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Using Swing Components
A Visual Index to the Swing Components
Using HTML in Swing Components
Using Top-Level Containers
Using Models
The JComponent Class
Using Text Components
Text Component Features
The Text Component API
How to Use Various Components
How to Make Applets
How to Use Buttons, Check Boxes, and Radio Buttons
How to Use Color Choosers
How to Use Combo Boxes
How to Make Dialogs
How to Use Editor Panes and Text Panes
How to Use File Choosers
How to Use Formatted Text Fields
How to Make Frames (Main Windows)
How to Use Internal Frames
How to Use Labels
How to Use Layered Panes
How to Use Lists
How to Use Menus
How to Use Panels
How to Use Password Fields
How to Use Progress Bars
How to Use Root Panes
How to Use Scroll Panes
How to Use Separators
How to Use Sliders
How to Use Spinners
How to Use Split Panes
How to Use Tabbed Panes
How to Use Tables
How to Use Text Areas
How to Use Text Fields
How to Use Tool Bars
How to Use Tool Tips
How to Use Trees
How to Use Icons
How to Use Borders
Solving Common Component Problems
Trail: Creating a GUI with JFC/Swing
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Examples Index

Lesson: Using Swing Components

> > Other than How to Use Tabbed Panes, this section has not yet been updated to reflect features and conventions of the latest release, JDK 6.0.

> This lesson gives you the background information you need to use the Swing components, and then describes every Swing component. It assumes that you've successfully compiled and run a program that uses Swing components, and that you're familiar with basic Swing concepts. These prerequisites are covered in Getting Started with Swing and Learning Swing by Example.

### A Visual Index to the Swing Components

> This section has pictures of all the standard Swing components, from top-level containers to scroll panes to buttons. To find the section that discusses a particular component, just click the component's picture.

### Using HTML in Swing Components

> Describes how to vary the font, color, or other formatting of text displayed by Swing components by using HTML tags.

### Using Top-Level Containers

> Discusses how to use the features shared by the `JFrame`, `JDialog`, and `JApplet` classes — content panes, menu bars, and root panes. It also discusses the containment hierarchy, which refers to the tree of components contained by a top-level container.

### Using Models

> Tells you about the Swing model architecture. This variation on Model-View-Controller (MVC) means that you can, if you wish, specify how the data and state of a Swing component are stored and retrieved. The benefits are the ability to share data and state between components, and to greatly improve the performance of components such as tables that display large amounts of data.

### The JComponent Class

> Tells you about the features `JComponent` provides to its subclasses — which include almost all Swing components — and gives tips on how to take advantage of these features. This section ends with API tables describing the commonly used API defined by `JComponent` and its superclasses, `Container` and `Component`.

### Using Text Components

> Describes the features and API shared by all components that descend from `JTextComponent`. You probably don't need to read this section if you're just using text fields (formatted or not) or text areas.

### How to...

> Sections on how to use each Swing component, in alphabetical order. We don't expect you to read these sections in order. Instead, we recommend reading the relevant "How to" sections once you're ready to start using Swing components in your own programs. For example, if your program needs a frame, a label, a button, and a color chooser, you should read How to Make Frames, How to Use Labels, How to Use Buttons, and How to Use Color Choosers.

### How to Use Borders

> Borders are very handy for drawing lines, titles, and empty space around the edges of components. (You might have noticed that the examples in this trail use a lot of borders.) This section tells you how to add a border to any `JComponent`.

### How to Use Icons

> Many Swing components can display icons. Usually, icons are implemented as instances of the `ImageIcon` class.

### Solving Common Component Problems

> This section discusses solutions to common component-related problems.

### Questions and Exercises

> Try these questions and exercises to test what you've learned in this lesson.

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