Dynamically growing JPanel with BoxLayout (on a null layout)

Question

I have a JPanel with a vertical BoxLayout on top of a JPanel with a null layout.

I would like the JPanel with the BoxLayout to grow as the components are being added

Answer 1

Off the bat, what I would change:

public static void main (String[] args) {
    JFrame f = new JFrame();
    //f.setSize(500,500);
    f.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
    JPanel total = new JPanel();
    //total.setLayout(null); //<-- this is usually a bad idea, but you can keep it
    //                                if you want to specify an EXACT location
    //                                for your JPanel
    total.setPreferredSize(500, 500);
    total.setBackground(Color.green);
    JPanel box = new JPanel();
    //box.setLocation(100,200);
    box.setLayout(new BoxLayout(box, BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));
    box.add(new JButton("test"));
    box.add(new JLabel("hey"));
    total.add(box);
    f.add(total);
    f.pack();
    f.setVisible(true);
}

Once you have that basis, all you need to do to dynamically change the size of a JPanel is:

panel.setSize(width, heightOfComponentWithin * numberOfComponents);
container.repaint(); //<-- Im not sure if you also have to call panel.repaint(),
//                           you probably don't have to.

I would also recommend using a scroll view, just in case the JPanel starts getting out of view. Good Luck!