Thread: need help Printing output from a JTextfield

hello all

i've made a program that takes user input and enters it into a formula. the answer form that formula is output in a JTextfield.

i'm self taught in Java, and i've only been programming for a couple weeks. (i'm a quick learner, just kinda confused with methods, threads, classes, etc..

i've looked up code on the web on how to print, but all i can find so far is how to print the entire container. i just want to print the output in a specific format from the JTextfield.

i don't have any code to put up here, cause i have NO clue what i need.

heres an example of what i want

JTextField output [3.141592654]



i want to just print this output, but formatted like "22 divided by 7 = 3.141592654"

i've tried mixing and matching code from printing the whole container, but i can't figure it out.

please help!

print this output, but formatted

Look at the DecimalFormat class for a tool to format real numbers.

Originally Posted by Norm

Look at the DecimalFormat class for a tool to format real numbers.

thank you, but i know how to format my output to the swing GUI.

as far as what i want formatted...

here is the output in the GUI:

JTextfield --> [3.141592654]

printed on paper, with this format:

22 / 7 = '3.141592654'

Originally Posted by Faz

How to Use Text Fields (The Java™ Tutorials > Creating a GUI With JFC/Swing > Using Swing Components)
72.5.124.55/j2se/1.4.2/docs/api/javax/swing/JTextField.html

Check those two links. java.sun.com should be your first port of call for all things java, odds are if you search a java related term in Google the first link will be to one of their pages as it has fantastic documentation.

In your case I would look at the setText() method.

EDIT: Hold on when you say print do you mean print to paper? Or print on screen?
If it's to paper read through this
Lesson: Printing (The Java™ Tutorials > 2D Graphics)

EDIT2:
OK I seen in a different thread you are looking to print to a printer I can't say I've done so myself but check out the JTextField class here
JTextField (Java Platform SE 6)

It has a method inherited from JTextComponent called print() so check that out.
JTextComponent (Java Platform SE 6)

And check out the tutorial here
How to Print Text (The Java™ Tutorials > Creating a GUI With JFC/Swing > Using Other Swing Features)

thank you for these links.

i've already looked through them, and none of them seem to fit what i'm trying to do.

i basically have 8 panes on a Tabbed Paned container. each individual pane contains a diffrent "calculator". example: external spur gear, external helical gear, worm gear, etc... each one of these panes contains a calculator to figure out certain formulas. i engineer and design gears, and also make the blueprints. so on the "design" in java.. i want to use a JButton to print the output. i right click on the button, and select action performed. that takes me to the source code, i just don't know what code i need to print it.

that being said, i said in my earlier post that i'm completely self taught in java. i've programmed before in QBasic, which is nothing like java. i'm VERY confused on methods, classes, threads, etc... so saying something like "It has a method inherited from JTextComponent called print() so check that out." doesn't do me much good lol.

Ok, I was chasing the wrong bear.
Are you looking for how to print the String: "22 / 7 = '3.141592654'" on paper?
Is that all that is to go on the paper or is there more?

Originally Posted by Norm

Ok, I was chasing the wrong bear.
Are you looking for how to print the String: "22 / 7 = '3.141592654'" on paper?
Is that all that is to go on the paper or is there more?

no, theres more. that was just an example.

lets say i take input from the user, asking for a dimension in millimeters. i want to take that dimension and turn it into inches. the formula would be A / 25.4

so the code would be something like:

input user variable A
answer variable b

b = a / 25.4

i take b and output that to a JTextField, just as a number.

but i want to be able to print in a format like: A millimeters = B inches

thats all i want to do, i don't want anything else to print, just the JTextfields.

hopefully this explains it better

i don't want anything else to print, just the JTextfields

The contents of textfields are Strings.
So if a textfield holds: "A millimeters = B inches"

Then you want to print the String: "A millimeters = B inches"

use getText() and print the results????

I guess I'm missing something. Sounds like your looking for a method that will take the the contents of a textfield, say 4.3,
do some computation, format the results into a String, say "4 plus 0.3 = 4.5" and then print that. Without your having to code those steps.

Originally Posted by Norm

The contents of textfields are Strings.
So if a textfield holds: "A millimeters = B inches"

Then you want to print the String: "A millimeters = B inches"

use getText() and print the results????

