What is Java GUI?

Java GUI allows users to interact with Java programs visually using windows, buttons,
text fields, menus, dialogs, etc., instead of command-line input/output.

Java provides GUI support mainly through:

1. AWT (Abstract Window Toolkit)

2. Swing

3. JavaFX (modern)

AWT (Abstract Window Toolkit)

1 Overview

 Oldest Java GUI library

 Package: [Link]
 Platform-dependent (uses OS native components)
2 Features

 Heavyweight components

 Faster rendering

 Limited customization
3 Common AWT Components

Component Description

Frame Main window

Button Clickable button

Label Displays text

TextField Single line input

TextArea Multi-line input

Checkbox Yes/No selection

Component Description

Choice Drop-down list

List Scrollable list

4 Example (AWT)

import [Link].*;

class MyAWT {

public static void main(String[] args) {

Frame f = new Frame("AWT Example");

Button b = new Button("Click Me");

[Link](100, 100, 80, 30);

[Link](b);
[Link](300, 300);

[Link](null);

[Link](true);

}
Swing

1 Overview

 Built on AWT

 Package: [Link]

 Platform-independent

 Most widely used in academics

2 Features

 Lightweight components
 Rich UI controls

 MVC architecture

 Pluggable Look & Feel

3 Swing Components

Swing AWT Equivalent

JFrame Frame

JButton Button

JLabel Label

JTextField TextField

JTextArea TextArea

JCheckBox Checkbox

JComboBox Choice

JList List

JTable Table

JMenuBar Menu bar

4 Swing Example
import [Link].*;

class MySwing {

public static void main(String[] args) {

JFrame f = new JFrame("Swing Example");

JButton b = new JButton("Click");

[Link](100, 100, 80, 30);

[Link](b);

[Link](300, 300);

[Link](null);

[Link](true);

[Link](JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);

Layout Managers

Layout Managers control component positioning automatically.

Types of Layouts

Layout Description

FlowLayout Left to right

BorderLayout North, South, East, West, Center

GridLayout Rows and columns

GridBagLayout Flexible grid

Layout Description

CardLayout Multiple screens

Example (FlowLayout)

[Link](new FlowLayout());

Event Handling in Java GUI

What is Event?

An event is an action like button click, key press, mouse movement.

Event Handling Mechanism

1. Event Source (Button)

2. Event Object

3. Event Listener
Common Listener Interfaces

Listener Event

ActionListener Button click

MouseListener Mouse events

KeyListener Keyboard input

WindowListener Window events

Example (Button Click Event)

import [Link].*;

import [Link].*;

class EventDemo {

public static void main(String[] args) {

JFrame f = new JFrame("Event Handling");

 JButton b = new JButton("Click Me");

[Link](100, 100, 100, 30);

[Link](new ActionListener() {

public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {

[Link](f, "Button Clicked");

}
});

[Link](b);

[Link](300, 300);

[Link](null);

[Link](true);

[Link](JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);

Dialog Boxes (Swing)

Dialog Purpose

JOptionPane Message / Input

JDialog Custom dialog

Example

[Link](null, "Hello Java GUI");

JavaFX

1 Overview

 Modern GUI framework

 Uses CSS styling

 Supports multimedia and animations

2 Simple JavaFX Example

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

import [Link];

public class FXDemo extends Application {

public void start(Stage stage) {

Button b = new Button("Click");

Scene s = new Scene(b, 300, 200);

[Link](s);

[Link]();
}

public static void main(String[] args) {

launch(args);
}

Difference: AWT vs Swing vs JavaFX

Feature AWT Swing JavaFX

Platform Dependent Independent Independent

Look Native Custom Modern

Performance Fast Moderate Best

Use Today Rare Academic Industry

Advantages of Java GUI

 User-friendly

 Platform independent

 Rich controls

 Event-driven programming
AWT (Abstract Window Toolkit) in Java
AWT (Abstract Window Toolkit) is Java’s first GUI library, used to develop window-
based applications such as frames, buttons, text fields, menus, and dialogs.

