Create a form, input some data and save to file

[cselic]

Hi.
I have a frame and button in that frame. click on the button opens form (new window) with fields (JTextFields). when the fields are filled click on the form's button stores the data in the file.

My doubt is:
Which component to use as a form window? Use JFrame or something else?
Maybe a stupid question, but I do not know what to use when I have the main window and I need to open another window.

[Fubarable]

Perhaps a JDialog or JOptionPane.

[cselic]

Thank you.
I have written almost the entire program, with JFrame as main window, and new JFrame as form window. when I'm done with the program I'll post it here. Later, I'll try to write it with JDialog or JOptionPane.

[cselic]

It's almost done. I have a problem with MouseListener : program does not write to file.

import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import java.awt.event.MouseEvent;
import java.awt.event.MouseListener;

import java.io.BufferedWriter;
import java.io.FileWriter;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.File;

import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;

public class OpeningForm {
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
			
			@Override
			public void run() {
				BasicForm frame = new BasicForm("Basic Frame");
				InputForm inputForm = new InputForm();
				frame.createGUI();
			}
		});
	}

}

class BasicForm extends JFrame {
	public BasicForm(String name) {
		setTitle(name);
		BasicPanel panel = new BasicPanel();
		add(panel);
		setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
		setSize(300,300);
		
	}
	public void createGUI() {
		setVisible(true);
	}
}

class InputForm extends JFrame {
	public InputForm() {
		InputPanel panel = new InputPanel();
		add(panel);
		setSize(200,200);
		setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
		setVisible(false);
	}
}

class BasicPanel extends JPanel {
	public BasicPanel() {
		JButton button = new JButton("New...");
		button.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
			
			public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {
				InputForm inputForm = new InputForm();
				inputForm.setVisible(true);
			}
		});
		add(button);
	}
}

class InputPanel extends JPanel implements MouseListener {
	JTextField firstNameField;
	 JTextField secondNameField;
	 JTextField phoneNumber;

	public InputPanel() {
		 firstNameField = new JTextField(20);
		 secondNameField = new JTextField(20);
		 phoneNumber = new JTextField(15);
		 
		 JButton saveToFileButton = new JButton("Save to file");
		 
		 saveToFileButton.addMouseListener(this);
		 
		 add(firstNameField);
		 add(secondNameField);
		 add(phoneNumber);
		 add(saveToFileButton);
	}
	
				@Override
				public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent arg0) {
					BufferedWriter writer;
					try {
						File file = new File("contacts.txt");
						writer = new BufferedWriter(new FileWriter(file));
						writer.write(firstNameField.getText() + "\t" + secondNameField + "\t" + phoneNumber);
					} catch(FileNotFoundException e) {
						e.printStackTrace();
					} catch (IOException e) {
						e.printStackTrace();
					}
				}
				@Override
				public void mouseEntered(MouseEvent arg0) {
					// TODO Auto-generated method stub
					
				}
				@Override
				public void mouseExited(MouseEvent arg0) {
					// TODO Auto-generated method stub
					
				}
				@Override
				public void mousePressed(MouseEvent arg0) {
					// TODO Auto-generated method stub
					
				}
				@Override
				public void mouseReleased(MouseEvent arg0) {
					// TODO Auto-generated method stub
					
				}
		 
}

[Fubarable]

Some problems immediately leap to view:

1) You really don't want to add a MouseListener to a JButton as you lose many of the benefits of the button's behavior (you can't disable a JButton and expect the mouselistener to be silent for instance). Also, when you use mouseClicked, it won't fire if you press the mouse down and move it slightly before releasing it. What happens if the user presses the spacebar while the JButton has focus causing the button to depress but causing no action to be fired. Use an ActionListener for the JButton's listener -- that's what they're for.

2) You also appear to be creating some objects for no reason, for instance the InputForm object that you create in the main method -- why is that being created?

3) I think that you're better off using a JDialog to show your second window. I wouldn't even subclass JDialog -- rather just use one and place your InputPanel into it.

4) Your GUI classes shouldn't be implementing any of the action interfaces as that's asking the classes to do too much. Sure this may be OK in very basic example programs, but it's not good practice and a good habit to get out of as early as possible.

[cselic]

Your advices to me were very helpful. Thank you.

I have completed the program:

import java.awt.GridLayout;

import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;

import java.io.BufferedWriter;
import java.io.FileWriter;
import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.File;

import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JDialog;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;

public class OpenningForm {
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
			
			@Override
			public void run() {
				BasicForm frame = new BasicForm("Basic Frame");
				frame.createGUI();
			}
		});
	}

}

class BasicForm extends JFrame {
	public BasicForm(String name) {
		setTitle(name);
		BasicPanel panel = new BasicPanel();
		add(panel);
		setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
		setSize(300,300);
		
	}
	public void createGUI() {
		setVisible(true);
	}
}

class BasicPanel extends JPanel {
	public BasicPanel() {
		JButton button = new JButton("New...");
		button.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
			
			public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {
				InputDialog inputForm = new InputDialog();
				inputForm.setVisible(true);
			}
		});
		add(button);
	}
}

class InputDialog extends JDialog {
	public InputDialog() {
		InputPanel panel = new InputPanel();
		setTitle("Input Dialog");
		add(panel);
		setSize(200,150);
		setLocationRelativeTo(null);
		setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.HIDE_ON_CLOSE);
		setVisible(false);
	}
}


class InputPanel extends JPanel {
	JTextField firstNameField;
	 JTextField secondNameField;
	 JTextField phoneNumber;
	 
	public InputPanel() {
		GridLayout gridLayout = new GridLayout(4,2);
		setLayout(gridLayout);
		 firstNameField = new JTextField(20);
		 secondNameField = new JTextField(20);
		 phoneNumber = new JTextField(15);
		 JLabel firstNameLabel = new JLabel("First name: ");
		 JLabel secondNameLabel = new JLabel("Second name: ");
		 JLabel phoneNumberLabel = new JLabel("Phone number: ");
		 
		 JButton saveToFileButton = new JButton("Save to file");
		 
		 saveToFileButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
			
			@Override
			public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
				BufferedWriter writer;
				try {
					//File file = new File("contacts.txt");
					writer = new BufferedWriter(new FileWriter("contacts.txt",true));
					writer.write(firstNameField.getText() + "\t" + secondNameField.getText() + "\t" + phoneNumber.getText());
					writer.newLine();
					writer.close();
				} catch(FileNotFoundException ex) {
					ex.printStackTrace();
				} catch (IOException ex) {
					ex.printStackTrace();
				}
				
			}
		});
		 add(firstNameLabel);
		 add(firstNameField);
		 add(secondNameLabel);
		 add(secondNameField);
		 add(phoneNumberLabel);
		 add(phoneNumber);
		 add(saveToFileButton);
	}					
}