Need Help showing text in JTextArea

[GuyFawkes]

Hi guys, I hope i'm posting this in the correct section of the forum since my problem involves swing and networking.

Basically my problem is this: I'm new to java and trying to create a very basic irc client, nothing fancy at all. I have two classes. One class creates the socket connection to the irc server, and the second class draws a basic swing interface.

I want the information that the server sends through the socket to be displayed in a JTextArea, however this is where my problem starts. No matter what i try i can not get the JTextArea to show anything at all.

I've tested the socket class to make sure it is actually conencting to the server, and it works fine. I just cant get the text the server sends back to be displayed in the text area.

Here is my socket class:

import java.io.*;
import java.net.*;
import java.util.*;

public class SockTest {
	
	public String chatter;
	public String chatText;
	

	public SockTest() throws java.io.IOException {
		String hostname = "efnet.xs4all.nl";
		int portnumber = 6669;
		Socket socktest = new Socket("efnet.xs4all.nl", portnumber);
		PrintStream out = new PrintStream(socktest.getOutputStream());
	    BufferedReader in = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(socktest.getInputStream()));
		
		out.print("user "+ "strangename" + " stranger irc : " + "Stranger");
		out.print("\n");
		out.print("nick " + "Stranger");
		out.print("\n");
		
		boolean eof = false;
			
			try {
				while (!eof) {
			String charText = in.readLine();
			if (charText != null) {
			chatText += charText;
			} else {
				eof = true;
				
			}
			
		}
		
		} catch (IOException ioe) {
			
		}
		
		}

And here is my very basic user interface class:

import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.io.*;


public class SwingTest extends javax.swing.JFrame implements ActionListener {
	
	JButton connect = new JButton("Connect");
	JTextArea chat = new JTextArea(15, 20);
	
    public SwingTest() {
    	//set the title of the frame
    	super("Chat Window");
    	
    	//set the size of the frame
    	setSize(800, 600);
    	
    	//set what happens when the close button is clicked
    	setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    	
    	// create the scroll pane to add the text area to
    	chat.setLineWrap(true);
    	JScrollPane scroll = new JScrollPane(chat, ScrollPaneConstants.VERTICAL_SCROLLBAR_ALWAYS, ScrollPaneConstants.HORIZONTAL_SCROLLBAR_NEVER);
    	
    	//create the container panel
    	JPanel jp = new JPanel();
    	
    	//create the layout manager and assign it to the container panel
    	BoxLayout horizontal = new BoxLayout(jp, BoxLayout.Y_AXIS);
    	jp.setLayout(horizontal);
    	
    	//add the text area and button to the container panel
    	jp.add(scroll);
    	jp.add(connect);
    	
    	//add the container panel to the frame
    	add(jp);
    	
    	//make the frame and its contents visible
    	setVisible(true);
    	
    	//add an event listener to the connect button
    	connect.addActionListener(this);
    	
    }
    
    public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event) {
   				try {
   			SockTest mySock = new SockTest();
    		chat.append(mySock.chatText);
   		} catch (IOException ioe) {
   			chat.setText("Error " + ioe.getMessage());
   		}
    
    	}
    	
    	
    
    public static void main(String[] arguments)  {
    	//create an instance of the SwingTest class and let it do its thing
    	SwingTest st = new SwingTest();
    	
    	}
    
    
}

I really would appreciate any help at all with this problem. I've been at it for days now and nothing i try works :confused:

[hardwired]

pkwooster did some pioneering work with Sockets at the Sun forums.
He left some examples that are now in the archives.
Here are some links that may be helpful:
Taming the NIO circus

NIO Client Example

Multithreaded Server Example // w/fixes

Simple Socket Client
// compatible with:
Simple Socket Server
Socket Example using Java 5

NIO Server Example // w/update to NIOConnection class

[doraz72]

First, declare the JPanel outside the public SwingTest() you call, then update it at the end of ActionListener by calling jp.updateUI();

This will refresh the UI with the new text...

[Eku]

Try to create a refresh button.
And try this code. I hope it helps.

public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent event) {
String command = event.getActionCommand();
if (command.equals("Connect")) {
try {
SockTest mySock = new SockTest();
chat.append(mySock.chatText);
} catch (IOException ioe) {
chat.setText("Error " + ioe.getMessage());
}

}
else if (command.equals("Refresh")) {
//Create your refresh here
}
}