Action Listening/Handling Troubles.

[gaeronf]

Alright guys, in advance I thank you for reading this. I am doing a project and the prompt is here: http://pafbla.org/handbook/12-13-Pol...rogramming.PDF. You don't really need to read the prompt to fix my problem. So far I have some code (which will be below my ramblings) but I have not put in any ActionHandler yet. I kind of know the basics to ActionHandling (as in I've read numerous tutorials and can sort of get by). However, when you run the code below there is a JButton and a JComboBox. The JComboBox has 4 options besides the Default. So here is what my goal is: When either the JButton is Clicked, or one of the 4 (not including the "Select One" option...) selections in the JComboBox, a new screen appears. This will from there I want to be able to design the layout and content just like the first "panel". However, some of you may think it would be more beneficial to add a main or home button option throughout the entire program so they can get back to this original screen. I unfortunately don't know how to do that. Thanks! Code:

//Gaeron Friedrichs
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;

public class swing {
		
	String[] options = {"Select One", "New Employee", "New Employer", "Edit Employee", "Edit Employer"};	
	JComboBox combobox = new JComboBox(options);
			
	
	public swing(){
		frame();
	}
	
	public void frame (){
		
		JFrame frame = new JFrame("Employee Assessment Tool - Gaeron Friedrichs");
		Container panel = frame.getContentPane();
		SpringLayout layout = new SpringLayout();
		panel.setLayout(layout);
		frame.setSize(950, 600);
		frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
				
		JLabel label = new JLabel("EAT (Employee Assessment Tool) is a system used for employee assessment and evaluation. Please select an    option below.");
		label.setFont(new Font("Serif", Font.PLAIN, 18));
		panel.add(label);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, label, 0, SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, panel);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.NORTH, label, -150, SpringLayout.VERTICAL_CENTER, panel);
		
		JLabel label2 = new JLabel("Gaeron Friedrichs 2012-2013");
		label2.setFont(new Font("Serif",Font.PLAIN, 10));
		panel.add(label2);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, label2, 0, SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, panel);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.VERTICAL_CENTER, label2, -30, SpringLayout.SOUTH, panel);
		
		JButton button = new JButton ("New Evaluation");
		button.setToolTipText("Create a New Evaluation");
		panel.add(button);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, button, -200, SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, panel);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.SOUTH, button, -50, SpringLayout.VERTICAL_CENTER, panel);
		
		combobox.setSelectedIndex(0);
		panel.add(combobox);
		combobox.setToolTipText("Select from other options.");
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.EAST, combobox, 200, SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, panel);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.SOUTH, combobox, -50, SpringLayout.VERTICAL_CENTER, panel);
	}
		
	public static void main (String[] args){
		new swing();
	}

}

[Fubarable]

So what have you tried? Where are you stuck?

[gaeronf]

Well I did have the action handler in there before, but redid the whole thing without even touching the action handler. I can get the action handler in, put it in, no problem. And I could have a message or dialog box come up no problem once a certain thing has occurred. But I was always under the impression that message or dialog boxes were just for messages or dialogs? I need a new "panel" "window" whatever you would refer to it as, so I can take data from the user then assign it later to various strings, arrays, and write it into text files. I hope that helps a little bit more?

[gaeronf]

Alright, so I read some more and kept trying and I did manage to get it to work. I ended up doing it within button.addActionListener...Although, I do know that you can do it outside of (in this case) public void frame1(). However, I could not manage to get that to work. You guys are the experts, or at least know much more than I do. Should I keep it like how I have it? Or do it a better way (which may have to be elaborated on a little). Other than that, thank you so much for your help!

//Gaeron Friedrichs
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;

public class GUI {
		
	String[] options = {"Select One", "New Employee", "New Employer", "Edit Employee", "Edit Employer"};	
	JComboBox combobox = new JComboBox(options);
			
	
	public GUI(){
		frame1();
	}
	
	public void frame1 (){
		
		JFrame frame = new JFrame("Employee Assessment Tool - Gaeron Friedrichs");
		frame.setVisible(true);
		Container panel = frame.getContentPane();
		SpringLayout layout = new SpringLayout();
		panel.setLayout(layout);
		frame.setSize(950, 600);
		frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
				
		JLabel label = new JLabel("EAT (Employee Assessment Tool) is a system used for employee assessment and evaluation. Please select an option below.");
		label.setFont(new Font("Serif", Font.PLAIN, 18));
		panel.add(label);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, label, 0, SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, panel);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.NORTH, label, -150, SpringLayout.VERTICAL_CENTER, panel);
		
		JLabel label2 = new JLabel("Gaeron Friedrichs 2012-2013");
		label2.setFont(new Font("Serif",Font.PLAIN, 10));
		panel.add(label2);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, label2, 0, SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, panel);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.VERTICAL_CENTER, label2, -30, SpringLayout.SOUTH, panel);
		
		JButton button = new JButton ("New Evaluation");
		button.setToolTipText("Create a New Evaluation");
		panel.add(button);
		//button.addActionListener(AL1);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, button, -200, SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, panel);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.SOUTH, button, -50, SpringLayout.VERTICAL_CENTER, panel);
		
	    button.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
	        public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
            {
	        	JFrame frame = new JFrame("Employee Assessment Tool - Gaeron Friedrichs");
	    		frame.setVisible(true);
	    		Container panel = frame.getContentPane();
	    		SpringLayout layout = new SpringLayout();
	    		panel.setLayout(layout);
	    		frame.setSize(950, 600);
	    		frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
	    		
	    		JLabel label = new JLabel("You clicked a button");
	    		panel.add(label);
            }
        });      
 				
		combobox.setSelectedIndex(0);
		panel.add(combobox);
		combobox.setToolTipText("Select from other options.");
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.EAST, combobox, 200, SpringLayout.HORIZONTAL_CENTER, panel);
		layout.putConstraint(SpringLayout.SOUTH, combobox, -50, SpringLayout.VERTICAL_CENTER, panel);
	}

}

Here is the main method:

class MethCaller 
{
	public static void main (String[] args)
	{
		new GUI();
	}

}

[Fubarable]

For starters your anonymous inner class ActionListener looks good. Next, if you absolutely must show a secondary window, you should have it be a dialog window, either modal or non-modal so that it is secondary to the main window. A JDialog would work well for this and in many ways is built similar to how you'd build your JFrame except that you'd pass the main JFrame in as a parameter to the dialog's constructor. The API will tell you what the constructor needs.