Setting up a maximum component size when using GridBagLayout in java

Question

My problem is the following : I'm trying to have a JScrollPane resizing with the window, up to a certain size horizontally, where it should stop trying to grow with the window.

Can I do that with a GridBagLayout ? If so, how ?

Chromyl

I believe JComponents have a method setMaximumSize(), have you tried using this? – Syntactics

I don't use GridBagLayout that much so I don't know how it works. However, I do know that BoxLayout respects the maximum size. – Marshallmarshallese

GridBagLayout doesn't take into account setMaximumSize() unfortunately. First thing that I tried. BoxLayout doesn't really cut it for the design I want to implement... – Chromyl

If I am not mistaken, then GridBagLayout certainly doesn't suites to this condition :( Had you tried adding one HorizontalGlue or HorizontalBox for that matter. – Window

Seems like Box.createGlue(), might can work for your case :-), Please do have a look at the link. – Window

You can mix and match layout managers to get the design you wish to implement. – Marshallmarshallese

It works very nicely if you combine GridBagLayout and BoxLayout for example. – Winola

Answer 1

One way to do that is to wrap you scrollpane in another JPanel with a BoxLayout and set a MaximumSize on your scrollpane which BoxLayout will enforce:

Packed:

Stretched (max width has been set to 700 px):

import java.awt.Dimension;
import java.awt.GridBagConstraints;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
import java.net.MalformedURLException;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.Vector;

import javax.swing.BoxLayout;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
import javax.swing.JTable;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import javax.swing.table.DefaultTableModel;

public class TestGridBagLayout2 {

    protected void initUI() throws MalformedURLException {
        final JFrame frame = new JFrame();
        frame.setTitle(TestGridBagLayout2.class.getSimpleName());
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        final JPanel panel = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
        Vector<Vector<String>> data = new Vector<Vector<String>>();
        for (int i = 0; i < 20; i++) {
            Vector<String> v = new Vector<String>();
            for (int j = 0; j < 1; j++) {
                v.add("Cell (" + (i + 1) + "," + (j + 1) + ")");
            }
            data.add(v);
        }
        DefaultTableModel model = new DefaultTableModel(data, new Vector<String>(
                Arrays.asList("Col-1"/*, "Col-2", "Col-3", "Col-4", "Col-5"*/)));
        JTable table = new JTable(model);
        JScrollPane scroll = new JScrollPane(table);
        scroll.setMaximumSize(new Dimension(700, Integer.MAX_VALUE));
        JPanel wrappingPanel = new JPanel(null);
        wrappingPanel.setLayout(new BoxLayout(wrappingPanel, BoxLayout.LINE_AXIS));
        wrappingPanel.add(scroll);
        GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();
        gbc.weightx = 1.0;
        gbc.fill = GridBagConstraints.BOTH;
        panel.add(wrappingPanel, gbc);
        frame.add(panel);
        frame.pack();
        frame.setVisible(true);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
            @Override
            public void run() {
                try {
                    new TestGridBagLayout2().initUI();
                } catch (MalformedURLException e) {
                    e.printStackTrace();
                }
            }
        });
    }

}

Winola

That's a good idea, but very bloated... I'll wait to see if better ideas emerge before marking yours as the solution. Thank you anyway ! – Chromyl

@user2015634 Let me know if anything better comes up. I will be glad to learn how to do it in a simpler way. – Winola