disabling and re-enabling a jframe

[jchinson]

I have a root window with two buttons on it. When one of those buttons is pressed I want the root window to be disabled while a new window pops up. After I'm finished with that window I want the root window to be re-enabled. Here is how I'm trying to do it.

	addBtn.addActionListener(
				new ActionListener() {
					public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
						frame.setEnabled(false);
						addKid();
						frame.setEnabled(true);
					}
				});

This doesn't disable the root window at all. If i comment out the setEnabled line it will disable the root window, but I can't interact with it once I'm done with the second window.

[sunde887]

This button simply sets enabled, does something else and then sets enabled back.

So if it's enabled initially it will disable and re enable it in a very short amount of time(nanoseconds most likely), you should probably have a button to disable it and one to enable it, or use a timer to put a pause in.

[Norm]

After I'm finished with that window

What does the addKid() method do?
Your call to addKid() is on Swing's EDT thread. That could effect how Swing responds since you are using its thread.

[jchinson]

This button simply sets enabled, does something else and then sets enabled back.

Yes, the function addKid() opens another JFrame. I figured that frame.setEnabled(true) wouldn't be called until I was done with the addKid() function. How would I go about putting a pause in?

[Norm]

That sounds like you need a modal dialog. It will pause the execution of the calling code until the dialog returns.

[jchinson]

Any way I could do it without dialogs? My addkid() function brings up a new JFrame with a bunch of JTextFields that are used to enter information. Is it possible to use JTextFields in a dialog?

[Norm]

I think you can put about any component into a JDialog. There is a link from the JDialog API doc to a tutorial on How to Make Dialogs.

[Fubarable]

Any way I could do it without dialogs? My addkid() function brings up a new JFrame with a bunch of JTextFields that are used to enter information. Is it possible to use JTextFields in a dialog?

Yes it's possible and as Norm states, advisable. This is what dialogs excel at. Know that a JDialog can hold a GUI that's every bit as complex as a JFrame.

[jchinson]

Nice. Thanks guys.