How to display full file path in JTree?

Question

I would like to print out the whole file path when I click a file in the File tree. At the moment when I click a file it prints out only the path name from the line System.out.println( tree.getLastSelectedPathComponent());

I tried doing File file = (File) tree.getPath(); to get the full path but I get the error (java.lang.ClassCastException: javax.swing.tree.DefaultMutableTreeNode cannot be cast to java.io.File).

My full code is below

import java.io.File;

import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
import javax.swing.JTree;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import javax.swing.event.TreeSelectionEvent;
import javax.swing.event.TreeSelectionListener;
import javax.swing.tree.DefaultMutableTreeNode;
import javax.swing.tree.DefaultTreeModel;

public class NewerFileTree extends JPanel implements Runnable {

    protected static final String File = null;
    private DefaultMutableTreeNode root;
    private DefaultTreeModel treeModel;
    private JTree tree;

    public void run() {
        JFrame frame = new JFrame("File Browser");
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);

        File fileRoot = new File("C://");
        root = new DefaultMutableTreeNode(new FileNode(fileRoot));
        treeModel = new DefaultTreeModel(root);

        tree = new JTree(treeModel);
        tree.setShowsRootHandles(true);
        JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane(tree);

        tree.addTreeSelectionListener(new TreeSelectionListener() {
            public void valueChanged(TreeSelectionEvent event) {
                File file = (File) tree.getLastSelectedPathComponent();
                System.out.println(tree.getLastSelectedPathComponent());
            }
        });

        frame.add(scrollPane);
        frame.setLocationByPlatform(true);
        frame.setSize(640, 480);
        frame.setVisible(true);

        CreateChildNodes ccn
                = new CreateChildNodes(fileRoot, root);
        new Thread(ccn).start();
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new NewerFileTree());
    }

    public class CreateChildNodes implements Runnable {

        private DefaultMutableTreeNode root;
        private File fileRoot;

        public CreateChildNodes(File fileRoot,
                DefaultMutableTreeNode root) {
            this.fileRoot = fileRoot;
            this.root = root;
        }

        public void run() {
            createChildren(fileRoot, root);
        }

        private void createChildren(File fileRoot,
                DefaultMutableTreeNode node) {
            File[] files = fileRoot.listFiles();
            if (files == null) {
                return;
            }

            for (File file : files) {
                DefaultMutableTreeNode childNode
                        = new DefaultMutableTreeNode(new FileNode(file));

                DefaultMutableTreeNode childNodes = new DefaultMutableTreeNode("hello");
                node.add(childNode);
                if (file.isDirectory()) {
                    createChildren(file, childNode);
                }
            }
        }
    }

    public class FileNode {

        private File file;

        public FileNode(File file) {
            this.file = file;
        }

        @Override
        public String toString() {
            String name = file.getName();
            if (name.equals("")) {
                return file.getAbsolutePath();
            } else {
                return name;
            }
        }
    }
}```

I am working in the `tree.addTreeSelectionListener`.

Answer 1

The fix seen here is in two parts, marked by /* new */. Basically:

• Change the FileNode to add a getFile() method (not strictly necessary, but good encapsulation).
• Get the FileNode from the DefaultMutableTreeNode, then get the File from that.

---

import java.io.File;

import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.JScrollPane;
import javax.swing.JTree;
import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import javax.swing.event.TreeSelectionEvent;
import javax.swing.event.TreeSelectionListener;
import javax.swing.tree.DefaultMutableTreeNode;
import javax.swing.tree.DefaultTreeModel;

public class NewerFileTree extends JPanel implements Runnable {

    protected static final String File = null;
    private DefaultMutableTreeNode root;
    private DefaultTreeModel treeModel;
    private JTree tree;

    public void run() {
        JFrame frame = new JFrame("File Browser");
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);

        File fileRoot = new File("C://");
        root = new DefaultMutableTreeNode(new FileNode(fileRoot));
        treeModel = new DefaultTreeModel(root);

        tree = new JTree(treeModel);
        tree.setShowsRootHandles(true);
        JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane(tree);

        tree.addTreeSelectionListener(new TreeSelectionListener() {
            public void valueChanged(TreeSelectionEvent event) {
                /* new */
                DefaultMutableTreeNode dmtn = (DefaultMutableTreeNode)
                        tree.getLastSelectedPathComponent();
                FileNode fileNode = (FileNode)dmtn.getUserObject();
                File file = fileNode.getFile();
                System.out.println(file);
            }
        });

        frame.add(scrollPane);
        frame.setLocationByPlatform(true);
        frame.setSize(640, 480);
        frame.setVisible(true);

        CreateChildNodes ccn = new CreateChildNodes(fileRoot, root);
        new Thread(ccn).start();
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new NewerFileTree());
    }

    public class CreateChildNodes implements Runnable {

        private DefaultMutableTreeNode root;
        private File fileRoot;

        public CreateChildNodes(File fileRoot,
                DefaultMutableTreeNode root) {
            this.fileRoot = fileRoot;
            this.root = root;
        }

        public void run() {
            createChildren(fileRoot, root);
        }

        private void createChildren(File fileRoot,
                DefaultMutableTreeNode node) {
            File[] files = fileRoot.listFiles();
            if (files == null) {
                return;
            }

            for (File file : files) {
                DefaultMutableTreeNode childNode
                        = new DefaultMutableTreeNode(new FileNode(file));

                DefaultMutableTreeNode childNodes = new DefaultMutableTreeNode("hello");
                node.add(childNode);
                if (file.isDirectory()) {
                    createChildren(file, childNode);
                }
            }
        }
    }

    public class FileNode {

        private File file;

        public FileNode(File file) {
            this.file = file;
        }

        /* new */
        public File getFile() {
            return file;
        }

        @Override
        public String toString() {
            String name = file.getName();
            if (name.equals("")) {
                return file.getAbsolutePath();
            } else {
                return name;
            }
        }
    }
}