Chapter14 Graphical User Interfaces - Building Java …

← Back to document page

IntroductionIn this chapter we will explore the creation of Graphical user Interfaces (GUIs).Although console programs like the ones we have written in thepreceding chapters are still very important, the majority of modern desk-top applications have Graphical user Interfaces . Supplement 3G introduceda DrawingPanelclass that allowed you to draw two-dimensional graph-ics on the class is useful for certain applications, but writing aGUI is not the same as drawing shapes and lines onto a canvas. A realgraphical user interface includes window frames which you create thatcontain buttons, text input fields, and other onscreen major part of creating a Graphical user interface in java is figuring outhow to position and lay out the components of the user interface tomatch the appearance you desire.

The Java class used to show option panes is called JOptionPane. JOptionPane belongs to the javax.swingpackage, so you’ll need to import this package to use it. (“Swing” is the name of one of Java’s GUI libraries.) Note that the package name starts with javaxthis time, not java. The xis because, in Java’s early days, Swing

  User, Building, Interface, Java, Graphical, Graphical user interface, Building java