How To Enabling Copy and Cut Operations on Java Disabled Field

Question

I'm developing a software where client request all disabled text field should be allowed to do text selection, cut and copy operations. But now unable to proceed due to some issue faced. The input field that fit the requirements should be a read-only Text Field that able to do text selection and copy/cut through ctrl+c and when clicking on the Text Field it should not trigger any Focus/Action Listener.

Previously all disabled component is disabled through

component.setEnabled(boolean)

But in this way, all disabled fields are not able to do text selection, cut and copy operations. I had tried few ways to enable copy and cut operations but found out the component is not processing any key event in this state, its seem like related to Component.enableEvents(long) I suspect this method will allow the container to dispatch the KeyEvent to the component but this method is not accessible from my project.

So I changed all the component to use

JComponent.setEditable(boolean)

But the problem with this method is, all the disabled components will trigger FocusListener, this should not happen because all the disabled fields should be read-only and have zero impact on other existing fields. Is there a way to enable the cut and copy operations without having the FocusListener to be trigger by using setEditable or there are other easier way?

(And anyone can help to explain how the event from the component is caught and dispatch? Include how the java do the checking when the keyEvent should/should not dispatch to child component and is there a way we can bypass those checking and allow the component to processKeyEvent when the field is disabled).

Answer 1

but these population and computation should do only if the input field is enabled

Why is that an issue?

If you use common listener shared by all components then you just add a check to see if the component is editable.

If you use individual listeners for each component then you don't add a listener to the component if it is not editable.

I'm missing why this is a huge effort.

how the event from the component is caught and dispatch?

You might be able to use a custom KeyboardFocusManager. Maybe override the dispatchEvent(...) method to prevent the dispatching of events in your specific cases.