Thread: Action Listener

host_name.addActionListener(new HostnameListener());
 
private class HostnameListener implements ActionListener
    {
 
      public void actionPerformed (ActionEvent event)
      {
 
        hname = host_name.getText();
        textArea1.append(hname + newline);
        host_name.selectAll();
        textArea1.setCaretPosition(textArea1.getDocument().getLength());
        System.out.println(hname);
       // host_name.setText(hname);
      }
    }

The variable in the ActionListener is updated but when I print the variable outside the ActionListener, it has not been updated.

I don't know why
Pls help

please see a standalone part of my code

hname and p_number are variables whose values do not seem updated outside the respective action listeners. perhaps, i have made some basic mistake. please help.

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.net.*;
 
public class PrimaryInterface extends JFrame{
    public static String hname;
    public static String pnumber;
    public static Integer p_port;
 
    JPanel jp1 = new JPanel();
    JLabel h_name = new JLabel("");
    JLabel p_number = new JLabel("");
 
    private static JTextField host_name = new JTextField(26);
    private static JTextArea textArea1 = new JTextArea(5, 20);
    private static JTextField port_number = new JTextField(16);
    private static JTextArea textArea2 = new JTextArea(5, 20);
    private static String newline = "\n";
 
 
    public PrimaryInterface()
	{
          h_name.setText ("Enter Host Name");
          p_number.setText ("Enter Port Number");
          jp1.add(host_name);
          jp1.add(port_number);
          jp1.add(h_name);
          jp1.add(p_number);
 
 
      host_name.addActionListener(new HostnameListener());
      port_number.addActionListener(new PortnumberListener());
 
      System.out.println("returned value after action listener" + hname);
      System.out.println("returned value after action listener" + p_number);
 
         add(jp1);
    }
  private class HostnameListener implements ActionListener
    {
 
      public void actionPerformed (ActionEvent event)
      {
 
        hname = host_name.getText();
        textArea1.append(hname + newline);
        host_name.selectAll();
        textArea1.setCaretPosition(textArea1.getDocument().getLength());
        System.out.println(" inside action listener" +hname);
 
      }
    }
 
   private class PortnumberListener implements ActionListener
   {
       public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
       {
 
        pnumber = port_number.getText();
        textArea2.append(hname + newline);
        port_number.selectAll();
        textArea2.setCaretPosition(textArea2.getDocument().getLength());
        System.out.println(" inside action listener" + pnumber);
        p_port = Integer.parseInt(pnumber);
 
         Socket CalcSocket = null;
 
     try
      {
         System.out.println("reached here first"+ hname +p_port);
         CalcSocket        = new Socket(hname, p_port);
         PrintStream outStream    = new PrintStream(CalcSocket.getOutputStream());
 
         DataInputStream inStream = new DataInputStream(CalcSocket.getInputStream());
 
         StringBuffer buf = new StringBuffer(50);
 
         int aChar;
         String fromServer;
 
         System.out.println("reached here"+ hname +p_port);
 
        while ((fromServer = inStream.readLine()) != null)
         {
            System.out.println("Server: " + fromServer);
            if (fromServer.equals("Bye"))
                break;
            while ((aChar = System.in.read()) != '\n')
            {
               buf.append((char)aChar);
            }
            System.out.println("Client: " + buf);
            outStream.println(buf.toString());
            outStream.flush();
            buf.setLength(0);
         }
 
         outStream.close();
         inStream.close();
         CalcSocket.close();
         System.exit(0);
      }
      catch (UnknownHostException e1)
      {
         System.err.println("Trying to connect to unknown host: " + e1);
      }
      catch (Exception e2)
      {
         System.err.println("Exception:  " + e2);
      }
 
       }
   }
 
  public static void main(String args[]) {
                PrimaryInterface p_interface = new PrimaryInterface();
                p_interface.setTitle(" Check connection to server ");
		p_interface.setSize(241, 217);
		p_interface.pack();
		p_interface.setLocation(400, 250);
		p_interface.setVisible(true);
		p_interface.setResizable(false);
 
  }
}

the variables are hname and p_number. The updates to the variables inside the action listener are not visible outside. I have commented the code in those places...

