Java Swing Tutorial
Java Swing tutorial
is a part of Java Foundation Classes (JFC) that is
used to create window-based applications
. It is built on the top of AWT (Abstract Windowing Toolkit) API and entirely written in java.
Unlike AWT, Java Swing provides platform-independent and lightweight components.
The javax.swing package provides classes for java swing API such as JButton, JTextField, JTextArea, JRadioButton, JCheckbox, JMenu, JColorChooser etc.
Difference between AWT and Swing
There are many differences between java awt and swing that are given below.
No.Java AWTJava Swing
1)AWT components are
platform-dependent
.Java swing components are
platform-independent
.
2)AWT components are
heavyweight
.Swing components are
lightweight
.
3)AWT
doesn't support pluggable look and feel
.Swing
supports pluggable look and feel
.
4)AWT provides
less components
than Swing.Swing provides
more powerful components
such as tables, lists, scrollpanes, colorchooser, tabbedpane etc.
5)AWT
doesn't follows MVC
(Model View Controller) where model represents data, view represents presentation and controller acts as an interface between model and view.Swing
follows MVC
.
What is JFC
The Java Foundation Classes (JFC) are a set of GUI components which simplify the development of desktop applications.
How to create runnable jar file in java?
How to display image on a button in swing?
How to change the component color by choosing a color from ColorChooser ?
How to display the digital watch in swing tutorial ?
How to create a notepad in swing?
How to create puzzle game and pic puzzle game in swing ?
How to create tic tac toe game in swing ?
Hierarchy of Java Swing classes
The hierarchy of java swing API is given below.
Commonly used Methods of Component class
The methods of Component class are widely used in java swing that are given below.
MethodDescription
public void add(Component c)add a component on another component.
public void setSize(int width,int height)sets size of the component.
public void setLayout(LayoutManager m)sets the layout manager for the component.
public void setVisible(boolean b)sets the visibility of the component. It is by default false.
Java Swing Examples
There are two ways to create a frame:
By creating the object of Frame class (association)
By extending Frame class (inheritance)
We can write the code of swing inside the main(), constructor or any other method.
Simple Java Swing Example
Let's see a simple swing example where we are creating one button and adding it on the JFrame object inside the main() method.
File: FirstSwingExample.java
import javax.swing.*;
public class FirstSwingExample {
public static void main(String[] args) {
JFrame f=new JFrame();//creating instance of JFrame
JButton b=new JButton("click");//creating instance of JButton
b.setBounds(130,100,100, 40);//x axis, y axis, width, height
f.add(b);//adding button in JFrame
f.setSize(400,500);//400 width and 500 height
f.setLayout(null);//using no layout managers
f.setVisible(true);//making the frame visible
Example of Swing by Association inside constructor
We can also write all the codes of creating JFrame, JButton and method call inside the java constructor.
File: Simple.java
import javax.swing.*;
public class Simple {
JFrame f;
Simple(){
f=new JFrame();//creating instance of JFrame
JButton b=new JButton("click");//creating instance of JButton
b.setBounds(130,100,100, 40);
f.add(b);//adding button in JFrame
f.setSize(400,500);//400 width and 500 height
f.setLayout(null);//using no layout managers
f.setVisible(true);//making the frame visible
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Simple();
The setBounds(int xaxis, int yaxis, int width, int height)is used in the above example that sets the position of the button.
Simple example of Swing by inheritance
We can also inherit the JFrame class, so there is no need to create the instance of JFrame class explicitly.
File: Simple2.java
import javax.swing.*;
public class Simple2 extends JFrame{//inheriting JFrame
JFrame f;
Simple2(){
JButton b=new JButton("click");//create button
b.setBounds(130,100,100, 40);
add(b);//adding button on frame
setSize(400,500);
setLayout(null);
setVisible(true);
public static void main(String[] args) {
new Simple2();
download this example
JButton class
JRadioButton class
JTextArea class
JComboBox class
JTable class
JColorChooser class
JProgressBar class
JSlider class
Digital Watch
Graphics in swing
Displaying image
Edit menu code for Notepad
OpenDialog Box
Notepad
Puzzle Game
Pic Puzzle Game
Tic Tac Toe Game
BorderLayout
GridLayout
FlowLayout
CardLayout