Which Swing layout(s) do you recommend? [closed]

Answer 1

DesignGridLayout both looks great and is easy to use through fluent interface.

just look at example:

with just a few lines of clean code:

    layout.row().grid(label("Last Name"))   .add(lastNameField) .grid(label("First Name"))  .add(firstNameField);
    layout.row().grid(label("Phone"))       .add(phoneField)    .grid(label("Email"))       .add(emailField);
    layout.row().grid(label("Address 1"))   .add(address1Field);
    layout.row().grid(label("Address 2"))   .add(address2Field);
    layout.row().grid(label("City"), 1)     .add(cityField);
    layout.row().grid(label("State"))       .add(stateField)    .grid(label("Postal Code")) .add(postalField);
    layout.row().grid(label("Country"), 1)  .add(countryField);
    layout.emptyRow();
    layout.row().center().add(newButton).add(deleteButton).add(editButton).add(saveButton).add(cancelButton);

Answer 2

I'm a Swing neophyte, but in the course of writing my first Swing application, I've tried four different layout managers: FlowLayout, BoxLayout, GridLayout and GroupLayout. In my opinion, FlowLayout and BoxLayout seems most appropriate for laying out groups of components of similar sizes. For components of varying sizes, GroupLayout seems to be the way to go. Steeper learning curve than the other two, but definitely worth it. As for GridLayout, I'd argue that you can achieve the same results you would with that layout manager by using a combination of FlowLayout and BoxLayout -- and you'd probably have more control of the placement of your components. But maybe that's just me :)

Sheldon

Answer 3

All of them, in combination. That's the whole point. Each layout manager fulfills different requirements, and by nesting panels with different layout managers, you can achieve almost anything.

The "do everything in a single panel" layout managers like GridBagLayout and GroupLayout (and lots of 3rd party ones) have their place, mainly when you need components in different parts of the layout to align, but with a large layout, they generally result in a huge, hard-to-handle mess.

Answer 4

I only use GridBagLayout, especially when doing some complex interfacing, believe me GridBagLayout can do anything. I also recommended the FlowLayout, because it is easy to use, and understandable, good for putting a group of buttons. Actually I only use this two layouts since it is part of the JDK library as for the MigLayout I haven't tried it yet so for now can't recommend it for you.

Answer 5

There is no real answer to your question except that: it depends. It depends on what kind of frame (form) you are trying to create. I am no Swing-guru, but created a couple of (moderately advanced) GUI's and have never had the need to touch the GridBagLayout manager. I have always been able to create my GUI's using a combination of "easier" layout managers. For example, you can give your frame the BorderLayout and then place another layout in the SOUTH of that BorderLayout.

Answer 6

It depends which kind of layout you need, that's why you have 8 of them:

1. BorderLayout, simple and quite useful to design normal content frames (with main content in the middle and helpers on sides).
2. GridLayout, useful when you have a grid of objects that should be of the same size (buttons? textfields?).
3. GridBagLayout, very flexible, needs some tweaking to be fine and it is quite verbose (but I raccomend it if you want to do things well).
4. FlowLayout, useless.. not a very layout: just placing item one next to another.
5. CardLayout, useful for tabs or subviews that must be switched.
6. BoxLayout, never used it too much.. it should be a sort of enhanced FlowLayout but it's not enough flexible to be used intensively.