Java Swing JPanel Object Sizes all match JTextField size

Question

I've got an unusual issue with all of the objects inside of a JPanel taking the size of the JTextField. Even if I try to force a size on the other objects, they still take the size specified for the textfield as their own. For example, I'm trying to setup a single panel in its own method as follows:

private JPanel setupID() {
    JLabel projLbl = new JLabel("Project ID:");
    JButton verifyBtn = new JButton("Verify ID");
    projID = new JTextField(25);
    verifyBtn.setToolTipText("Verifies that the entered ID is not already in use.");
    JPanel theID = new JPanel(new GridLayout(1,0));
        theID.add(projLbl);
        theID.add(projID);
        theID.add(verifyBtn);
    return theID;
}

What I end up with is a window that looks like this... The JFrame frame; that this is being loaded into has the frame.pack() method called on it to auto adjust the frame size. If I create the individual objects in a BorderLayout() in different areas (WEST,CENTER,EAST for example) they'll work as intended, but when they're loaded into the panel, they all size based off the JTextField(25). Any ideas why this is?

Answer 1

As Code-Guru and asemax has pointed out. It would appear that you are using a GridLayout, which is designed to layout components in a grid, evenly, using the available space.

Try using something like a GridBagLayout instead...

public class BadLayout08 {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        new BadLayout08();
    }

    public BadLayout08() {
        EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
            @Override
            public void run() {
                try {
                    UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
                } catch (Exception ex) {
                }

                JFrame frame = new JFrame("Testing");
                frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
                frame.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
                frame.add(new TestPane());
                frame.pack();
                frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
                frame.setVisible(true);
            }
        });
    }

    public class TestPane extends JPanel {

        public TestPane() {
            setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
            add(new JLabel("Project ID:"));
            add(new JTextField(25));
            add(new JButton("Verify ID"));
        }

    }

}

You may find A Visual Guide to Layout Managers of some use when you need to decide on which layout to use.