drawRoundRect(int top,int left,int widthe,int
height,int xDiam,int yDiam);
void fillRoundRect(int top,int left,int widthe,int height,int xDiam,int yDiam);
Drawing Ovals
void drawOval(int top,int left,int widthe,int height);
void fillOval(int top,int left,int widthe,int height);
The ellipse is drawn with in a bounding rectangle .Todraw a circle specify a square as the
bounding rectagle.
Drawing Arcs
void drawArc(int top,int left,int widthe,int height,int startangle,int sweetangle);
void fillArc(int top,int left,int widthe,int height,int startangle,int sweetangle);
The arc is bounded in rectangle and it is drawn from start angle through the angular distance
specified by sweep angle. The arc is drawn counter clockwise if sweepangle is positive and
clockwise if sweepangle is negative.
Drawing Polygons
void drawPolygon(int x[],int y[],int nmpts)
void fillPolygon(int x[],int y[],int nmpts)
The polygons endpoints are specified by the coordinate pairs contained within x and y arrays.
Setting colors can be done as g.setColor(Color.red)
import java.awt.*;
import java.applet.*;
/*<applet code="Applet2" width=500 height=600>
</applet>
*/
public class Applet2 extends Applet
{
public void paint(Graphics g)
{
g.drawLine(20,30,100,200);
g.drawRect(10,10,60,50);
g.fillRect(400,100,60,50);
g.drawRoundRect(190,10,60,50,15,15);
g.fillRoundRect(700,900,140,100,30,40);
g.drawOval(150,150,50,50);
g.fillOval(200,200,75,50);
g.drawArc(150,40,70,70,0,75);
g.setColor(Color.blue);
g.fillArc(100,40,70,70,0,75);
g.setColor(Color.red);
int xpo[]={30,200,30,200,30};
int ypo[]={30,30,200,200,30};
int num=5;
g.drawPolygon(xpo,ypo,num);
g.setColor(Color.cyan);
int xpo1[]={300,200,300,200,300};
int ypo1[]={300,300,200,200,300};
int num1=5;
g.setXORMode(Color.white);
g.fillPolygon(xpo1,ypo1,num1);
}
}
AWT Controls and Layout Managers:
Controls are components that allow a user to interact with your application in various
ways for ex: control like a push button,labels,checkbox etc
Layout manager automatically positions components within a container… if not
specified the default layout manger will be used
Control Fundamentals
To include a control in a window you must add it to the window by creating an
instance of the desired control and then adding it to a window by calling add()
defined by Container.
Forms of add()
Component add(Component cobj)
To remove a control from a window call remove() defined in Container
void remove(Component cobj)
You can remove all the controls by calling removeAll()
Except for labels , which are passive , all controls generate events when they
are accessed by the user.
Most of AWT controls throw a HeadlessException when an attempt is made to
instantiate a GUI component in a non-interactive environment such as no
display, mouse, or keyboard)
LABELS
A label is object of type Label and contains a string which it displays
Constructors are:
Label() throws HeadlessException
Label(String str) throws HeadlessException
Label(String str,int how) throws HeadlessException
First version creates empty label
Second creates a label that contains the string specified and is left-justified
The third creates a label that contains the string specified and the alignment
specified by ‘how’.
You can set or change the text in a label by using setText() and can obtain the
current label by getText() method.
Void setText(String str)
String getText()
You can set alignment using setAlignment() and obtain the current by
getAlignment()
void setAlignment(int how)
int getAlignment()
PROGRAM
import java.awt.*;
import java.applet.*;
/*<applet code="LabelDemo" width=500 height=600>
</applet>
*/
public class LabelDemo extends Applet
{
public void init()
{
Label one=new Label("ONE");
Label two=new Label("TWO");
Label three=new Label("THREE");
add(one);
add(two);
add(three);
}}
BUTTONS
a push button is a component that contains a label and that generates an event
when it is pressed, are objects of type Button.
It has 2 contructors
i) Button() throws HeadlessException
---Creates an empty button and label can be set using setLabel()
---void setLabel(String str)
ii) Button(String str) throws HeadlessException
--creates a button that contains str as a label
---can retrieve its label by getLabel()
--String getLabel()
Each time a button is pressed, an action event is generated that is sent to any
listeners registered; each listener implements ActionListener interface that
defines actionPerformed() method which is called whenever an event occurs.
