Thread: How to fire off an event that closes another JFrame.

I've been noodling with a database program in my spare time. Right now it has 2 different JFrames, 1 to do search queries and another to do inserts. I'm thinking of adding a third menu, a "choice" frame that opens up one of those based on the user's choice. Then have buttons on the search and insertion frames to return to the choice frame.

So opening the new frames at the click of a button should be easy enough--just create new objects. Detecting when the existing window closes shouldn't be too hard either if I just add some Window Listeners. But how do I close the current JFrame? So suppose you're on the "choice" frame:

1) Click the "Insert Records" button.
2) Insertion window opens.
3) Choice window closes.

Step 3 is the part where I get stuck.

What happened to the idea of reusing objects? Why do you have two JFrames to begin with, is it necessary?

If it is not necessary, just change the contents of a single frame to suit the current state of the application.

Assuming it is necessary, will the closed frame be reopened? If so just hide it and show it again later.
In either case, do not make frame B close/hide frame A directly, include a method in the frame that will cause it to close/hide itself.(See the API)

Going to need more details if you need more specific assistance

What happened to the idea of reusing objects? Why do you have two JFrames to begin with, is it necessary?

It seemed like the natural choice. The two frames do completely different things, look totally different, are wildly different sizes, and belong to two different classes defined in 2 separate .java files. Also one is a tabbed frame and one is a simpler standard frame. It didn't seem practical to put those both on one JFrame.

Assuming it is necessary, will the closed frame be reopened? If so just hide it and show it again later.

Hiding... hadn't thought of that. Thanks.

Originally Posted by mstabosz

The two frames do completely different things, look totally different, are wildly different sizes, and belong to two different classes defined in 2 separate .java files. Also one is a tabbed frame and one is a simpler standard frame. It didn't seem practical to put those both on one JFrame.

^^ All completely irrelevant, and should not be considered when deciding to use one or two frames.
If the user only needs one frame at a time, reuse the frame. If the user will use both frames at the same time, then by all means use two frames, or design the needed components to fit in one

Think about it from the user's perspective, what will be the best experience for the user

Originally Posted by jps

^^ All completely irrelevant, and should not be considered when deciding to use one or two frames.
If the user only needs one frame at a time, reuse the frame. If the user will use both frames at the same time, then by all means use two frames, or design the needed components to fit in one

Think about it from the user's perspective, what will be the best experience for the user

I don't understand what you're getting at. What would be the advantage of trying to use just one frame? There are two approaches

1) Use one frame and change it based on which part of the program (query window or insertion window) the user is accessing.
2) Use 2 frames, one for the query window and one for the insertion window.

Either way, the user only sees one window (either query or insertion) at any given time. I'd have all the same coding to make both sets of frame images. There wouldn't be any less code, or any different look to the user.

I was not trying to talk you into using just one frame, I was trying to stress that it can go either way, but not seeing more details, I can not suggest which way to go.
Using two frames is perfectly fine if you, (the author of the code), has determined it is the way to go.

In the end the difference is using two frames and hiding one is keeping two frames in memory instead of one.
Don't let me talk you out of your decision, but if I was going to pick, I would rather have just one frame that didn't change size, shape, and possibly position during use, and provided all of the functionality I was going to use, but that is just my opinion based on not knowing any of the details