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Event-Driven Programming notes

The document discusses Event-Driven Programming, particularly in the context of Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), which allow users to interact with programs through visual elements like buttons and menus. It outlines the steps for implementing buttons and ActionListeners in Java, emphasizing the importance of event handling and the interaction between users and the computer. Additionally, it suggests coding the GUI's appearance and actions separately to simplify the development process.

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3 views

Event-Driven Programming notes

The document discusses Event-Driven Programming, particularly in the context of Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs), which allow users to interact with programs through visual elements like buttons and menus. It outlines the steps for implementing buttons and ActionListeners in Java, emphasizing the importance of event handling and the interaction between users and the computer. Additionally, it suggests coding the GUI's appearance and actions separately to simplify the development process.

Uploaded by

patwangos
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Week

Event-Driven Programming

�
Event-Driven Programming and GUIs
�
Buttons and Action Listeners
GUIs�Graphical User Interfaces

Most modern programs use a GUI


GUI (pronounced �gooey�):

�
Graphical�not just text or characters: windows, menus,
buttons, etc.
�
User�person using the program
�
Interface�way to interact with the program
Typical graphical elements:

�
Window�portion of screen that serves as a smaller screenwithin the screen
�
Menu�list of alternatives offered to user
�
Button�looks like a button that can be pressed
Event-Driven Programming

�
Programs with GUIs often use Event-Driven Programming
�
Program waits for events to occur and then responds
�
Examples of events:
� Clicking a mouse button
� Dragging the mouse
� Pressing a key on the keyboard
�
Firing an event�when an object generates an event
�
Listener�object that waits for events to occur
�
Event handler�method that responds to an event
A New Approach to Programming

Previous Style of
Programming:

�
List of instructions performed
in order
�
Next thing to happen is next
thing in list
�
Program performed by one
agent�the computer
Event-Driven Style of
Programming:

�
Objects that can fire events
and objects that react to
events
�
Next thing to happen
depends on next event
�
Program is interaction
between user and computer
Buttons and ActionListeners

Basic steps for using a button in a Java applet:

�
Create a Button object
�
Add the Button object to a container
�
Create an ActionListener object that has an
actionPerformed method
�
Register the listener for the Button object
The following slides show an example of each step.
Create a Button Object and
Add the Button to a Container

Button stopButton = new Button(�Red�);


String that will appear
on the button Button is a predefined
class for buttons.
add(stopButton);
The button will
be added to the
applet.

This example uses the Flow


Layout so the add method needs
only one parameter.
Create an ActionListenerObject

Make a class into an ActionListener:

�
Add the phrase implements ActionListener to
the beginning of the class definition:
public class ButtonDemo extends Applet

implements ActionListener

{ . . .

�
Define a method named actionPerformed
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)
{ . . .
The actionPerformedMethod

�
An actionPerformed method must have only one
parameter
�
The parameter must be of type ActionEvent
The parameter can be used to find the command for the
ActionEvent:

public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e)


{
if (e.getActionCommand().equals("Red"))
. . .
}

By default, the action command of a button will be the


string displayed on the button.
Register the Listener for
the Button Object

�
If a button has no listener registered for it, there will
be no response when the user clicks on the button.
�
An example of registering a listener for a button:
Button stopButton = new Button("Red")

stopButton.addActionListener(this);

add(stopButton);
this refers to the object that includes this code in
a method. In this example the object is an Appletclass that implements
ActionListener.
Interfaces

�
Want ButtonDemo class to be both an Applet and an
ActionListener
� can only derive from one class
� derived class of Applet
� implements ActionListener interface

�
An interface is a property of a class that says what methods it must
have.
�
To implement an interface a class must do two things:
1. include the phrase implements Interface_Name
2. implement all the method headings in the interface definition
A class that implements the ActionListener interface must implementthe
actionPerformed method.
Java Tip: Code a GUI's
Look and Actions Separately

For a complicated GUI, breaking up the work into


two parts can help simplify the problem:

�
Code the appearance:
� Use a "do nothing" actionPerformed
method while getting the appearance right.
� Don't have to worry about possible mistakes
in action code.

�
Code the actions:
�
When appearance is right, add code for
actions to actionPerformed.

�
Since appearance code has been tested
there is less chance of mistakes in
appearance code causing problems.

A temporary "do
nothing" version of
a method is called
a stub. Using
stubs is a good
programming
technique in many
situations.

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