The label can be obtained by calling getActionCommand() on ActionEvent object
passed to actionPerformed().
PROGRAM
import java.awt.*;
import java.applet.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
/*<applet code="ButtonDemo" width=500 height=600>
</applet>
*/
public class ButtonDemo extends Applet implements ActionListener
{
String msg="";
Button b1,b2,b3;
public void init()
{
setForeground(Color.pink);
setBackground(Color.green);
b1=new Button("YES");
b2=new Button("NO");
b3=new Button("MAYBE");
add(b1);
add(b2);
add(b3);
b1.addActionListener(this);
b2.addActionListener(this);
b3.addActionListener(this);
}
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae)
{
String str=ae.getActionCommand();
if(str.equals("YES"))
msg="U PRESSED YES";
else if(str.equals("NO"))
{
msg="U PRESSED NO";
}
else
msg="U PRESSED UNDECIDED";
repaint();
}
public void paint(Graphics g)
{
g.drawString(msg,30,200);
}
}
CHECKBOXES:
---A checkbox is a control that is used to turn an option on or off.
--Constructors:
1. Checkbox() throws HeadlessException
---creates check box whose label is initially blank and to set the label setLabel() is
used
---void setLabel(String str)
2. Checkbox(String str) throws HeadlessException
----creates checkbox with the label as str and the state of the checkbox is
unchecked
3. Checkbox(String str,Boolean on) throws HeadlessException
----allows to set the initial state of the checkbox ; if variable on is true , then the
checkbox is initially checked otherwise is cleared.
4. Checkbox(String str,Boolean on,CheckboxGroup cb) throws
HeadlessException
----creates checkbox with label as str and group specified by cb ; if not a part of
this group then cb will be null.
---to get current label
String getLabel()
----to set the state call setState()
void setState(boolean o); if o is on then checked else cleared
---each time checkbox is selected or deselected an itemevent is generated which
is sent to the listeners registered with it ; all these listeners should implement
ItemListener interface which defines itemStateChanged() method.
PROGRAM
import java.awt.*;
import java.applet.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
/*<applet code="CheckboxDemo" width=500 height=600>
</applet>
*/
public class CheckboxDemo extends Applet implements ItemListener
{
String msg="";
Checkbox c1,c2,c3;
public void init()
{
c1=new Checkbox("Windows XP",null,true);
c2=new Checkbox("Solaris");
c3=new Checkbox("Mac Os",true);
add(c1);
add(c2);
add(c3);
c1.addItemListener(this);
c2.addItemListener(this);
c3.addItemListener(this);
}
public void itemStateChanged(ItemEvent ae)
{
repaint();
}
public void paint(Graphics g)
{
msg="windows XP : "+c1.getState();
g.drawString(msg,20,200);
msg="Solaris : "+c2.getState();
g.drawString(msg,30,250);
msg="mac OS : "+c3.getState();
g.drawString(msg,30,300);
}
}
CHECKBOXGROUP
---to create a set of mutually exclusive check boxes in which one and only one checkbox
in the group can be checked at anyone time ….these are often called “radio button”
---we can determine which checkbox in a group is currently selected by calling
getSelectedCheckbox() and can set a checkbox by calling setSelectedCheckbox()
--Checkbox getSelectedCheckbox()
--void setSelectedCheckbox(Checkbox which)
PROGRAM
import java.awt.*;
import java.applet.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
/*<applet code="CBGroup" width=500 height=600>
</applet>
*/
public class CBGroup extends Applet implements ItemListener
{
String msg="";
Checkbox winXP,solaris,mac;
CheckboxGroup cbg;
public void init()
{
cbg=new CheckboxGroup();
winXP=new Checkbox("Windows XP",cbg,true);
solaris=new Checkbox("Solaris",cbg,true);
mac=new Checkbox("Mac Os",cbg,false);
add(winXP);
add(solaris);
add(mac);
winXP.addItemListener(this);
solaris.addItemListener(this);
mac.addItemListener(this);
}
public void itemStateChanged(ItemEvent ae)
{
repaint();
}
public void paint(Graphics g)
{
msg=cbg.getSelectedCheckbox().getLabel();
g.drawString(msg,30,200);
}
