This Java source code is an example of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) with different Java Swing GUI elements such as TextBox, Buttons, TextArea, Text Area and Labels. It is implemented using Java Swing API which provides a set of “lightweight” (all-Java language) components. This code example extends the functionality of JFrame class to show a JFrame window and Implements ActionListener on buttons to catch the click event on those buttons.
This Java Swing example uses several Swing components to create a graphical user interface (GUI). Here are the main components used in the code:
- JFrame: The main window or frame of the GUI.
- JComboBox: A dropdown list or combo box for selecting options.
- JLabel: A non-editable text component used to display information or instructions.
- JButton: A button component that triggers actions when clicked.
- JTextArea: A multi-line text area where you can display or input text.
- JScrollPane: A scrollable container that wraps around another component (in this case, the JTextArea) to provide scrolling functionality.
- Container: A generic component that can hold and organize other components.
- JCheckBox: A checkbox that allows the user to toggle a binary choice, such as enabling or disabling a feature. In this example, it’s labeled “Enable Feature.”
- JRadioButton and ButtonGroup:
JRadioButtoncomponents represent radio buttons that are grouped together using aButtonGroup. Radio buttons within the same group ensure that only one of them can be selected at a time. - FlowLayout: A layout manager that arranges components in a left-to-right, top-to-bottom flow.
- JMenuBar, JMenu, and JMenuItem:
JMenuBarrepresents the menu bar at the top of the frame.JMenurepresents a dropdown menu within the menu bar, andJMenuItemrepresents individual items within the menu.
These components are used to create a simple interactive program with buttons, a combo box, and text areas, providing a basic understanding of building a GUI in Java.
Java Swing GUI Example Code
Here is the java example code to show Swing GUI elements.
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.io.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
class Main extends JFrame implements ActionListener
{
JComboBox help = new JComboBox();
JLabel txtlabel = new JLabel("Coded by saqib at mycplus.com");
JButton button1 = new JButton("First button");
JButton button2 = new JButton("Second button");
JButton button3 = new JButton("Third button");
JRadioButton radioBtn1 = new JRadioButton("Option 1");
JRadioButton radioBtn2 = new JRadioButton("Option 2");
ButtonGroup radioGroup = new ButtonGroup();
JCheckBox checkBox = new JCheckBox("Enable Feature");
//text area
JTextArea output =
new JTextArea("Output will show here in this GUI box", 14, 45);
JLabel txtlabel2 = new JLabel("[email protected]");
public Main()
{
super("Java Swing GUI Example");
//create window
setSize(550, 500);
setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
setVisible(true);
//create content container
Container contentArea = getContentPane();
contentArea.setBackground(Color.gray);
//create layout manager
FlowLayout flowManager = new FlowLayout();
contentArea.setLayout(flowManager);
JComboBox help = new JComboBox();
help.setForeground(Color.black);
help.setBackground(Color.lightGray);
setContentPane(contentArea);
//combo box help
help.addItem("Help - Dropdown Menu");
help.addItem("-----------------");
help.addItem("1. Menu item One");
help.addItem("2. Menu item Two");
help.addItem("3. Menu item Three");
help.addItem("4. Menu item Four");
contentArea.add(help);
//text label
txtlabel.setBackground(Color.darkGray);
contentArea.add(txtlabel);
setContentPane(contentArea);
output.setForeground(Color.green);
output.setBackground(Color.black);
contentArea.add(output);
setContentPane(contentArea);
//scroll pane
JScrollPane scroller = new JScrollPane(output,
JScrollPane.VERTICAL_SCROLLBAR_ALWAYS,
JScrollPane.HORIZONTAL_SCROLLBAR_ALWAYS);
scroller.setForeground(Color.darkGray);
contentArea.add(scroller);
setContentPane(contentArea);
//buttons
button1.addActionListener(this);
button1.setBackground(Color.lightGray);
button1.setForeground(Color.black);
contentArea.add(button1);
setContentPane(contentArea);
button2.addActionListener(this);
button2.setBackground(Color.lightGray);
button2.setForeground(Color.black);
contentArea.add(button2);
setContentPane(contentArea);
button3.addActionListener(this);
button3.setBackground(Color.lightGray);
button3.setForeground(Color.black);
contentArea.add(button3);
setContentPane(contentArea);
//text label
txtlabel2.setBackground(Color.darkGray);
contentArea.add(txtlabel2);
setContentPane(contentArea);
radioGroup.add(radioBtn1);
radioGroup.add(radioBtn2);
contentArea.add(radioBtn1);
setContentPane(contentArea);
contentArea.add(radioBtn2);
setContentPane(contentArea);
contentArea.add(checkBox);
setContentPane(contentArea);
createMenuBar();
}
public void actionPerformed (ActionEvent event)
{
if(event.getSource() == button1)
output.setText("You pressed button1");
if(event.getSource() == button2)
output.setText("You pressed button2");
if(event.getSource() == button3)
output.setText("You pressed button3");
}
private void createMenuBar() {
JMenuBar menuBar = new JMenuBar();
JMenu fileMenu = new JMenu("File");
JMenuItem exitMenuItem = new JMenuItem("Exit");
exitMenuItem.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
@Override
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
System.exit(0);
}
});
fileMenu.add(exitMenuItem);
menuBar.add(fileMenu);
setJMenuBar(menuBar);
}
public static void main (String [] args)
{
Main eg = new Main();
}
}
Screenshot of the Swing GUI Example
When you compiler and run the above code, you will see a similar screens of the swing gui example as below.




