GridBagLayout help

**darren465** · June 15th, 2013, 03:45 PM

Hello,

I am currently creating a GUI using GridBagLayout and I am having an issue with putting JLabels next to JPanels. I'm pairing JLabels with JTextFields in the same row as titles for data. For some reason the JLabels seem to be much bigger than the JTextFields even though I used the same Weight. Also there seems to be extra padding to the right of each JLabel because there is a lot of blank space before the JTextField begins. Ideally I would like the JTextField and JLabels to each take up half of the space in the panel.

The panel I'm referring to is the far right panel (helper date, helper time, etc.) Here is the code:

package NewGui;
 
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.GridBagConstraints;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
import java.awt.Insets;
import java.awt.SystemColor;
 
import javax.swing.BorderFactory;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import javax.swing.SwingConstants;
import javax.swing.UIManager;
import javax.swing.UIManager.LookAndFeelInfo;
import javax.swing.border.BevelBorder;
import javax.swing.border.EtchedBorder;
 
public class NewGui extends JFrame {
 
	JPanel mainGridBagPanel = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
	JPanel topButtonPanel = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
 
	JPanel helperAddressPanel = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
	JPanel helperNamePanel = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
	JPanel filerInfoPanel = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
	JPanel dupPanel = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
 
	JButton helpInformationButton = new JButton();
	JButton returnPreviousButton = new JButton();
	JButton viewErrorLogButton = new JButton();
	JLabel listLabel = new JLabel();
 
	JLabel helperAddressLabel = new JLabel();
	JTextField helperAddressOne = new JTextField();
	JTextField helperAddressTwo = new JTextField();
	JTextField coLine = new JTextField();
	JLabel codeLabel = new JLabel();
	JTextField code = new JTextField();
	JTextField phoneNbr = new JTextField();
 
	JLabel helperNameLabel = new JLabel();
	JTextField addressOne = new JTextField();
	JTextField addressTwo = new JTextField();
	JTextField city = new JTextField();
	JTextField prov = new JTextField();
	JTextField cntry = new JTextField();
	JTextField postalCd = new JTextField();
	JLabel dateLabel = new JLabel();
	JTextField date = new JTextField();
 
	JLabel helperDateLabel = new JLabel();
	JTextField helperDate = new JTextField();
	JLabel timeLabel = new JLabel();
	JTextField time = new JTextField();
	JLabel locationLabel = new JLabel();
	JTextField location = new JTextField();
	JLabel descriptionLabel = new JLabel();
	JTextField description = new JTextField();
	JLabel destinationLabel = new JLabel();
	JTextField destination = new JTextField();
	JLabel typeLabel = new JLabel();
	JTextField type = new JTextField();
	JLabel durationLabel = new JLabel();
	JTextField duration = new JTextField();
 
 
 
	public NewGui()
	{
		setPanelInfo();
		setLabels();
		setValues();
 
		this.getContentPane().add(mainGridBagPanel);
		GridBagConstraints gb = new GridBagConstraints();
		gb.fill = GridBagConstraints.BOTH;
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 0;
		gb.weightx = 0.5;
		gb.weighty = 0.5;
		gb.gridwidth = 3;
		gb.insets = new Insets(5,5,0,5); 
		mainGridBagPanel.add(topButtonPanel, gb);
		gb.gridy = 1;
		gb.gridwidth = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,0); 
		mainGridBagPanel.add(helperAddressPanel, gb);
		gb.gridx = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,0); 
		mainGridBagPanel.add(helperNamePanel, gb);
		gb.gridx = 2;
		gb.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,5); 
		mainGridBagPanel.add(filerInfoPanel, gb);
//		gb.gridx = 3;
//		gb.insets = new Insets(10,10,10,10); 
//		mainGridBagPanel.add(dupPanel, gb);
 
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 0;
		gb.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,0);  
		topButtonPanel.add(helpInformationButton, gb);
		gb.gridx = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,0);  
		topButtonPanel.add(listLabel, gb);
		gb.gridx = 2;
		gb.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,0);  
		topButtonPanel.add(returnPreviousButton, gb);
		gb.gridx = 3;
		gb.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,5);  
		topButtonPanel.add(viewErrorLogButton, gb);
 
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 0;
		gb.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,0); 
		helperAddressPanel.add(helperAddressLabel, gb);
		gb.gridy = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,0,0,0); 
		helperAddressPanel.add(helperAddressOne, gb);
		gb.gridy = 2;
		helperAddressPanel.add(helperAddressTwo, gb);
		gb.gridy = 3;
		helperAddressPanel.add(coLine, gb);
		gb.gridy = 4;
		helperAddressPanel.add(codeLabel, gb);
		gb.gridy = 5;
		helperAddressPanel.add(code, gb);
		gb.gridy = 6;
		helperAddressPanel.add(phoneNbr, gb);
 
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 0;
		gb.gridwidth = 3;
		gb.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,0); 
		helperNamePanel.add(helperNameLabel, gb);
		gb.gridy = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,0,0,0);
		helperNamePanel.add(addressOne, gb);
		gb.gridy = 2;
		helperNamePanel.add(addressTwo, gb);
		gb.gridy = 3;
		helperNamePanel.add(city, gb);
		gb.gridy = 4;
		gb.gridwidth = 1;
		helperNamePanel.add(prov, gb);
		gb.gridx = 1;
		helperNamePanel.add(cntry, gb);
		gb.gridx = 2;
		helperNamePanel.add(postalCd, gb);
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 5;
		gb.gridwidth = 3;
		helperNamePanel.add(dateLabel, gb);
		gb.gridy = 6;
		helperNamePanel.add(date, gb);
 