Package: [Link]
Principle: Uses native operating system components

Why is it called “Abstract Window Toolkit”?

 Abstract → Provides abstract classes & interfaces

 Window → Used to create windows (Frame, Dialog)

 Toolkit → Set of GUI tools (buttons, labels, etc.)

AWT Architecture (Peer Model)

AWT follows the Peer Architecture.

How it works:

 Java component → calls Peer

 Peer → calls native OS component

Example:

Button → ButtonPeer → Windows Button / Linux Button

Result:

Native look
Platform dependent
Heavy memory usage

Features of AWT
Feature Explanation

Platform Dependent Uses OS native GUI

Heavyweight Components Each component has OS resource

Faster Rendering Native components

Limited Components Few GUI controls

Poor Customization Depends on OS

AWT Component Hierarchy

Object

└── Component

├── Button

├── Label

├── TextField

├── TextArea

├── Checkbox

├── Choice

├── List

└── Container

├── Panel

├── Window

├── Frame

└── Dialog

AWT Components (in detail)

1 Component Class
  Base class for all GUI components

 Provides methods:

o setSize()

o setBounds()

o setVisible()

o setBackground()

2 Container

A container holds other components.

Types:

1. Panel

2. Window

3. Frame

4. Dialog

3 Frame

 Top-level window

 Has title bar, close/minimize buttons

Frame f = new Frame("My Frame");

[Link](300, 200);

[Link](true);

4 Panel

 Does not have title bar

 Used inside Frame

Panel p = new Panel();

5 Button

 Clickable component

Button b = new Button("Submit");

6 Label

 Displays non-editable text

Label l = new Label("Username:");

7 TextField

 Single line input

TextField tf = new TextField(20);

8 TextArea

 Multi-line input

TextArea ta = new TextArea(5, 20);

9 Checkbox

 On/Off selection

Checkbox cb = new Checkbox("Java");

10 CheckboxGroup (Radio Button)

CheckboxGroup cg = new CheckboxGroup();

Checkbox m = new Checkbox("Male", cg, false);

Checkbox f = new Checkbox("Female", cg, true);

11 Choice (Dropdown)

Choice c = new Choice();

[Link]("BCA");

[Link]("BSc CSIT");

12 List

 Scrollable list

List l = new List(3);

[Link]("Java");

[Link]("Python");

7. Layout Managers in AWT

Layout Manager controls component placement.

1 FlowLayout (Default)

 Left to right

[Link](new FlowLayout());

2 BorderLayout (Default for Frame)

North

South
East

West

Center

[Link](b1, [Link]);

3 GridLayout

 Rows × Columns

[Link](new GridLayout(2, 2));

4 CardLayout

 Multiple screens

CardLayout cl = new CardLayout();

5 GridBagLayout (Advanced)

 Flexible grid (rare in exams)

Event Handling in AWT

1 What is Event?

An event is an action like:

 Button click

 Mouse move

 Key press

2 Event Delegation Model

3 Components:
1. Event Source (Button)

2. Event Listener

3. Event Object

Common Event Classes

Event Class Description

ActionEvent Button click

Event Class Description

MouseEvent Mouse action

KeyEvent Keyboard input

WindowEvent Window action

Listener Interfaces

Listener Used For

ActionListener Button

MouseListener Mouse

KeyListener Keyboard

WindowListener Window

Example: Button Click Event (AWT)

import [Link].*;

import [Link].*;

class AWTEventDemo extends Frame implements ActionListener {

Button b;

AWTEventDemo() {

b = new Button("Click Me");

add(b);

[Link](this);
 setSize(300, 200);

setLayout(new FlowLayout());

setVisible(true);

public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {

[Link]("Button Clicked");
}

public static void main(String[] args) {

new AWTEventDemo();

Window Closing in AWT

AWT does NOT close window automatically.

addWindowListener(new WindowAdapter() {

public void windowClosing(WindowEvent e) {

dispose();

});

Advantages of AWT

Native look
Fast execution
Simple API
Disadvantages of AWT

Platform dependent
Heavyweight
Less components
Poor UI control
Java Swing –
Java Swing is a GUI (Graphical User Interface) toolkit used to create window-based
desktop applications in Java.

