[bobleny]

Simple, you use the Integer.parseInt() method.

Code:

String stroption = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(null, menu, "Choose an Option:", JOptionPane.QUESTION_MESSAGE);
int option = Integer.parseInt(stroption);

If you really want to get fancy to avoid any error, use a try catch statement:

Code:

String stroption = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(null, menu, "Choose an Option:", JOptionPane.QUESTION_MESSAGE);
int option;
try
{
    option = Integer.parseInt(stroption);

}
catch(Exception E)
{
    option = 0;
}

And life is good....