Drawing in Java? or Maybe movable buttons?

[Bagzli]

Hello, I wanted to create a program that could calculate how big amount of boxes can a room fit. Boxes are different size all the time and you never know what dimension you are going to get. I wanted to make it somewhat visual by lets say a user enters dimensions and a box is drawn. I also need to make sure that the box fits in the room and they are not drawn one over another.

My idea is to just simply create buttons that user can move so user can see for himself if they fit or not, also have a function that auto arranges boxes (This is extra for later)

Now I Need a way to do this and i never learned anything like this in school, I only finished 1 year of java programming and got few months till next so I am trying to do something new to keep up with my programming.

Is there a way to make buttons movable once created in a compiled program. Or is there a way for java to draw regular boxes in compiled program and delete them?

Thanks upfront for taking the time to help me out.


EDIT: The movable buttons needs to be dragged with a mouse and be leveled up with edges of the room or other boxes.

[Norm]

Yes you can draw things at different locations and move them around.
Look at Mouse Listeners for how to detect where the mouse/cursor is located and where it is moving.
Look at overriding the paintComponent() method for redrawing a shape on a panel.

[Jodokus]

Like Norm said, stick to drawing. Don't try to shift components like buttons or panels around: they have "a life of their own" (risizing, being influenced by layoutmanagers etc.).
If you use java.awt.geom.Rectangle2D or other Shapes and don't rotate your boxes, you have a built in collisiondetection for points and rectangles with contains() and intersects().

[Bagzli]

Like Norm said, stick to drawing. Don't try to shift components like buttons or panels around: they have "a life of their own" (risizing, being influenced by layoutmanagers etc.).
If you use java.awt.geom.Rectangle2D or other Shapes and don't rotate your boxes, you have a build in collisiondetection for points and rectangles with contains() and intersects().

sorry didn't quite understand this: "you have a build in collisiondetection for points and rectangles with contains() and intersects()"

Would you please elaborate?

[Norm]

I also need to make sure that the box fits in the room and they are not drawn one over another.

Jodokus comments were an answer to your concern. The Rectangle class has the methods he mentioned that will help you with your concern

[Bagzli]

I'v never used Rectangle2D class before nor have i ever drawn something with Java, I was wondering if somebody can point me in the right direction with a guide maybe? I was googling for some example and it appears some guy is using Applets to draw, now I'm not sure if this is how you really are suppose to do it or is there a more efficient way?

[Norm]

The code to draw shapes uses the Graphics class methods in the paintComponent() method. It has nothing to do with applets. Search on the forum for paintComponent or for fillRect or for drawLine for sample code that draws shapes.

[Jodokus]

Would you please elaborate?

Norm explained most. If you want to know when your cursor is on a box, when boxes are colliding or when your boxes try to penetrate the wall, you need some form of collisiondetection. Shapes (including the mentioned rectangle) have some methods to do this for you.
Just try to practice some basic drawing, then add moving by the cursor (not the same as just following the cursor as in the next tutorial), then try to make your boxes and wall inpenetrable.
The basic paintingtutorial Lesson: Performing Custom Painting (The Java™ Tutorials > Creating a GUI With JFC/Swing) shifts a box around, but doesn't use Shapes. (I now risk banning for telling too much.)