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Lesson: Laying Out Components Within a Container

This lesson tells you how to use the layout managers that the Java platform provides. It also tells you how to use absolute positioning (no layout manager) and gives an example of writing a custom layout manager. For each layout manager (or lack thereof), this lesson points to an example that you can run using Java^TM Web Start. By resizing the example's window, you can see how size changes affect the layout.

A Visual Guide to Layout Managers

This section shows examples of the standard layout managers and points to each one's how-to section.

Using Layout Managers

This section gives general rules on using the standard layout managers. It includes how to set the layout manager, add components to a container, provide size and alignment hints, put space between components, and set the orientation of the container's layout so that it's appropriate for the locale in which the program is running. It also has some tips for choosing the right layout manager.

How Layout Management Works

This section goes through a typical layout sequence and then describes what happens when a component's size changes.

How to...

This series of sections tells you how to use each of the general-purpose layout managers that the Java platform provides.

Creating a Custom Layout Manager

Instead of using one of the Java platform's layout managers, you can write your own. Layout managers must implement the LayoutManager interface, which specifies the five methods every layout manager must define. Optionally, layout managers can implement LayoutManager2, which is a subinterface of LayoutManager.

Doing Without a Layout Manager (Absolute Positioning)

If necessary, you can position components without using a layout manager. Generally, this solution is used to specify absolute sizes and positions for components.

Solving Common Layout Problems

Some of the most common layout problems are that components are displayed too small — or not at all. This section tells you how to fix these and other common layout problems.

Questions and Exercises

Try these questions and exercises to test what you've learned in this lesson.

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