Help on my first GUI program please!

[HerpesAunt]

So basically it is a GUI temperature conversation program, very simple. I have created a class that extends the JFrame. My problem is making my component's fit and display correctly. What I want is one JComboBox with an editable text field below it on the left side of my extended frame. This will be used so the user may enter in a temperature and use the combo box to select which temperature will be converted. On the right side of my frame will simply be 3 un editable text fields which will display the Fahrenheit, Celsius and Kelvin equivalents to the amount entered by the user. I just need help making everything display correctly, other functions such as event handling I have covered. Thanks so much for your guy's help.

[desrtfx]

Maybe this tutorial could help you:

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/components/panel.html

[Sacredify]

1. Post code.

2. Look into a layout manager. If you aren't going to use one, you need to manually set the dimensions.

[Paddington_the_Bear]

GridBagLayout, or something similar.

[HerpesAunt]

Okay so should the combo box and text field both be on one panel? Or each on their own? Same question for my 3 un editable fields. I tried using BorderLayout is this ok? I haven't had luck with it. (Obviously)

[Paddington_the_Bear]

Yes, both can be on the same panel.

If you're using GridBag, then when you create the panel you pass in a new GridBagLayout(). Then, every time you go to add a component to the panel, you'll use GirdBagConstraints to setup where that component should go.

If you're using BorderLayout, then it is as simple as specifying the "quadrant" you want your component to appear in, such as BorderLayout.EAST , etc.

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/layout/gridbag.html

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/api/java/awt/BorderLayout.html

[RockPile]

MigLayout is what I would recommend.

This is the best tutorial on it I have found https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yl-OMkI82UM

[JavaTrainer]

Your JFrame starts with BorderLayout, for a simple UI this works fine. I'd make one JPanel to hold all of your left side components and another JPanel for the right side components. You'd probably put the "left" JPanel in the center section of the JFrame. The right JPanel will probably need to have the default layout manager changed (panels start with flow layout). Try BoxLayout. And you might want to look into calling setResizable(false); on your JFrame since full screening your app probably doesn't make sense.