Package: [Link]
Built on: AWT
Goal: Rich, platform-independent GUI

Why Swing?

Problems with AWT:

 Platform dependent

 Heavyweight components

 Limited UI controls
Swing solves these problems

Features of Swing

Feature Description

Platform Independent Written in Java

Lightweight Components No native OS dependency

Rich Components JTable, JTree, JTabbedPane

MVC Architecture Model-View-Controller

Pluggable Look & Feel Change UI appearance

Customizable Colors, fonts, borders

Swing Architecture (MVC)

Swing follows MVC pattern:

Part Role

Model Data (JTableModel)

View Display

Controller User input

Example:
JButton → Model (state) → View (appearance) → Controller (action)

Swing Component Hierarchy

Object

└── Component

└── Container

└── JComponent

├── JButton

├── JLabel

├── JTextField

├── JTextArea

├── JCheckBox

├── JComboBox

├── JList

├── JTable

├── JMenu

├── JTabbedPane

Top-Level Containers
Container Description

JFrame Main window

JDialog Popup window

JApplet Browser (obsolete)

JWindow Borderless window

Common Swing Components (Detailed)

1 JFrame

JFrame f = new JFrame("My Frame");

[Link](400, 300);

[Link](true);

[Link](JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);

2 JLabel

JLabel l = new JLabel("Username");

3 JButton

JButton b = new JButton("Login");

4 JTextField

JTextField tf = new JTextField(20);

5 JPasswordField

JPasswordField pf = new JPasswordField(20);

6 JTextArea

JTextArea ta = new JTextArea(5, 20);

7 JCheckBox

JCheckBox cb = new JCheckBox("Java");

8 JRadioButton

JRadioButton m = new JRadioButton("Male");

JRadioButton f = new JRadioButton("Female");

ButtonGroup bg = new ButtonGroup();

[Link](m); [Link](f);

9 JComboBox

String[] course = {"BCA", "BSc CSIT"};

JComboBox cb = new JComboBox(course);

10 JList

String[] lang = {"Java", "Python"};

JList list = new JList(lang);

11 JTable

String[][] data = {{"1","Ram"},{"2","Shyam"}};

String[] col = {"ID","Name"};

JTable table = new JTable(data, col);

12 JMenuBar

JMenuBar mb = new JMenuBar();

JMenu m = new JMenu("File");

JMenuItem i = new JMenuItem("Exit");

[Link](i);

[Link](m);

[Link](mb);

Layout Managers in Swing

Layout Description

FlowLayout Left to right

BorderLayout 5 regions

GridLayout Row × Column

BoxLayout Vertical / Horizontal

GroupLayout Advanced

Example (GridLayout)

[Link](new GridLayout(2,2));

Event Handling in Swing

Swing uses Event Delegation Model.

Components:
 1. Event Source

2. Event Object

3. Event Listener

Common Listeners

Listener Used For

ActionListener Button

MouseListener Mouse

KeyListener Keyboard

ItemListener Checkbox

WindowListener Window

Example: Button Click Event

import [Link].*;
import [Link].*;

class SwingEvent {

public static void main(String[] args) {

JFrame f = new JFrame("Event Demo");

JButton b = new JButton("Click");

[Link](100,100,80,30);

[Link](new ActionListener() {

public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {

 [Link](f,"Button Clicked");

});

[Link](b);

[Link](300,300);

[Link](null);

[Link](true);
[Link](JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);

Dialog Boxes in Swing

Dialog Purpose

JOptionPane Message / Input

JDialog Custom dialog

[Link](null,"Welcome");

Look and Feel

[Link]([Link]());

Advantages of Swing

Platform independent
Rich UI components
Customizable
MVC architecture
Disadvantages of Swing

Slower than AWT

Old compared to JavaFX
Complex for large apps
JavaFX
JavaFX is a modern GUI framework used to build rich desktop applications in Java.
It is the successor of Swing and supports CSS styling, multimedia, animation, and
responsive UI.