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 0;
		gb.gridwidth = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(5,5,5,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(helperDateLabel, gb);
		gb.gridx = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,0,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(helperDate, gb);
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,5,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(timeLabel, gb);
		gb.gridx = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,0,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(time, gb);
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 2;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,5,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(locationLabel, gb);
		gb.gridx = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,0,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(location, gb);
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 3;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,5,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(descriptionLabel, gb);
		gb.gridx = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,0,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(description, gb);
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 4;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,5,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(destinationLabel, gb);
		gb.gridx = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,0,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(destination, gb);
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 5;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,5,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(typeLabel, gb);
		gb.gridx = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,0,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(type, gb);
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 6;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,5,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(durationLabel, gb);
		gb.gridx = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,0,0,0);
		filerInfoPanel.add(duration, gb);
 
 
	}
 
	public void setPanelInfo()
	{
		topButtonPanel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createBevelBorder(BevelBorder.RAISED));
		topButtonPanel.setBackground(SystemColor.activeCaption);
 
		helperAddressPanel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createBevelBorder(BevelBorder.RAISED));
		helperAddressPanel.setBackground(SystemColor.activeCaption);
 
		helperNamePanel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createBevelBorder(BevelBorder.RAISED));
		helperNamePanel.setBackground(SystemColor.activeCaption);
 
		filerInfoPanel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createBevelBorder(BevelBorder.RAISED));
		filerInfoPanel.setBackground(SystemColor.activeCaption);
 
	}
 
	public void setLabels()
	{
 
		helpInformationButton.setText("Help with information");
		returnPreviousButton.setText("Return to previous screen");
		viewErrorLogButton.setText("View error log");
		listLabel.setText("List");
		listLabel.setHorizontalAlignment(SwingConstants.CENTER);
		listLabel.setBorder(BorderFactory.createEtchedBorder(EtchedBorder.RAISED, Color.BLACK, Color.BLACK));
		listLabel.setOpaque(true);
		listLabel.setBackground(SystemColor.control);
 
		helperAddressLabel.setText("Helper Address");
		codeLabel.setText("Code");
 
		helperNameLabel.setText("Helper Name");
		dateLabel.setText("Data");
 
		helperDateLabel.setText("Helper Date");
		timeLabel.setText("Time");
		locationLabel.setText("Location");
		descriptionLabel.setText("Destination");
		destinationLabel.setText("Description");
		typeLabel.setText("Type");
		durationLabel.setText("Duration");
 
 
	}
 
	public void setValues()
	{
 
 
	}
 
 
 
	public static void main (String args[])
	{
 
		try {
			for (LookAndFeelInfo info : UIManager.getInstalledLookAndFeels()) {
				if ("Nimbus".equals(info.getName())) {
					UIManager.setLookAndFeel(info.getClassName());
					break;
				}
			}
		} catch (Exception e) {
			// If Nimbus is not available, you can set the GUI to another look and feel.
		}
 
		NewGui gui = new NewGui();
		gui.pack();
		gui.setVisible(true);
 
 
 
	}
 
}

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

**curmudgeon** · June 15th, 2013, 10:22 PM

sometimes it's useful to specify the column size of your JTextFields. For instance,

   JTextField helperDate = new JTextField(7);

**darren465** · June 17th, 2013, 11:02 AM

Thanks for the tip. It doesn't work how I want though because when you resize the Frame the Textfield size behaves unusually. It actually shrinks back to the original size (before I had set a column size) if I just resize the Frame to be a smidgen smaller.

I actually did a test to show the blank space between a JLabel and a JTetField using GridBagLayout and GridLayout.

If you run the code below you will see there is a space between the JLabel and JTextfield. If you uncomment the 3 gridlayout lines, comment the GridBagLayout lines, and rerun the code you will see there is no gap using GridLayout. Does anyone know why this is? And if there is a way to remove the space between a JLabel and JTextField in GridBagLayout.

Here is the code:

package NewGui;
 
import java.awt.GridBagConstraints;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
import java.awt.GridLayout;
import java.awt.Insets;
 
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
 
public class TestGui extends JFrame {
 
	JPanel mainPane = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
 
	public TestGui()
	{
		this.getContentPane().setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
		GridBagConstraints gb = new GridBagConstraints();
		gb.gridx = 0;
		gb.gridy = 0;
		gb.weightx = 0.1;
		gb.weighty = 0.1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,0,0,0);
		gb.fill = GridBagConstraints.BOTH;
		this.getContentPane().add(new JLabel("Name of Person"), gb);
		gb.gridx = 1;
		gb.insets = new Insets(0,0,0,0);
		this.getContentPane().add(new JTextField(), gb);
 
//		this.getContentPane().setLayout(new GridLayout(1,2));
//		this.getContentPane().add(new JLabel("Name of Person"));
//		this.getContentPane().add(new JTextField());
// 
		this.setTitle("program");
        this.pack();
        this.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        this.setVisible(true);
        this.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
 
 
	}
 
	public static void main(String args[])
	{
		new TestGui();
 
	}
 
}

Thread: GridBagLayout help

LinkBack

Thread Tools

Display