GridBagLayout

> (can i just use setMin / Max / Preferred size here)

You can.

Is there any specific question you have about the layout?

This might also be of help: http://javaalmanac.com/cgi-bin/search/find.pl?words=gridbaglayout

in order to have a fixed length, the only way is to have using null layout

panel.setLayout(null);


All the other layout will adjust the components based on the resize.
If you still like to use resizing the components except few, then you have to write your own LayoutManager for that.

OK, so what would the code look like for the stated?

>>1 row, 3 columns

>>the middle component is of fixed size (or of less size???)
>>- the left and right component grow equally to fill remaining space

for eg.,

JLabel label1 = new JLabel("first column");
label1.setLocation(<give the coordinates here>); // (x, y) format
label1.setSize(<required size here>); // (x, y) format

panel.setLayout(null);
panel.add(label1);

// repeat the same for the other components.

but this is not a good way to program because, the layout concept itself goes off.
When you resize, no component will resize in this.  You can still capture the window events
and resize the components that you like to do.

The components themselves remain fixed, all that resize is the layout of the graph.

sorry mmuruganandam,

i meant how would i do it with a GridBagLayout??

just want the left and right components to fill remaining area (horizontallly) - the middle component can be fixed ??

You will need to re-set the size of the components (if it can be set) in order to do that. But why do you need to resize the components?

You have to use the GridBagConstraints for that

There is one attribute called fill.  set the value to 1.

GridBagConstraints c = new GridBagConstraints();
c.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;

This way, you can fill the horizontal portion.  BOTH to fill both.  VERTICAL to vertical fill

GridBagConstraints does not resize the componets but it just fills up the remaining space. If you want the components to grow proportionally to the original position then you will have to re-set the size somehow.

When the components are placed first, then it will occupy the remaining portion HORIZONTALLY.  When you resize the window, again this will happen.

Ya thats what i thought.  So what is the code look like to add these 3 components components to the one row - where components 1 and 3 are the components to fill and resize appropriately??

> in order to have a fixed length, the only way is to have using null layout

thats not correct.

in this case i'd suggest using a BoxLayout instead of a GBL

Any further ideas on this??
I think GridBagLayout is the one for me (but dunno)!

I like BoxLayout so tried it first, but when I add a panel with BoxLayout  to  BorderLayout.TOP (so that it occupies the entire horizontal) then the 1st 2 components are a small size (I fixed size of 2nd, but not first) but the 3rd component expands massively to occupy the rest of the space.

I think I over-stressed the "fixed size" issue - its more that i want component 1 and 3 to expand equally to fill the space - component 2 should remain much smaller???

Solution:

private static JPanel createEditor()
  {
    JPanel panel = new JPanel();
    panel.setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
    GridBagConstraints c = new GridBagConstraints();
    c.weightx = 1;

    // 3 components, middle component should remain fixed size, 1 and 3 should
    // resize equally to fill the horrizontal
    /** variable combo */
    c.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
    c.gridx = 0;
    c.gridy = 0;
    panel.add(varCombo, c);
    varCombo.setEditable(true);
    AutoCompletion.enable(varCombo);
    /** value field */
    c.gridx = 2;
    c.gridy = 0;
    panel.add(valField, c);
    valField.addActionListener(new ActionListener()...
    /** operator combo */
    c.weightx = 0.05;
    restrictSize(opCombo, OP_SIZE);
    c.fill = GridBagConstraints.NONE;
    c.gridx = 1;
    c.gridy = 0;
    panel.add(opCombo, c);

    return panel;
  }

Nice one :)

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It's fine by me.