Java Swing Component Resizing with GridBagLayout

I've been having trouble with my Java Swing GUI. First of all, I created a panel with the GridBagLayout on it and added all my labels to it. However, I also created a panel to the right of the other JPanel that adds in a button and 2 sliders which are suppose to like match with the labels.

The problem is that the JLabels are smaller than the components from the right of the other panel which, makes it look like this....

ex. water option -- JSLIDER (the jslider looks a lot bigger)

I tried to make the components larger by adding ipadx to a bigger value and also I've tried to set the grid width for the labels panel bigger, but nothing seems to work. It just doesn't respond.

Here is the code:

package gui;

import java.awt.GridBagConstraints;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;

import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JSlider;

public class Options extends JFrame{
        //water option (button changes text on or off)
        //make a button listener
        JSlider renderDistance;
        JSlider grassDensity;
        JButton waterToggleButton;

        JLabel rdTitle;
        JLabel gdTitle;
        JLabel wtTitle;
        JButton buttonClose;

        static final int RD_MIN_VALUE = 0;
        static final int RD_MAX_VALUE = 1000;
        static final int RD_INIT_VALUE = 500;


        static final int GD_MIN_VALUE = 0;
        static final int GD_MAX_VALUE = 1000;
        static final int GD_INIT_VALUE = 500;

        public Options() {
                this.setTitle("Settings");
                this.setSize(getMaximumSize());
                this.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
                createView();

                this.setVisible(true);

        }

        private void createView() {
                //Making panels and adding them to window*
                JPanel pOptions = new JPanel();
                this.add(pOptions);

                //These are for the labels that I added so people know which option they are using
                JPanel pOptionLabels = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
                pOptions.add(pOptionLabels);

                //These are for the middle columns, the objects like button and slider
                JPanel pOptionObjects = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
                pOptions.add(pOptionObjects);

                //Making panels and adding them to window*

                //Initializing Objects*

                GridBagConstraints gbcLabels = new GridBagConstraints();
                GridBagConstraints gbcObjects = new GridBagConstraints();

                renderDistance = new JSlider(RD_MIN_VALUE, RD_MAX_VALUE, RD_INIT_VALUE);
                grassDensity = new JSlider(GD_MIN_VALUE, GD_MAX_VALUE, GD_INIT_VALUE);
                waterToggleButton = new JButton("On");

                rdTitle = new JLabel("Render Distance");
                gdTitle = new JLabel("Grass Density");
                wtTitle = new JLabel("Water Terrain Visibility");

                //Initializing Objects*

                //Giving objects some attributes using methods*

                renderDistance.setMinorTickSpacing(100);
                renderDistance.setMajorTickSpacing(500);
                renderDistance.setPaintTicks(true);
                renderDistance.setPaintLabels(true);

                grassDensity.setMinorTickSpacing(100);
                grassDensity.setMajorTickSpacing(500);
                grassDensity.setPaintTicks(true);
                grassDensity.setPaintLabels(true);

                gbcLabels.gridx = 0;
                gbcLabels.gridy = 0;
                gbcLabels.anchor = GridBagConstraints.LINE_START;

                gbcObjects.gridx = 0;
                gbcObjects.gridy = 0;

                waterToggleButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {

                           public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {

                                  if(waterToggleButton.getText().equals("Off")) {
                                          waterToggleButton.setText("On");
                                  }else {
                                          waterToggleButton.setText("Off");


                                  }
                                }
                          });



                //Giving objects some attributes using methods*

                //Add things to panel ex. p.add();
                pOptionLabels.add(rdTitle, gbcLabels);
                gbcLabels.gridy++;
                pOptionLabels.add(gdTitle, gbcLabels);
                gbcLabels.gridy++;
                pOptionLabels.add(wtTitle, gbcLabels);

                gbcObjects.gridx++;
                pOptionObjects.add(renderDistance, gbcObjects);
                gbcObjects.gridy++;
                pOptionObjects.add(grassDensity, gbcObjects);
                gbcObjects.gridy++;
                pOptionObjects.add(waterToggleButton, gbcObjects);





        }

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

        }




                }

Solution

Change the way you are thinking. Instead of trying to layout all the labels and all the "other" components in separate containers, consider putting them all in the same container.

This way, when they are laid out, the layout calculations are made in relationship to all the components in a single context.

import java.awt.GridBagConstraints;
import java.awt.GridBagLayout;
import java.awt.Insets;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JSlider;

public class Options extends JFrame {
                //water option (button changes text on or off)
    //make a button listener

    JSlider renderDistance;
    JSlider grassDensity;
    JButton waterToggleButton;

    JLabel rdTitle;
    JLabel gdTitle;
    JLabel wtTitle;
    JButton buttonClose;

    static final int RD_MIN_VALUE = 0;
    static final int RD_MAX_VALUE = 1000;
    static final int RD_INIT_VALUE = 500;

    static final int GD_MIN_VALUE = 0;
    static final int GD_MAX_VALUE = 1000;
    static final int GD_INIT_VALUE = 500;

    public Options() {
        this.setTitle("Settings");

        createView();

        pack();
        this.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        this.setVisible(true);

    }

    private void createView() {
        //Making panels and adding them to window*
        JPanel pOptions = new JPanel();
        this.add(pOptions);

        //These are for the labels that I added so people know which option they are using
        JPanel pOptionLabels = new JPanel(new GridBagLayout());
        pOptions.add(pOptionLabels);

        GridBagConstraints gbc = new GridBagConstraints();

        renderDistance = new JSlider(RD_MIN_VALUE, RD_MAX_VALUE, RD_INIT_VALUE);
        grassDensity = new JSlider(GD_MIN_VALUE, GD_MAX_VALUE, GD_INIT_VALUE);
        waterToggleButton = new JButton("On");

        rdTitle = new JLabel("Render Distance");
        gdTitle = new JLabel("Grass Density");
        wtTitle = new JLabel("Water Terrain Visibility");

                                //Initializing Objects*
                                //Giving objects some attributes using methods*
        renderDistance.setMinorTickSpacing(100);
        renderDistance.setMajorTickSpacing(500);
        renderDistance.setPaintTicks(true);
        renderDistance.setPaintLabels(true);

        grassDensity.setMinorTickSpacing(100);
        grassDensity.setMajorTickSpacing(500);
        grassDensity.setPaintTicks(true);
        grassDensity.setPaintLabels(true);

        gbc.gridx = 0;
        gbc.gridy = 0;
        gbc.anchor = GridBagConstraints.LINE_START;
        gbc.insets = new Insets(2, 2, 2, 2);

        waterToggleButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {

            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {

                if (waterToggleButton.getText().equals("Off")) {
                    waterToggleButton.setText("On");
                } else {
                    waterToggleButton.setText("Off");

                }
            }
        });

                                //Giving objects some attributes using methods*
        //Add things to panel ex. p.add();
        pOptionLabels.add(rdTitle, gbc);
        gbc.gridy++;
        pOptionLabels.add(gdTitle, gbc);
        gbc.gridy++;
        pOptionLabels.add(wtTitle, gbc);

        gbc.gridx++;
        gbc.gridy = 0;
        pOptionLabels.add(renderDistance, gbc);
        gbc.gridy++;
        pOptionLabels.add(grassDensity, gbc);
        gbc.gridy++;
        pOptionLabels.add(waterToggleButton, gbc);

    }

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

    }

}