applying actionlistener to a dynamic submenu

Project - the root folder
subfolders - under project folder
endfolders - under subfolders folder

i created dynamic JMenus(initialize in the constructor) from a subfolders of Project(this is the root folder), i made it dynamically because the folders are not permanent, it could be deleted, and also under subfolders is i created a JMenuItem which are the endfolders, now i am confused on how to add an actionlistener to the JMenu/JMenuItem because the initialization of the components are in my constructor,

that is how i initialize the JMenu dynamically, my problem is how to add an action listener to that style.

Subclass AbstractAction
Pass it to the constructor when you create the menus

can you give me some code snippet of that AbstractAction?

Use it with your code like

hi maneesh, i tried your code but nothing happened after i click the submenu's. is there something i missed? it runs smoothly but no actionperformed happened.

Runs smoothly? No actionPerformed? What do you mean by runs smoothly then?
Impossible to say whats going wrong at your end without seeing the code.
Post some SSCCE which demonstrates the problem and which we can try out on our machines.

shouldn't the submenu's be JMenuItem's

@maneesh: i mean it run before, without the actionperformed, after i insert the code, it still run but no action when i click the JMenu, and yes i will post the code snippet but i have to make another because the original code is very long.. i will just make it short, regarding only to the topic..

@michael: it can be but theres an endfolders after subfolders, i will just show you the code..

Following example works for me:

import java.awt.EventQueue;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException;

import javax.swing.AbstractAction;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JMenu;
import javax.swing.JMenuBar;
import javax.swing.JMenuItem;
import javax.swing.JOptionPane;

/**
 * DynamicMenuDemo (DynamicMenuDemo.java)
 * @author peter.taucher
 * @since 09.06.2010
 */
public class DynamicMenuDemo extends JFrame
{
    final JMenuBar    menuBar;
    final JMenu       fooMenu;
    final JMenuItem[] fooMenuItems;
    
    public DynamicMenuDemo()
    {
        super( "Foo" );
        setDefaultCloseOperation( DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE );
        
        menuBar = new JMenuBar();
        fooMenu = new JMenu( "Foo Menu" );
        menuBar.add( fooMenu );
        
        // Create menu items 'dynamically' (assume we get a list/array of strings from somewhere)
        String[] menuItemNames = new String[] { "Foo Item", "Bar Item", "Foo Bar Item", "Bla" };
        fooMenuItems = new JMenuItem[menuItemNames.length];
        int i = 0;
        for ( String menuItemName : menuItemNames )
        {
            fooMenuItems[i] = new JMenuItem( new SomeAction( menuItemName ) );
            fooMenu.add( fooMenuItems[i] );
            i++;
        }
        
        setJMenuBar( menuBar );
        setSize( 320, 200 );
    }
    
    public static void main( String[] args ) throws InterruptedException, InvocationTargetException
    {
        EventQueue.invokeAndWait( new Runnable()
        {   
            public void run()
            {
                new DynamicMenuDemo().setVisible( true );
            }
        });
    }
}

class SomeAction extends AbstractAction
{
    public SomeAction( String text )
    {
        super( text );
    }
    
    public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent e )
    {
        JOptionPane.showMessageDialog( null, "Action occured: " + getValue( NAME ) );
    }
}

Like Maneesh suggested I create a custom action (SomeAction). In it's implementation you'd have to insert logic (what to do for different subfolders/menu items).

yes, i know now where i get stuck, because i put an action to a JMenu, instead that action will be on a JMenuItem
i wrote the action now in a JMenuItem and it works.

thanks maneesh for the code snippet, peter and michael.. it solves my problem

cheers to all