# Swing Java Cheat Sheet
## 1. Basic Components
| Component | Description | Example
|
|--------------------|----------------------------------------|--------------------
-------------------|
| JFrame | Main window | JFrame frame = new
JFrame("Title"); |
| JPanel | Container for grouping components | JPanel panel = new
JPanel(); |
| JButton | Button that triggers actions | JButton button =
new JButton("Click");|
| JLabel | Displays text or images | JLabel label = new
JLabel("Text"); |
| JTextField | Single-line text input | JTextField textField
= new JTextField(20); |
| JTextArea | Multi-line text input | JTextArea textArea =
new JTextArea(5, 20); |
| JCheckBox | Checkable box | JCheckBox checkBox =
new JCheckBox("Check me"); |
| JRadioButton | Radio button | JRadioButton
radioButton = new JRadioButton("Option"); |
| JComboBox | Drop-down list | JComboBox<String>
comboBox = new JComboBox<>(new String[]{"Item 1", "Item 2"}); |
| JList | List of items | JList<String> list =
new JList<>(new String[]{"Item 1", "Item 2"}); |
| JTable | Table for displaying data | JTable table = new
JTable(data, columns); |
## 2. Layout Managers
| Layout Manager | Description |
Example Usage |
|------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|---
---------------------------------------------------|
| FlowLayout | Arranges components in a flow (left-to-right) |
[Link](new FlowLayout()); |
| BorderLayout | Divides area into North, South, East, West, Center |
[Link](new BorderLayout()); |
| GridLayout | Grid of equally sized cells |
[Link](new GridLayout(3, 2)); |
| BoxLayout | Aligns components vertically or horizontally |
[Link](new BoxLayout(panel, BoxLayout.Y_AXIS)); |
| GridBagLayout | Most flexible; complex grid-based layout |
[Link](new GridBagLayout()); |
## 3. Event Handling
| Event Type | Interface | Example Usage
|
|--------------------|--------------------------|----------------------------------
--------------|
| Button Click | ActionListener | [Link](e ->
actionPerformed()); |
| Mouse Events | MouseListener | [Link](new
MouseAdapter() {...}); |
| Key Events | KeyListener | [Link](new
KeyAdapter() {...}); |
| Window Events | WindowListener | [Link](new
WindowAdapter() {...}); |
## 4. Useful Methods
| Task | Method
|
|--------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------
-----------------|
| Set window size | [Link](400, 300);
|
| Set default close operation |
[Link](JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);|
| Center a window | [Link](null);
|
| Make a window visible | [Link](true);
|
| Update UI after adding components | [Link](); [Link]();
|
## 5. Threading in Swing
- Creating GUI on the EDT:
```java
[Link](() -> createAndShowGUI());
```
- Using SwingWorker for background tasks:
```java
SwingWorker<Void, Void> worker = new SwingWorker<>() {
@Override
protected Void doInBackground() throws Exception {
// Long-running task here
return null;
}
@Override
protected void done() {
// Update UI after the task is done
}
};
[Link]();
```
## 6. Look and Feel
- Set to system's look and feel:
```java
[Link]([Link]());
```
## 7. Tips and Tricks
1. **Use Action instead of ActionListener for buttons**: Helps in sharing the
action with menu items, buttons, and other components.
2. **Key Bindings over KeyListener**: Prefer key bindings for more flexible
keyboard event handling.
3. **Avoid Heavy Operations on the EDT**: Use SwingWorker for tasks like file
operations and networking to prevent UI freezing.
4. **Custom Renderers**: Use custom renderers for lists, tables, and combo boxes
for better visuals.
5. **Preferred Size**: Use setPreferredSize() for setting the size of components
when needed.
## 8. Resources
- **Official Java Swing Documentation**:
[Link]
- **Swing Utilities Overview**: Explore SwingUtilities for more utility methods to
manage GUI.
