Visual Java Components
This page describes Visual Java components and special
attributes that apply to them. These components are analogs
of the Java AWT (Abstract Windowing Toolkit) components.
You can find additional information about the components in
the documentation that describes AWT.
Attributes common to most components are described in Laying Out GUI Interfaces.

Panel
Panels are containers that do not create separate windows
of their own. A panel should be used as the main container
for applets that display their GUIs in a browser page or
applet viewer.
Special Attributes
labelAlignment
Sets the position (left, right, center) of the
borderLabel
on the top edge of the panel.

Frame
Frames are top-level application windows with a title and a
border. A frame should be used as the main container for:
- A standalone application
- An applet whose GUI exists outside of the browser,
not within the page
Frames are the only types of containers to which you
can add menu bars.
Special Attributes
icon
The path name of the file that contains the image to be contained
in the icon. A semicolon followed by the size of the image (in pixels) must be appended after the path name.
The path to the image can be a URL or (preferably)
a path name relative to the codebase of the
applet. So, if the applet's .class
file and image
files are in the same directory, only the simple file name is
required.
location
Sets the initial coordinates of the frame on the screen.
menubar
Invokes the Menu Editor. For details about creating menus,
see Menus.
resizable
Determines if the size of the frame can be changed by the user.
size
Sets the initial size of the frame.
visible
Determines if the frame is initially visible.

Dialog Box
Dialog boxes are pop-up windows that are activated from frames and
panels.
Special Attributes
location
Sets the initial coordinates of the dialog box on the screen.
modal
Determines whether or not the dialog box is modal.
resizable
Determines if the size of the dialog box can be changed by the user.
size
Sets the initial size of the dialog box.
visible
Determines if the dialog box is initially visible.

Selection Mode
Use the selection mode to select cells and components in
the grid.
When you select cells in the layout grid you can:
- Add new rows and columns to the grid
- Add components from the palette to the selected cell
When you select components in the layout grid you can:
- Change their attributes
- Change their size
- Extend them across other cells
- Delete them
- Copy them to the clipboard
- Cut them to the clipboard

Gridbag Layout Panel
Use the Gridbag Layout Panel component to nest a
layout panel inside an existing cell.
A shortcut for placing a component into a Gridbag Layout Panel:
- Select a component you have already inserted into the layout grid.
- Choose Visual=>Nested Panel.
The component is automatically placed within a Gridbag
Layout Panel.

Text Label
Use the text label component to add text to your GUI.
Special Attributes
alignment
You can align text to the left side, right side, or center
of the label.

Text Button
Use the text button component to add a button with a text
label.
Special Attributes
standard
When set to true, the component strives to be a standard
size. This attribute is intended to make rows of
buttons with varying amounts of text more uniform.

Image Label
Use the image label component to add a graphic label to the
GUI. The path to the image is specified in the attributes
dialog box.
Special Attributes
image
The path name of the file that contains the image to be
contained in the label.
The path to the image can be a URL or (preferably) a path
name relative to the codebase of the applet. So, if the
applet's .class
file and image files are in
the same directory, only the simple file name is required.
padWidth
Sets the number of pixels between the edge of the label
component and the image displayed within it.

Image Button
Use the image button component to add a button that
contains an image to the GUI. The path to the image is
specified in the attributes dialog box.
Special Attributes
image
The path name of the file that contains the image to be
contained in the button.
The path to the image can be a URL or (preferably) a path
name relative to the codebase of the applet. So, if the
applet's .class
file and image files are in
the same directory, only the simple file name is required.
pressMovement
The number of pixels down and to the left that the image moves when the
button is clicked.
lineWidth
The width of the button bevel (in pixels).
padWidth
Sets the number of pixels between the edge of the button and the image displayed within it.

Single-Line Text Field
Use the single-line text field component to add a one line
text field. A single-line text field can be used to obtain
user input and/or to display text generated by the
application.
Special Attributes
editable
Sets the field to be writable by the user.
numColumns
Sets the minimun width of the field to accommodate the
specified number of characters.

Multi-line TextField
Use the multi-line text field component to add a text field
that can be used to obtain user input and/or to display
text generated by the application.
Special Attributes
editable
Sets the field to be writable by the user.
numColumns
Sets the minimum width of the field to accommodate the
specified number of characters.
numRows
Sets the minimum height of the field to accommodate the
specified number of rows.

Checkbox/Radio Button
Use the checkbox/radio button to maintain a toggle
(Boolean) state--whether it is checked or not.
Special Attributes
state
Sets the initial state of the checkbox.

Radio Button Panel
Use the radio button panel to enforce mutual exclusion
("radio button" behavior) among any number of
checkbox/radio button components.
To create radio buttons:
- Insert a radio button panel in a grid cell.
- Use the arrow keys to create as many panels as there will
be buttons.
- Insert a checkbox component into each panel.
Special Attributes
labelAlignment
Sets the position (left, right, center) of the
borderLabel
on the top edge of the panel.

