Border Layout in Applet Issues

I am a new programmer and doing an assignment for my Java class. I think I am using the right layout, but the components aren't showing up right. They show up in a line all across the top of the applet. I am using the BorderLayout. Please let me know what I am doing wrong. Thank you!

import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;

public class ReunionRegistrationApplet extends JApplet
{
	// Create variables for labels
	private JLabel lblMainTitle, lblOptionPart,
			lblFirstName, lblLastName, lblAddress,
			lblCity, lblState, lblZipCode, lblReservation, lblOptionMem;
						
	// Create variables for RadioButtons
	private JRadioButton btnAlumnus, btnFaculty,
			btnAdmin, btnOther, btnStandard, btnDeluxe, btnNone;
						
	// Create variables for CheckBoxes
	private JCheckBox chkSpouse, chkPrintedBook, chkCDROM;
	
	// Create variables for TextFields
	private JTextField txtFirstName, txtLastName, txtAddress,
			txtCity, txtState, txtZipCode;
							
	// Create variables for Buttons
	private JButton btnClear, btnRegister;
	private JPanel panelN, panelW, panelE, panelC, panelS;
					
	// Set up the applet
	public void init()
	{	
		// Build the panels
		BuildWestPanel();
		BuildEastPanel();
		BuildSouthPanel();
		BuildNorthPanel();
		BuildCenterPanel();
		
		// Set Layout
		setLayout(new BorderLayout());
		
		// Add Panels to Layout Manager
		add(panelN, BorderLayout.NORTH);
		add(panelS, BorderLayout.SOUTH);
		add(panelE, BorderLayout.EAST);
		add(panelW, BorderLayout.WEST);
		add(panelC, BorderLayout.CENTER);
}

With Swing you don't call "add()" or "setLayout(...)" directly, you'd call those methods on the content pane, like "getContentPane ().add(...)".

I'll move this to the AWT/Swing forum, as there seems nothing applet-specific to the question.

Ulf Dittmer wrote:With Swing you don't call "add()" or "setLayout(...)" directly, you'd call those methods on the content pane, like "getContentPane ().add(...)".

I'll move this to the AWT/Swing forum, as there seems nothing applet-specific to the question.

Then I must just be doing it completely wrong. I am trying to make an applet.

What I meant by that is: the question is about layouts, and thus GUIs and Swing in general - which are the same for both applications and applets. The fact that this code is used in an applet makes no difference.

Jeff Hord wrote:
Then I must just be doing it completely wrong. I am trying to make an applet.

JApple is a Swing component too. So the same concepts apply to applets.
Check out http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/components/applet.html
Notice the line getContentPane().add(label, BorderLayout.CENTER);

With Swing you don't call "add()" or "setLayout(...)" directly, you'd call those methods on the content pane, like "getContentPane ().add(...)".

You don't need getContentPane(). JDK 5 supports this. These methods of a JFrame are directed to the content pane of the frame.

Please let me know what I am doing wrong

The code provided looks fine, so the problem is somewhere else.

Post your SSCCE that demonstrates the problem. And we don't care about your real panels. Just create a simple program that adds 5 different components to each area of the BorderLayout. So your SSCCE should basically be 5 lines of code in the init() method:

There is no need to set the layout specifically since a BorderLayout is used for all top level containers.

Rob Camick wrote:

With Swing you don't call "add()" or "setLayout(...)" directly, you'd call those methods on the content pane, like "getContentPane ().add(...)".

You don't need getContentPane(). JDK 5 supports this. These methods of a JFrame are directed to the content pane of the frame.

We're talking about JApplet here, but you're right - since Java 5.0 all of JFrame, JDialog and JApplet redirect calls to add, remove and setLayout to their content pane.