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.net.*;
 
public class PrimaryInterface extends JFrame{
 
// Declaration of the variables
    public static String hname;
    public static String pnumber;
    public static Integer p_port;
 
    JPanel jp1 = new JPanel();
    JLabel h_name = new JLabel("");
    JLabel p_number = new JLabel("");
 
    private static JTextField host_name = new JTextField(26);
    private static JTextArea textArea1 = new JTextArea(5, 20);
    private static JTextField port_number = new JTextField(16);
    private static JTextArea textArea2 = new JTextArea(5, 20);
    private static String newline = "\n";
 
 
    public PrimaryInterface()
	{
          h_name.setText ("Enter Host Name");
          p_number.setText ("Enter Port Number");
          jp1.add(host_name);
          jp1.add(port_number);
          jp1.add(h_name);
          jp1.add(p_number);
 
 // Action listeners to read in data entered by user in the JTextFields for hname and p_number
 
      host_name.addActionListener(new HostnameListener());
      port_number.addActionListener(new PortnumberListener());
 
// These are the output values of hname and p_number outside the action listener
// <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Here the o/p is null for both hname and p_number>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
      System.out.println("returned value after action listener" + hname);
      System.out.println("returned value after action listener" + p_number);
 
         add(jp1);
    }
  private class HostnameListener implements ActionListener
    {
 
      public void actionPerformed (ActionEvent event)
      {
 
        hname = host_name.getText();
        textArea1.append(hname + newline);
        host_name.selectAll();
        textArea1.setCaretPosition(textArea1.getDocument().getLength());
 
//<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Here  the println o/p is correct >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 
        System.out.println(" inside action listener" +hname);
 
      }
    }
 
   private class PortnumberListener implements ActionListener
   {
       public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
       {
 
        pnumber = port_number.getText();
        textArea2.append(hname + newline);
        port_number.selectAll();
        textArea2.setCaretPosition(textArea2.getDocument().getLength());
 
//<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Here  the println o/p is correct >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 
 
        System.out.println(" inside action listener" + pnumber);
        p_port = Integer.parseInt(pnumber);
 
         Socket CalcSocket = null;
 
     try
      {
         System.out.println("reached here first"+ hname +p_port);
         CalcSocket        = new Socket(hname, p_port);
         PrintStream outStream    = new PrintStream(CalcSocket.getOutputStream());
 
         DataInputStream inStream = new DataInputStream(CalcSocket.getInputStream());
 
         StringBuffer buf = new StringBuffer(50);
 
         int aChar;
         String fromServer;
 
         System.out.println("reached here"+ hname +p_port);
 
        while ((fromServer = inStream.readLine()) != null)
         {
            System.out.println("Server: " + fromServer);
            if (fromServer.equals("Bye"))
                break;
            while ((aChar = System.in.read()) != '\n')
            {
               buf.append((char)aChar);
            }
            System.out.println("Client: " + buf);
            outStream.println(buf.toString());
            outStream.flush();
            buf.setLength(0);
         }
 
         outStream.close();
         inStream.close();
         CalcSocket.close();
         System.exit(0);
      }
      catch (UnknownHostException e1)
      {
         System.err.println("Trying to connect to unknown host: " + e1);
      }
      catch (Exception e2)
      {
         System.err.println("Exception:  " + e2);
      }
 
       }
   }
 
  public static void main(String args[]) {
                PrimaryInterface p_interface = new PrimaryInterface();
                p_interface.setTitle(" Check connection to server ");
		p_interface.setSize(241, 217);
		p_interface.pack();
		p_interface.setLocation(400, 250);
		p_interface.setVisible(true);
		p_interface.setResizable(false);
 
  }
}

No. The values in the variables are available to the rest of the code. Its a question of how to tell the code that wants to use the data that it is available. Perhaps you could start a Thread in the listener to do the connection when it gets the data. Its best to NOT do too much in a listener as the listener is using the GUI thread which means that your Menu items etc won't get responses while your code is using the GUIs thread.

The sequence of events: You create some text fields and add action listeners and then the user enters something in a text field. This triggers an action event that causes your listener to be called. The action listener gets the data from the text field and stores it in the variables you're looking at. Now the data in the variable is available to the rest of the program.