List
Use the list component to create a list of string items.
Special Attributes
listContents
Adds strings to the list.
visibleRows
Sets the number of rows in the list.

Multiple Column List
Use the multiple column list component to create a columnar
list of strings with headers.
Special Attributes
autowidth
Causes a column to automatically become wider to
accommodate a new piece of data that doesn't fit within the
current width of the column.
displayRows
Sets the minimum number of rows displayed in the list.
headers
Inserts the names of column headers.
highlightItems
When set to true, and you later programmatically change the
values in one of the rows in the column list, that row will
be highlighted for a moment and then gradually fade.
Useful for demos or applications where you want to
draw attention to the arrival of new information in the
list.
selectable
Sets items in the list as selectable by users.
showHeaders
Determines whether column headers are displayed.

Choice Menu
Use the choice menu component to display a menu of options
that drops down from a button.

Scrollbar
Use the scrollbar component to scroll GUI objects horizontally or vertically.
Special Attributes
minimum
/
maximum
Scroll bars have an integer value associated with them that
represents the location of the slider/thumb in the
scrolled object. Use minimum
and
maximum
to determine the range of those
values. For example, if minimum
and
maximum
are set to 0 and 100, when the
slider/thumb is in the middle of the displayed object,
its value is 50. This value is available to the programmer
to manipulate the scrolled object.
lineIncrement
The number added or subtracted from the location
value when the user clicks on the arrows at the ends of
the scrollbar.
orientation
Determines whether the scrollbar is oriented horizontally or
vertically.
pageIncrement
The number added to or subtracted from the location value when
the user clicks in the area between the slider/thumb
and the arrows at each end of the scrollbar.
value
The integer value that represents the initial position of the
slider/thumb relative to the values of
minimum
and maximum
.
visiblePageSize
The initial length (in value units) of the slider/thumb.
This length usually indicates the percentage of the entire
document that can be viewed in the window that the scrollbar controls.

flow layout panel
Use the flow layout panel component to arrange components
from left to right in rows. It fits as many components in
the row as possible before creating additional rows.
Special Attributes
hgap
The horizontal distance (in pixels) between components.
Also controls the distance of the leftmost and rightmost
components from the edges of the panel.
items
A dialog box that enables you to add and delete panels
from the flow layout panel and to change the names of those
panels.
labelAlignment
Sets the position (left, right, center) of the
borderLabel
on the top edge of the panel.
vgap
The vertical distance (in pixels) between rows of
components. Also controls the distance between components
and the top and bottom edges of the panel.

Border Layout Panel
Use the border layout panel to position four components
against the fours edges of the panel and position another
component in the center. The center component receives all
remaining space in the panel.
Special Attributes
labelAlignment
Sets the position (left, right, center) of the
borderLabel
on the top edge of the panel
useCenter
Removes or includes the center cell in the panel
useEast
Removes or includes the east cell in the panel
useNorth
Removes or includes the north cell in the panel
useSouth
Removes or includes the south cell in the panel
useWest
Removes or includes the west cell in the panel

Card Layout Panel
Use the card layout panel to create a stack of panels that
can be displayed one at a time.
Special Attributes
cards
Invokes the Cards dialog box.
Use the Cards dialog box to add, delete, name, and label the
stack of panels (cards).
delayedCreation
If set to true, delays creation of the component until it
is requested by the program.
labelAlignment
Sets the position (left, right, center) of the
borderLabel
on the top edge of the panel.

Tabbed Folder Panel
Use the tabbed folder panel to create a stack of tabbed
panels that can be displayed one at a time. A tabbed folder
panel is a variant of the card layout panel in which each
panel has a labeled tab that is used to select the panel
from the stack.
Special Attributes
cards
Invokes the Cards dialog box.
Use the Cards dialog box to add, delete, name, and label the
stack of panels. The string in the Label field is displayed
on the folder's tab.
delayedCreation
If set to true, delays creation of the component until it
is requested by the program.
labelAlignment
Sets the position (left, right, center) of the
borderLabel
on the top edge of the panel.

Labeled Bar
Use the labeled bar component to add a horizontal rule that
contains a text label.
Special Attributes
alignment
Aligns text to the left, right, or center of the
bar.
textOffsetFromEdge
Number of pixels the text is offset from the edge of the cell.
See also:
- Visual Java Overview
- The Visual Menu
- Laying Out GUI Interfaces
- Generating Java Source Code
- Adding Operations (Filters and
Actions)
- Visual Java Runtime Classes
- Creating Menus
- Adding Custom Components and Windows
- Using Groups and Shadows (Basic)
- Using Groups and Shadows (Advanced)
- Visual Java API Documentation
- Visual Java
Runtime Packages
- Class
Hierarchy
- Index of
all Fields and Methods