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Thread: Let 'A' be an extension of JPanel, 'B' is a JPanel, and 'F' is a JFrame. Suppose B.add(A), and F.add(B). How do I access an ActionEvent, which occurs within 'A', from 'F'?

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    Default Let 'A' be an extension of JPanel, 'B' is a JPanel, and 'F' is a JFrame. Suppose B.add(A), and F.add(B). How do I access an ActionEvent, which occurs within 'A', from 'F'?

    Hi there!

    Here's the scenario:
    + Suppose we have a class GUI which extends JFrame and implements ActionListener.
    + We define a class Special_JPanel which extends JPanel.
    + A JComboBox, jCB, is a field in Special_JPanel.
    + A JPanel, baseJPnl, is a field in GUI.
    + A bunch of different components are placed into baseJPnl, including an instance of Special_JPanel.
    + The GUI class also functions as the driver class for my app.

    The Problem:
    + A part of GUI's state needs to be dependent upon the ActionEvent which is generated by jCB ( e.g., If the user selects item 'a' from jCB, the GUI field 'm' is assigned value 'x', but if the user selects 'b' from jCB, 'm' is assigned value 'y'. )

    The Current (Improper) Solution:
    + Set the access modifier of jCB to 'public' instead of 'private'. Then, it can be accessed directly from GUI.

    The Query:
    + Aside form defining all of Special_JPanel within the body of GUI, is there a better way to solve this problem? I've been taught that the fields of a class must always be 'private' to maintain proper encapsulation.


    Thanks in advance!
    Chris


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    Default Re: Let 'A' be an extension of JPanel, 'B' is a JPanel, and 'F' is a JFrame. Suppose B.add(A), and F.add(B). How do I access an ActionEvent, which occurs within 'A', from 'F'?

    Can you post some code that shows the problem?
    Are you asking about something like this: 'A'. addActionListener('F')
    If you don't understand my answer, don't ignore it, ask a question.

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    Default Re: Let 'A' be an extension of JPanel, 'B' is a JPanel, and 'F' is a JFrame. Suppose B.add(A), and F.add(B). How do I access an ActionEvent, which occurs within 'A', from 'F'?

    Here's code that uses the current (improper) solution:

    import javax.swing.JPanel;
    import javax.swing.JComboBox;
     
    import java.awt.Dimension;
     
    public class Special_JPanel extends JPanel{
     
    	public JComboBox<String> jCB;
     
    	public Special_JPanel(){
    		setPreferredSize( new Dimension(200, 200) );
    		String[] options = { "X", "Y" };
    		jCB = new JComboBox<String>(options);
    		jCB.setActionCommand("changeMode");
    		add(jCB);
     
    	}
     
    	public static void main(String[] args) {}
    }
     
    //----------------------------------------------------------
    import javax.swing.JFrame;
    import javax.swing.JPanel;
     
    import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
    import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
    import java.awt.Dimension;
    import java.awt.Color;
     
     
    public class GUI extends JFrame implements ActionListener{
     
    	private Special_JPanel sJP;
    	private JPanel baseJPnl;
    	private JPanel otherComponents;
     
    	private Integer mode;
     
    	public GUI(){
    		otherComponents = new JPanel();
    		otherComponents.setPreferredSize( new Dimension( 200, 300 ) );
     
    		sJP = new Special_JPanel();
    		baseJPnl = new JPanel();
    		mode = 1;
     
    		sJP.jCB.addActionListener(this);
    	}
     
    	public void createAndShowGUI(){
    		update();
    	}
     
    	private void update(){
    		revalidate();
     
    		if (mode == 1){
    			otherComponents.setBackground(Color.blue);
    		}
    		else{
    			otherComponents.setBackground(Color.green);
    		}
     
    		baseJPnl.add(otherComponents);
    		baseJPnl.add(sJP);
     
    		add(baseJPnl);
     
    		pack();
    		setVisible(true);
    	}
     
    	public static void main(String[] args) {
    		GUI g = new GUI();
    		g.createAndShowGUI();
    	}
     
    	@Override
    	public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
     
    		if ( e.getActionCommand().equals("changeMode") ){
    			if ( sJP.jCB.getSelectedItem().equals("X") ){
    				mode = 1;
    			}
    			else if ( sJP.jCB.getSelectedItem().equals("Y") ){
    				mode = 2;
    			}
    			update();
    		}
    	}
    }

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    Default Re: Let 'A' be an extension of JPanel, 'B' is a JPanel, and 'F' is a JFrame. Suppose B.add(A), and F.add(B). How do I access an ActionEvent, which occurs within 'A', from 'F'?

    code that uses the current (improper) solution:
    Can you explain why this is an improper solution?
    I don't see any comments in the code about any problems or anything?
    If you don't understand my answer, don't ignore it, ask a question.

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    Default Re: Let 'A' be an extension of JPanel, 'B' is a JPanel, and 'F' is a JFrame. Suppose B.add(A), and F.add(B). How do I access an ActionEvent, which occurs within 'A', from 'F'?

    It's improper because the first class, Special_JPanel, has a field which is left as public. --And, this is done so that the first class can access the JComboBox, jCB, for the sake of 'hearing' its ActionEvent. While I have been taught that this is not the proper way to code in OOED languages, it's the only way that I have been able to make my driver class, GUI, respond to an event which occurs within Special_JPanel.

    I'm sure that there's got to be some way to do this, but I've always found awt and javax.swing to be confusing.

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    Default Re: Let 'A' be an extension of JPanel, 'B' is a JPanel, and 'F' is a JFrame. Suppose B.add(A), and F.add(B). How do I access an ActionEvent, which occurs within 'A', from 'F'?

    The two classes are too tightly connected to be separate, external classes.
    The Strings: changeMode, X and Y should all be defined and used in one class.
    mode is something defined and used in the other class.
    Perhaps a method setMode() in the big class could be called from the smaller listener class.
    I don't know how to connect the "X" to a 1 and the "Y" to a 2. Perhaps an enum
    If you don't understand my answer, don't ignore it, ask a question.

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