Not very intuitive

[mkornatzki]

Hi,

how can i set the Layout of a JPanel in SwingDesigner 7.1?

Something that was easy to do in previous versions now is impossible for me.

Reproduce:
Take a JFrame, put a JPanel on it and then i can't change the Layout. I can see the Entry in the Properies-Editor but i can't change it.

Now as i write this post i get an idea. On the palette i can select a layout and drop it on the panel. It works but it's not intuitive.
One has to know: this i can set in the Properties-Editor, this i can set in the designer-view and this i can only set in the components-overview.

regards,
michael

[Eric Clayberg]

how can i set the Layout of a JPanel in SwingDesigner 7.1?

As shown in the docs and the on-line product demos, dropping the layout manager from the palette is the primary way to do it (and has been since the product was first released six years ago). You can also right-click on a container and select the "Set Layout" command.

Something that was easy to do in previous versions now is impossible for me.

It is still extremely easy in the latest version.

Reproduce:
Take a JFrame, put a JPanel on it and then i can't change the Layout. I can see the Entry in the Properties-Editor but i can't change it.

Just like the Constraints property is used to edit the properties of the current Constraint object associated with the widget, the Layout property is used to edit the properties of the current Layout object associated with the container.

Now as i write this post i get an idea. On the palette i can select a layout and drop it on the panel. It works but it's not intuitive.

Why is that not intuitive? What did you think the Layouts palette category was for? Given that this has been the primary way of assigning a layout type to a container in the product since its first release, I am very surprised that you think this is unintuitive.

The ability to change the layout type also from the property pane was only a minor (and redundant) feature to begin with. We can certainly consider adding that feature to v7.x, but the lack of it does not make the product any less intuitive or difficult to use.

[mkornatzki]

Why is that not intuitive? What did you think the Layouts palette category was for? Given that this has been the primary way of assigning a layout type to a container in the product since its first release, I am very surprised that you think this is unintuitive.

Sorry, but if i worked before with the previous version (i only know version 6) and changed the layout in the properties-editor (this was my primary way to do it) then i hope i can do it in the next versions, too.
I know the palette and finally i used it.
Maybe i can find the information what changed in the usability in the documentation. I will look for this.

Maybe i have used the designer in a way that was not your primary way but for me was it a good way and you offered it before. So it is not a surprise that i missed the functinality. Because i never use the palette to change the layout normally i hide the layout category.

regards,
michael

[Konstantin.Scheglov]

Because i never use the palette to change the layout normally i hide the layout category.

I agree with you that hiding not used palette categories in previous version was good idea, because standard GEF palette widget is not very convenient to use - it requires too much manipulations for scrolling.

But in new version palette was improved:
1. scrolling is now very easy and can be done using mouse wheel, even if focus is not in palette (but probably only on Win32).
2. you can specify number of columns to show components. I recommend to use default value (2), so you will see most part of component class, so you rare will need to wait tooltip to see full name, but at same time you will double number of components that you may access instantly.

So, no reason to spare palette space and hide Layouts category.
Our product improves and we encourage people to use better approaches.