How to start something on a new line in Java SWING?

Question

I am trying to set my JTextArea to take up the max horz length of the screen, so that the next thing, in this case a button, will start on a new line, but I have no clue how to do it. I have messed around by setting the size of the JTextArea to change from, say, 20 to 1000 but that does not do anything.

How can I get my textarea to take up the entire first row and then have the next item that I add to begin on the following row? Here is what I have so far...

MyFrame(){//constructor

        super("Simple Calculator");
        p = new JPanel();
        grid = new GridLayout(4, 4, 3, 3);
        p.setLayout(grid);
        setSize(400, 500);
        setResizable(true);
        setDefaultCloseOperation(EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        setUpTextScreen();
        //create buttons
        for(int i = 0; i < buttonValues.length; i++){
            p.add(new JButton(buttonValues[i]));
        }
        add(p);
        setVisible(true);
    }

    private void setUpTextScreen() {

        textOnScreen = new JTextArea(7, 1000);
        textOnScreen.setText("0");//default
        textOnScreen.setEditable(false);
        p.add(textOnScreen);
    }

easiest way is to try a new layout. what are other layout flavors? gridLayout and ... boxLayout ? — Caffeinated, Sep 08 '15 at 21:08
@NirLecy He wants a *component* to directly start at the next "line", not the text inside the textarea. — Lukas Rotter, Sep 08 '15 at 21:14
Set the text area to word/line wrapping and place the text area into a scroll pane — MadProgrammer, Sep 08 '15 at 21:18

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 08 '15 at 21:38

How can I get my textarea to take up the entire first row and then have the next item that I add to begin on the following row?

Break your layout up into logical pieces. Start with your main panel using a BorderLayout.

First I would use a JTextField for the calculator display, not a JTextArea. Then you can add the text field using: mainPanel.add(textField, BorderLayout.PAGE_START);
Then you create a JPanel using a GridLayout for the buttons. Then you add the buttons to the button panel and use: maonPanel.add(buttonPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);

For example:

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

public class CalculatorPanel extends JPanel
{
    private JTextField display;

    public CalculatorPanel()
    {
        Action numberAction = new AbstractAction()
        {
            @Override
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
            {
//              display.setCaretPosition( display.getDocument().getLength() );
                display.replaceSelection(e.getActionCommand());
            }
        };

        setLayout( new BorderLayout() );

        display = new JTextField();
        display.setEditable( false );
        display.setHorizontalAlignment(JTextField.RIGHT);
        add(display, BorderLayout.NORTH);

        JPanel buttonPanel = new JPanel();
        buttonPanel.setLayout( new GridLayout(0, 5) );
        add(buttonPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);

        for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++)
        {
            String text = String.valueOf(i);
            JButton button = new JButton( text );
            button.addActionListener( numberAction );
            button.setBorder( new LineBorder(Color.BLACK) );
            button.setPreferredSize( new Dimension(30, 30) );
            buttonPanel.add( button );

            InputMap inputMap = button.getInputMap(JComponent.WHEN_IN_FOCUSED_WINDOW);
            inputMap.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke(text), text);
            inputMap.put(KeyStroke.getKeyStroke("NUMPAD" + text), text);
            button.getActionMap().put(text, numberAction);
        }
    }

    private static void createAndShowUI()
    {
        JFrame frame = new JFrame("Calculator Panel");
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation( JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE );
        frame.add( new CalculatorPanel() );
        frame.pack();
        frame.setLocationRelativeTo( null );
        frame.setVisible(true);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable()
        {
            public void run()
            {
                createAndShowUI();
            }
        });
    }
}

score 4 · Answer 2 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:29

Hava a look at Nested layouts, you can add one panel with a BorderLayout (there are other options too though) and add the textarea to it. Then you only need one more panel with a GridLayout that displays the buttons. This is an example: (Note that a few lines are unnecessary in this code, but they help understand layouts)

import java.awt.BorderLayout;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.GridLayout;

import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JTextArea;
import javax.swing.border.LineBorder;

public class Example extends JFrame {

    Example() {//

        super("Simple Calculator");

        // The Main Panel where the 2 other panels will be on
        JPanel mainPanel = new JPanel(new BorderLayout());

        // The textarea will be inside this panel
        JPanel areaPanel = new JPanel(new BorderLayout());

        JTextArea area = new JTextArea(
                "This is a JTextArea -Long text to show it works -Long text to show it works- -Long text to show it works- -Long text to show it works- -Long text to show it works- -Long text to show it works-");
        area.setBorder(new LineBorder(Color.BLACK));
        area.setWrapStyleWord(true);
        area.setLineWrap(true);

        // Fill the whole space of the panel with the area
        areaPanel.add(area, BorderLayout.CENTER);

        // The buttons will be inside this panel
        JPanel buttonPanel = new JPanel(new GridLayout(4, 4, 3, 3));
        for (int i = 0; i < 16; i++) { // Adding buttons
            buttonPanel.add(new JButton("Button" + i));
        }

        // The textarea-panel should be on top of the main panel
        mainPanel.add(areaPanel, BorderLayout.NORTH);

        // The panel with the buttons should fill the remaining space
        mainPanel.add(buttonPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);

        getContentPane().add(mainPanel);

        setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        setSize(500, 500);
        setVisible(true);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        new Example();
    }

}

score 1 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 08 '15 at 21:42

1

You can also use html tags like:

JButton button = new JButton("<html><b><u>T</u>wo</b><br>lines</html>");

Or in any other JComponent like you got.

So you can use <BR> tag you achieve your need.

answered Sep 08 '15 at 21:42

roeygol

4,908
9
51
88

This is not what the OP asked for. – Lukas Rotter Sep 08 '15 at 21:52
Using a JLabel is more effective: JLabel newLine = new JLabel("

"); – Gabriel Arghire May 26 '20 at 15:22

How to start something on a new line in Java SWING?

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