setPreferredSize is not working

Question

why p1.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(200,200)) is showing error.It say illegal start of type

class Menu extends JFrame  {
    JPanel p1=new JPanel();

    //Package p1 does not exist illegal start of type
    p1.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(200,200));

you're not in a method but in the declarative part. I think you wan' to do that in the constructor — Turo, Jul 01 '16 at 05:54
See [Should I avoid the use of set(Preferred|Maximum|Minimum)Size methods in Java Swing?](http://stackoverflow.com/q/7229226/418556) (Yes.) — Andrew Thompson, Jul 01 '16 at 08:58

Jordi Castilla · Accepted Answer · 2016-07-01T07:54:06.460

You can't assign parameter to a class attribute outside a method, constructor or static block.

I guess you need a constructor:

class Menu extends JFrame  {
    JPanel p1;

    public Menu() {
         p1 = new JPanel();
         p1.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(200,200));
    }
}

if you will pass fixed dimension always maybe will be better a static block :

class Menu extends JFrame  {
    static JPanel p1;
    // more elements

    static {
         p1 = new JPanel();
         p1.setPreferredSize(new Dimension(200,200));
         // more assignements
    }
}

setPreferredSize is not working

1 Answers1