I guess I'm missing something. Sounds like your looking for a method that will take the the contents of a textfield, say 4.3,
do some computation, format the results into a String, say "4 plus 0.3 = 4.5" and then print that. Without your having to code those steps.

i convert the string from their input to a Double. do you have to convert back to a string in order to print? if so, how is that done? i've coded the whole program, except for the printing (and saving, but i think i'm close to that). all i need to know is how to print a JLabel and a JTextField.

Double. do you have to convert back to a string in order to print

I mentioned the DecimalFormat class and you said: "i know how to format my output"

Double is an object that holds a number. Its not directly printable. It needs to be converted to a String to print. You can let the system do it, or you can use a class to do it. Your choice.

i need to know is how to print a JLabel and a JTextField

Not sure what that means. Do you want the output to look like those components look in the GUI? Ie with borders, shadowing etc?

Can you write a short test program that demostrates what and how you expect to print those components?
I just went to the Java Tutorial and found several example programs that print. Have you gotten them?
Their names are: PrintUIWindow.java and SimpleBook.java.

oh, if i can get on the internet at work tomorrow, i'll post some code. thanks again for your help!

following is what i want printed

If that is exactly what you want printer, then why wouldn't the following work:
print("Diametral Pitch: 5 (5 being the variable a)");
and
print("Modular Pitch 2.45 (just another example)");


Is it this that you are trying to do?
There is a variable: aVar that has a value, say 5.
There is a textfield that will hold some string and the value of aVar, to be filled in later.
There is a button (next to the textfield) that when you press it, reads the value in the variable aVar, creates a String with the words: "Diametral Pitch:" and appending on the end of the String the value of aVar and puts that String into the textfield.

Originally Posted by Norm

If that is exactly what you want printer, then why wouldn't the following work:
print("Diametral Pitch: 5 (5 being the variable a)");
and
print("Modular Pitch 2.45 (just another example)");

this is all i have to do to print?

i'm sure i'll have to import java.awt.print.*

but othersie, just print("blah blah blah)" will print to a piece of paper?

No, there is more to printing than just print(...).
I posted references to two sample programs, did you get them?

I just went to the Java Tutorial and found several example programs that print. Have you gotten them?
Their names are: PrintUIWindow.java and SimpleBook.java.

They show you how to print to paper.

For testing of printing, I added a "Print to File" printer on WinXP so I don't have to actually use any paper while testing.
The output for me was in PostScript format. I had to find, download and install a PostScrirpt viewer which displays the print file in pdf format.
It the OP can find the examples from the Tutorial, they show how to print.

private void jButton3ActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {//GEN-FIRST:event_jButton3ActionPerformed
        // External Spur Gear
 
        // take user input and convert from char to double
        double tooth = (double)((Double.parseDouble(noteeth.getText()))); //input number of teeth in gear
        double pa = (double)((Double.parseDouble(pressureangle.getText()))); // input pressure angle
        double dp = (double)((Double.parseDouble(diametralpitch.getText()))); //input diametral pitch
 
        //pseudo helix angle
        double h = 0;
 
        // set constant pi = 3.141592654
        double pi = 3.141592654;
 
        //pitch diamter
        double pd = tooth / dp;
 
        //major diamter
        double major = (tooth + 2) / dp;
 
        //addendum
        double add = 1 / dp;
 
        //dedendum
        double ded = 1.1571 / dp;
 
        //base diameter
        double bd = pd * Math.cos(pa * (3.141592654 / 180));
 
        //base pitch
        double bp = Math.cos(pa * (3.141592654 / 180)) * 3.141592654/dp;
 
        //circular tooth thickness
        double ctt = 1.5708 / dp;
 
        //whole depth
        double wd = 2.1571 / dp;
 
        //circular pitch
        double cp = 3.141592654 / dp;
 
        //wire size
        double wire = 1.728 / dp;
 
        //chordal tooth thickness
        double chtt = pd * (Math.sin(90/tooth * (3.141592654 / 180)));
 
        //minor diamter
        double minor = pd - (2 * ded);
 
        //modular pitch
        double mod = 25.4 / dp;
 
