JButton opening new JFrame?

Question

I have been looking for multiple ways to open a JFrame with a button. One of the ways I found was to establish the JFrame with a method and call upon that method with the button. That however does not seem to be working with my program. Could someone please tell me what I am doing wrong? I am pretty new to Java and am trying to learn on my own and seem to be doing a pretty terrible job of it. I am trying to create a Catalog and at the bottom of it have a button called "Make a New Purchase" which will open a new JFrame that will allow someone to enter their information. Much of the code in the program is unnecessary and I will edit it later, such as the multiple JPanels. All I need to do is get the new JFrame to come up with the button click. The showNewFrame() method is what I am trying to have activated by the button press.

public class Catalog extends JFrame
{
//Construct a panel for each row

    JPanel firstRow = new JPanel();


    JPanel secondRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel thirdRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel fourthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel fifthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel sixthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel seventhRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel eighthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel ninthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel tenthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel eleventhRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel twelvethRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel thirteenthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel fourteenthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel fifteenthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel sixteenthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel seventeenthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel eighteenthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel nineteenthRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel twentiethRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel twentyfirstRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel twentysecondRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel twentythirdRow = new JPanel();
    JPanel twentyfourthRow = new JPanel();

    //Construct a panel for the fields and buttons
    JPanel fieldPanel = new JPanel();
    JPanel buttonPanel = new JPanel();

    //Construct labels and text boxes
    JLabel coatOneLabel = new JLabel("Coat One");
    ImageIcon pictureOne = new ImageIcon("C:\\Users\\p6\\Desktop\\prodImage.jpeg");
    JLabel picLabelOne = new JLabel(pictureOne);
    JLabel priceOneLabel = new JLabel("Price:");
    JLabel coatTwoLabel = new JLabel("Coat Two");
    ImageIcon pictureTwo = new ImageIcon("snow.png");
    JLabel picLabelTwo = new JLabel(pictureTwo);
    JLabel priceTwoLabel = new JLabel("Price:");
    JLabel coatThreeLabel = new JLabel("Coat Three");
    ImageIcon pictureThree = new ImageIcon("snow.png");
    JLabel picLabelThree = new JLabel(pictureThree);
    JLabel priceThreeLabel = new JLabel("Price:");
    JLabel coatFourLabel = new JLabel("Coat Four");
    ImageIcon pictureFour = new ImageIcon("snow.png");
    JLabel picLabelFour = new JLabel(pictureFour);
    JLabel priceFourLabel = new JLabel("Price:");
    JLabel coatFiveLabel = new JLabel("Coat Five");
    ImageIcon pictureFive = new ImageIcon("snow.png");
    JLabel picLabelFive = new JLabel(pictureFive);
    JLabel priceFiveLabel = new JLabel("Price:");
    JLabel coatSixLabel = new JLabel("Coat Six");
    ImageIcon pictureSix = new ImageIcon("snow.png");
    JLabel picLabelSix = new JLabel(pictureSix);
    JLabel priceSixLabel = new JLabel("Price:");
    JLabel coatSevenLabel = new JLabel("Coat Seven");
    ImageIcon pictureSeven = new ImageIcon("snow.png");
    JLabel picLabelSeven = new JLabel(pictureSeven);
    JLabel priceSevenLabel = new JLabel("Price:");
    JLabel coatEightLabel = new JLabel("Coat Eight");
    ImageIcon pictureEight = new ImageIcon("snow.png");
    JLabel picLabelEight = new JLabel(pictureEight);
    JLabel priceEightLabel = new JLabel("Price:");

    //Construct buttons
    JButton submitButton = new JButton("Make A Purchase");
    JButton exitButton = new JButton("Not Right Now");

    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        //set the look and feel of the interface
        try
        {
            UIManager.setLookAndFeel("com.sun.java.swing.plaf.motif.MotifLookAndFeel");

        }
        catch(Exception e)
        {
            JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"The UIManager could not set the Look and Feel for this application.","Error",JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
        }