Package: javafx.*
Used for: Desktop applications, dashboards, media apps

Why JavaFX?

Limitations of Swing:

 Old look

 No CSS

 Weak multimedia support

JavaFX solves these problems with:
Modern UI
Hardware acceleration
CSS & animation

Features of JavaFX

Feature Description

Modern UI Flat & responsive

CSS Styling Web-like design

FXML Support Separate UI from logic

Multimedia Audio & video

Animation Transitions & effects

Scene Graph Hierarchical UI

Hardware Accelerated Better performance

JavaFX Architecture

JavaFX follows Scene Graph architecture.

Stage (Window)

└── Scene

└── Root Node

├── Controls

├── Layouts

└── Shapes
Key Terms

 Stage → Main window

 Scene → Container for UI

 Node → Every UI element

JavaFX Application Life Cycle

JavaFX programs extend Application.

Life Cycle Methods

Method Purpose

init() Initialization

start(Stage) UI creation

stop() Cleanup

Basic JavaFX Program

import [Link];

import [Link];
import [Link];

import [Link];
public class HelloFX extends Application {

public void start(Stage stage) {

Button b = new Button("Click Me");

Scene scene = new Scene(b, 300, 200);

[Link]("JavaFX Example");
[Link](scene);

[Link]();

public static void main(String[] args) {

launch(args);

JavaFX Controls (Components)

Common Controls
Control Description

Button Click button

Label Text display

TextField Single-line input

PasswordField Password input

TextArea Multi-line input

CheckBox On/Off

RadioButton Single selection

ComboBox Dropdown

ListView List

TableView Table

DatePicker Calendar

Example: Form Controls

TextField tf = new TextField();

PasswordField pf = new PasswordField();

Button login = new Button("Login");

Layout Panes in JavaFX

Layouts automatically arrange components.

Layout Pane Description

VBox Vertical

HBox Horizontal

BorderPane Top, Bottom, Left, Right, Center

Layout Pane Description

GridPane Row × Column

StackPane One over another

AnchorPane Fixed position

Example: GridPane

GridPane gp = new GridPane();

[Link](new Label("Name"), 0, 0);

[Link](new TextField(), 1, 0);

Event Handling in JavaFX

JavaFX uses lambda expressions.

Example: Button Click

Button b = new Button("Click");

[Link](e -> {

[Link]("Button Clicked");

});

Dialogs & Alerts

Alert alert = new Alert([Link]);

[Link]("Info");

[Link]("Hello JavaFX");

[Link]();

Styling with CSS

Inline CSS

[Link]("-fx-background-color: blue; -fx-text-fill: white;");

External CSS

.button {

-fx-font-size: 14px;

-fx-background-color: green;

FXML (UI Separation)

FXML separates design and logic.

 UI → .fxml

 Logic → Controller class

Advantages

Clean code
MVC architecture
Easy maintenance

Multimedia in JavaFX

Media media = new Media("file:video.mp4");

MediaPlayer mp = new MediaPlayer(media);

MediaView mv = new MediaView(mp);

JavaFX vs Swing (Exam Table)

Feature JavaFX Swing

UI Modern Old
Feature JavaFX Swing

CSS Yes No

FXML Yes No

Multimedia Strong Weak

Performance Better Moderate

Advantages of JavaFX

Modern UI
Clean separation (FXML)
Multimedia support
Animation & effects

Disadvantages of JavaFX

Extra setup required

Larger size
Less academic usage