        // transverse pressure angle calc.
        double Ad1 =((Math.tan(pa * pi / 180)) /
                (Math.cos(h * pi / 180))) ;
        double Ad2 = Math.atan(Ad1);
        double Ad = Ad2 * (180 / pi);
 
        //transverse ctt on PD
        double td = ctt / Math.cos(h * (pi /180));
 
         // helix angle on Base Diameter calc
        double H1 = ((Math.tan(h * pi / 180)) *
                (Math.cos(Ad * pi / 180)));
        double H2 = Math.atan(H1);
        double H = H2 * (180 / pi);
 
        //transverse pin diameter
        double dD = wire / (Math.cos(H * pi / 180 ));
 
        //pitch diameter calc.
        double PD = tooth / (dp * Math.cos(h * pi / 180));
 
        //base diameter calc.
        double BD = PD * Math.cos(Ad * pi / 180);
 
        //involute function of Ad
        double InAd = Math.tan(Ad * pi / 180) - Ad / 180 * pi;
 
        //pressure angle to pin center
        double Bd = (td/PD)+(dD/BD)+InAd-(pi/tooth);
 
        double seconds, degrees;
        // find the involute function
        for (seconds = 70000; seconds <= 90000; seconds++){
            degrees = seconds / 3600;
 
            if (Bd >= Math.tan((degrees) * pi / 180) - (degrees) * pi / 180){
 
        //diameter of pin centers
        double CC = BD / Math.cos(degrees * pi /180);
 
 
        // measure over wire dimension - If statement: true = "tooth" is
        // an even number.
        // else statement: number is odd
        double DO;
 
        if(tooth % 2 == 0)
            DO = CC + wire;
 
        else DO = Math.cos((90/tooth) * pi / 180) * CC + wire;
 
 
 
 
        //format output to 5 decimal places
        DecimalFormat df = new DecimalFormat("#.#####");
 
        //button and button variables
        modularpitch.setText(df.format(mod));
        circularpitch.setText(df.format(cp));
        basepitch.setText(df.format(bp));
        pitchdiameter.setText(df.format(pd));
        basediameter.setText(df.format(bd));
        minordiameter.setText(df.format(minor));
        majordiameter.setText(df.format(major));
        wholedepth.setText(df.format(wd));
        addendum.setText(df.format(add));
        dedendum.setText(df.format(ded));
        chorthickness.setText(df.format(chtt));
        circthickness.setText(df.format(ctt));
        measureoverwire.setText(df.format(DO));
        wiresize.setText(df.format(wire));
 
//end of spur gear
            }}

this is just one of many forumulas i need to calculate certin dimensions, angles, etc... all of the setText at the end of this code is the output to a paticular Panel in a Tabbed Pane. i want this same output to Print to paper. i have looked at those articles and links you've posted but i'm confused how to integrate it into my program.

Download, compile and execute the PrintUIWindow.java program. It prints EXACTLY what is shown on the screen.

In your program create a method that uses the graphics drawString() method to create EXACTLY what you want to see on the paper. Call that method with the graphics object passed to frameToPrint.printAll(g);

Originally Posted by Norm

Download, compile and execute the PrintUIWindow.java program. It prints EXACTLY what is shown on the screen.

In your program create a method that uses the graphics drawString() method to create EXACTLY what you want to see on the paper. Call that method with the graphics object passed to frameToPrint.printAll(g);

thank you so much!

Originally Posted by Norm

Download, compile and execute the PrintUIWindow.java program. It prints EXACTLY what is shown on the screen.

i did this, and i got these errors

run:
Uncaught error fetching image:
java.lang.NullPointerException
at sun.awt.image.URLImageSource.getConnection(URLImag eSource.java:99)
at sun.awt.image.URLImageSource.getDecoder(URLImageSo urce.java:113)
at sun.awt.image.InputStreamImageSource.doFetch(Input StreamImageSource.java:240)
at sun.awt.image.ImageFetcher.fetchloop(ImageFetcher. java:172)
at sun.awt.image.ImageFetcher.run(ImageFetcher.java:1 36)

Did you leave off some of the error message. It doesn't show where in the program the error occurred.
My version of PrintUIWindow doesn't have any images to load in it.

i did this

Could you explain what you did?

downloaded the file, compiled, and executed it. nothing printed, and i got those error messages.