New AWT/SWING user, help in JButton

[corrax]

Hi.
I am working on a game project for school, and I am new at swing/awt.
In my program, my code should print out 2 JButtons. But no Buttons show up. Here is class MyPanel which contains the methods paintComponent, and setting up both buttons as well as ActionListener.
***
First, here is the constructor for setting up the JButtons

public MyPanel(){
			cont = new Container();
			cont.setLayout(null);
			
			ins = new JButton("Instructions");
			ins.setSize(130,110);
			ins.setLocation(240,300);
			cont.add(ins);
			ins.addActionListener(this);
			
			newGame = new JButton("New Game");
			newGame.setSize(130,110);
			newGame.setLocation(360,500);
			cont.add(newGame);
			newGame.addActionListener(this);
			if(titleScreen)
				cont.setVisible(true);
			else if(!titleScreen)
				cont.setVisible(false);
		}

Here titleScreen is a boolean that is true when the buttons should be shown.

**
Now here is paintComponent and actionPerformed.

 public void paintComponent(Graphics g){
			super.paintComponent(g);
			if(copyright)
				g.drawImage(title,50,30,this);
			else if(titleScreen){
				g.drawImage(javam,70,25,this);
				g.drawImage(catc,90,140,this);
			}
			else if(insScreen)
			{
				g.setColor(Color.green);
				g.fillRect(0,0,600,600);
				g.drawImage(oak,25,100,this);
			}
			else if(gameStart)
			{
				g.setColor(Color.blue);
				g.fillRect(0,0,600,600);
			}
			canvas.repaint();
		}
		public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
		{
			String command = e.getActionCommand();
			if(titleScreen && command.equals("Instructions"))
			{
				insScreen = true;
				titleScreen = false;
			}
			else if(titleScreen && command.equals("New Game"))
			{
				gameStart = true;
				titleScreen = false;
			}
			canvas.repaint();
		}

Here gameStart is accessed when the newGame button is clicked(if it shows up), and insScreen is ins button clicked. titleScreen is the screen with both buttons. And boolean copyright(from paintComponent) is the copyright screen which I added for fun.

Thanks in advance!

[doWhile]

There is a JPanel in which the buttons are created (top snippet of code), and the buttons are added to a Container, but based upon the code posted the container is never added to the actual JPanel

[corrax]

There is a JPanel in which the buttons are created (top snippet of code), and the buttons are added to a Container, but based upon the code posted the container is never added to the actual JPanel

So then I should do this?

public MyPanel(){
                       [B] JPanel panel = new JPanel();[/B]
			cont = new Container();
			cont.setLayout(null);
                       [B] panel.add(cont);[/B]
			
			ins = new JButton("Instructions");
			ins.setSize(130,110);
			ins.setLocation(240,300);
			cont.add(ins);
			ins.addActionListener(this);
			
			newGame = new JButton("New Game");
			newGame.setSize(130,110);
			newGame.setLocation(360,500);
			cont.add(newGame);
			newGame.addActionListener(this);
			if(titleScreen)
				cont.setVisible(true);
			else if(!titleScreen)
				cont.setVisible(false);
		}

MyPanel is a class, not a JPanel. Here's the code snippet for it.

class MyPanel extends JPanel implements ActionListener{

[camickr]

Don't use a "null layout". Learn how to create a GUI properly and use layout managers. Generally in Swing we add components to a JPanel, not a Container. If you class already extends JPanel then I don't even know why you are creating a separate Container.

Post your Short, Self Contained, Correct Example that demonstrates the problem if you need more help.

[doWhile]

So then I should do this?

Did you try it? What happened

MyPanel is a class, not a JPanel. Here's the code snippet for it.

And posting an SSCCE would have immediately resolved this...and I wholeheartedly second all of camickr's advice.

[corrax]

Well that was basically all of my code (I haven't gone far). But here's the total code or SSCCE. Also, the JPanel thing did not work. I'm researching layouts to see how it would work if I added a gridLayout in that area. Because I know how to make a normal buttonPanel with a borderLayout, but I wanted to make the buttons at different x and y coordinates, not in a flowLayout. You have already seen the main entirety of the code below.

import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.util.Timer;
import java.util.TimerTask;

public class Javamon extends JApplet {
	private MyPanel canvas;
	private Image title,javam, catc,oak;
	private boolean copyright = true,titleScreen = false, gameStart = false, insScreen = false;
	private Timer timer;
	private JButton ins, newGame;
	private Container cont;
	public void init() {
		timer = new Timer("Printer");
		MyTask t = new MyTask();
		timer.schedule(t,0,	1000);
		canvas = new MyPanel();
		setContentPane(canvas);
		canvas.setBackground(Color.black);
		title = getImage(getCodeBase(),"Title.png");
		catc = getImage(getCodeBase(),"Catch.png");
		javam = getImage(getCodeBase(),"Javamon.png");
		oak = getImage(getCodeBase(),"oak.png");
	}
	class MyTask extends TimerTask{
		int times = 0;
		public void run() {
			times++;
			if(times > 7){
				titleScreen = true;
				copyright = false;
			}
		}
	}
	class MyPanel extends JPanel implements ActionListener{
	
		public MyPanel(){
			JPanel panel = new JPanel();
			cont = new Container();
			cont.setLayout(null);
			panel.add(cont);
			
			ins = new JButton("Instructions");
			ins.setSize(130,110);
			ins.setLocation(240,300);
			cont.add(ins);
			ins.addActionListener(this);
			
			newGame = new JButton("New Game");
			newGame.setSize(130,110);
			newGame.setLocation(360,500);
			cont.add(newGame);
			newGame.addActionListener(this);
			if(titleScreen)
			       cont.setVisible(true);
			else if(!titleScreen)
				cont.setVisible(false);
		}
		public void paintComponent(Graphics g){
			super.paintComponent(g);
			if(copyright)
				g.drawImage(title,50,30,this);
			else if(titleScreen){
				g.drawImage(javam,70,25,this);
				g.drawImage(catc,90,140,this);
			}
			else if(insScreen)
			{
				g.setColor(Color.green);
				g.fillRect(0,0,600,600);
				g.drawImage(oak,25,100,this);
			}
			else if(gameStart)
			{
				g.setColor(Color.blue);
				g.fillRect(0,0,600,600);
			}
			canvas.repaint();
		}
		public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
		{
			String command = e.getActionCommand();
			if(titleScreen && command.equals("Instructions"))
			{
				insScreen = true;
				titleScreen = false;
			}
			else if(titleScreen && command.equals("New Game"))
			{
				gameStart = true;
				titleScreen = false;
			}
			canvas.repaint();
		}
	}
}

[camickr]

Did you read my comment?

If your class already extends JPanel then I don't even know why you are creating a separate Container.

Well, your class does extend JPanel so you don't need a Container or a JPanel. All you do is:

setLayout( null );
...
add( ins );
...
add( newGame );

[corrax]

Thank you! It worked. Only thing is, it still prints out the buttons at all times because I had to delete the setVisible. But I can figure that out myself. Thanks to both of you again!