Making Java more interesting

One of the things that drives me absolutely nuts about the Java materials I am using is that the majority of the programs are console programs.

Sorry that really sucks when my regular children get to do real live Windows programs.

So I have decided I am going to rewrite the labs so that they at least display the answer with Swing Frames and Panels.  It’s either that or rewrite them in C#, which I am also close to doing.  Unfortunately we have a district final.

We’ve been purchasing Stacy Armstrong’s materials so I am going to give some of the labs a try.  He does some graphic programs where he has a runner that does the heavy work, so I think I’m going to try the same thing with SWING.

Frankly, this is more exciting can a console window.

However, I am scared of this:

/**
 * @(#)Lab02aFrame.java
 *
 * JFC Lab02a application
 *
 * @author 
 * @version 1.00 2010/4/21
 */
import java.awt.*;

import java.awt.event.*;

import javax.swing.*;

import javax.swing.BoxLayout;


public class Lab02aFrame extends JFrame {



/**

     * The constructor

     */  

public Lab02aFrame() {







JMenuBar menuBar = new JMenuBar();

JMenu menuFile = new JMenu();

JMenuItem menuFileExit = new JMenuItem();



menuFile.setText("File");

menuFileExit.setText("Exit");



// Add action listener.for the menu button

menuFileExit.addActionListener

(

new ActionListener() {

public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {

Lab02aFrame.this.windowClosed();

}

}

); 

menuFile.add(menuFileExit);

menuBar.add(menuFile);



setTitle("Lab02a");

setJMenuBar(menuBar);

setSize(new Dimension(400, 400));



JPanel panel = new JPanel();

panel.setLayout(new BoxLayout(panel,BoxLayout.Y_AXIS));



// test cases

Rectangle test = new Rectangle();



JLabel label1 = new JLabel();

test.setLengthWidth(2,6);

test.calculatePerimeter( );

label1.setText(test.print());

panel.add(label1);
        JLabel label2 = new JLabel();

test.setLengthWidth(12,5);

test.calculatePerimeter( );

label2.setText(test.print());

panel.add(label2);



//add more test cases





this.add(panel);

// Add window listener.

this.addWindowListener

(

new WindowAdapter() {

public void windowClosing(WindowEvent e) {

Lab02aFrame.this.windowClosed();

}

}

);  

}





/**

     * Shutdown procedure when run as an application.

     */

protected void windowClosed() {



// TODO: Check if it is safe to close the application



// Exit application.

System.exit(0);

}

}

The students need to add their test cases between the comments, and I’ll have to teach them to make a new label each time they need a new test case.