• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
programming forums Java Mobile Certification Databases Caching Books Engineering Micro Controllers OS Languages Paradigms IDEs Build Tools Frameworks Application Servers Open Source This Site Careers Other Pie Elite all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
Marshals:
  • Campbell Ritchie
  • Jeanne Boyarsky
  • Ron McLeod
  • Paul Clapham
  • Liutauras Vilda
Sheriffs:
  • paul wheaton
  • Rob Spoor
  • Devaka Cooray
Saloon Keepers:
  • Stephan van Hulst
  • Tim Holloway
  • Carey Brown
  • Frits Walraven
  • Tim Moores
Bartenders:
  • Mikalai Zaikin

Multi-console interface

 
Author
Posts: 6055
8
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
I am going to create a complex GUI, for a securities trading application game. The user will have different consoles, for example, there will be consoles for:
- trading stocks
- looking at ones account
- getting news bulletins
- financial calculators
etc
For any given console, there will be different versions the console. Not every feature will be available to everyone, since the players will have to "buy" the components. The components will talk back to either a database directly or to a middle layer web server or application server.
How should I do this?
I'm thinking I should create a JWindow and then put each console in a JFrame within the window. I'm thinking JSPs probably aren't right, because the interface will be changing during the course of the game as the player buys more tools. Also, players may want to layout the tools differently, putting them where they are most convienent.
Does that sound right? Any other suggestions? Any recommended tools for this?

--Mark
 
Bartender
Posts: 4121
IntelliJ IDE Spring Java
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Sorry Mark...

A JWindow is just a JFrame without any decorations... or a JFrame is a JWindow with decorations, depending on how you look at it... In any case, you can't place top-level components(which JFrame and JWindow are) inside other components like that...

You may want to look into JDesktopPane and JInternalFrame to make an MDI (Multiple Document Interface) kind of like MS Word. Your JDesktopPane will be contained inside a top level component, like a JWindow or JFrame, and the JDesktopPane can contain multiple JInternalFrames. (Which can look just like JFrames... only they are not top-level components...)

You could also use JTabbedPane if the user only needs to see one screen at a time... or yout could nest JSplitPanes containing the screens if you want the user to see all the screens at the same time...

There are lots of different ways to do this...
 
Ranch Hand
Posts: 88
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
First of all, Mark, you should employ a certain friend of yours from the other side of Mass Ave. He has many bright ideas.
As Nathan said, there are so many ways to do this. As you know, when starting a project one should gather some customer data first, use case scenarios, etc. if possible. In lieu of that, make some basic UI decisions. For example, do users like many windows, one main window with some helper windows, MDI, etc.? Will this be the only/main application they will need to run/look at at once on their desktop?
As far as tools, well, I don't have to mention my little plug.
Bill
 
Mark Herschberg
Author
Posts: 6055
8
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Yes, yes, JDesktopPane, that's the ticket!
I think that's what I want. Just as is done in MS Word, where I can have multiple documents and open one, and minimize others, or layout multiple documents to be shown at once--and MDI (yay, I learned a new term, even better another TLA :-p).
I'm familiar with tabbed panes and split panes, but wanted more flexibility.
Thanks for the help.

--Mark
 
Trust God, but always tether your camel... to this tiny ad.
a bit of art, as a gift, the permaculture playing cards
https://gardener-gift.com
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic