Java: single frame or multiple frames

Question

Think of the classic installation process, where you have the “next” button, and when you click on it, the contents of the window change. To present this situation, I thought of two possible solutions:

-when "next" click, destroy the current JFrame and create a new JFrame, possibly pass useful information to its constructor (for example, the actual size of the window, the content inserted by the user in the current frame, ...)

- when you click "next", all components from the current JFrame are deleted and, if necessary, new components are added

The first solution looks better than OOprogramming, because I can store separate classes for different frames, and I can avoid the huge methods that empty the frame and populate it. However, the first solution sounds a little "dirty", and I have to pass a lot of parameters to a new frame. To present this situation, I would choose the second solution.

Now think of a menu with the option component: in this situation, I would create a new JFrame when I clicked on option so that I could fill it with options. This is the right decision? Is there a way that I can always know which one is the best solution? Are there any solutions that I haven't thought about?

Answer 1

Destroying the main JFrame would be stupid - not to mention jarring for the user. Just use one JFrame and change its contents.

To implement the installation wizard, use one JFrame containing one large JPanel top and a smaller one containing the Next, Back, and Cancel buttons at the bottom. When the Next or Back buttons are clicked, you replace the large JPanel . You can have many different subclasses of JPanel , one for each wizard page.

Here a LayoutManager is called CardLayout , which is ideal for implementing this scenario - it manages the "stack" of components and displays only one of these components at a time. Use BorderLayout in a JFrame . In the center position, put a JPanel with CardLayout . Then add individual wizard pages to JPanel , so CardLayout can manage them.

Answer 2

CardLayout is well suited for this. You simply replace the contents of JPanel when you click Next.