        Catalog f = new Catalog();
        f.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DO_NOTHING_ON_CLOSE);
        f.setSize(800,600);
        f.setTitle("Coat Catalog");
        f.setResizable(false);
        f.setLocation(200,200);
        f.setVisible(true);
    }

    public Catalog()
    {
        Container c = getContentPane();
        c.setLayout((new BorderLayout()));
        fieldPanel.setLayout(new GridLayout(20,10));
        FlowLayout rowSetup = new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEFT,5,3);
            firstRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            secondRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            thirdRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            fourthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            fifthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            sixthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            seventhRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            eighthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            ninthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            tenthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            eleventhRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            twelvethRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            thirteenthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            fourteenthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            fifteenthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            sixteenthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            seventeenthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            eighteenthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            nineteenthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            twentiethRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            twentyfirstRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            twentysecondRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            twentythirdRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
            twentyfourthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
        buttonPanel.setLayout(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.CENTER));

        //Add fields to rows
        firstRow.add(coatOneLabel);
        firstRow.add(coatTwoLabel);

        secondRow.add(picLabelOne);
        secondRow.add(picLabelTwo);

        thirdRow.add(priceOneLabel);
        thirdRow.add(priceTwoLabel);

        fourthRow.add(coatThreeLabel);
        fourthRow.add(coatFourLabel);

        fifthRow.add(picLabelThree);
        fifthRow.add(picLabelFour);

        sixthRow.add(priceThreeLabel);
        sixthRow.add(priceFourLabel);

        seventhRow.add(coatFiveLabel);
        seventhRow.add(coatSixLabel);

        eighthRow.add(picLabelFive);
        eighthRow.add(picLabelSix);

        ninthRow.add(priceFiveLabel);
        ninthRow.add(priceSixLabel);

        tenthRow.add(coatSevenLabel);
        tenthRow.add(coatEightLabel);

        eleventhRow.add(picLabelSeven);
        eleventhRow.add(picLabelEight);

        twelvethRow.add(priceSevenLabel);
        twelvethRow.add(priceEightLabel);

        //Add rows to panel
        fieldPanel.add(firstRow);
        fieldPanel.add(secondRow);
        fieldPanel.add(thirdRow);
        fieldPanel.add(fourthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(fifthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(sixthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(seventhRow);
        fieldPanel.add(eighthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(ninthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(tenthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(eleventhRow);
        fieldPanel.add(twelvethRow);
        fieldPanel.add(thirteenthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(fourteenthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(fifteenthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(sixteenthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(seventeenthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(eighteenthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(nineteenthRow);
        fieldPanel.add(twentiethRow);
        fieldPanel.add(twentyfirstRow);
        fieldPanel.add(twentysecondRow);
        fieldPanel.add(twentythirdRow);
        fieldPanel.add(twentyfourthRow);


        //Add button to panel
        buttonPanel.add(submitButton);
        buttonPanel.add(exitButton);

        //Add panels to frame
        c.add(fieldPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
        c.add(buttonPanel, BorderLayout.SOUTH);

        exitButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
        {
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent h)
            {
                if (h.getSource() == exitButton)
                {
                        System.exit(0);
                }
            }
        });

        //Add functionality to buttons
        submitButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
        {
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent d)
            {
                if (d.getSource() == submitButton)
                {
                    showNewFrame();
                }
            }
        });
    }

    private void showNewFrame()
    {
        JFrame BillPayer = new JFrame("BillPayer");
        BillPayer.setDefaultCloseOperation (JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        BillPayer.pack();
        BillPayer.setVisible(true);

        class BillPayer extends JFrame implements ActionListener
        {
            //Declare output stream
            DataOutputStream output;

            //Construct a panel for each row
            JPanel firstRow = new JPanel();
            JPanel secondRow = new JPanel();
            JPanel thirdRow = new JPanel();
            JPanel fourthRow = new JPanel();
            JPanel fifthRow = new JPanel();
            JPanel sixthRow = new JPanel();
            JPanel seventhRow = new JPanel();
            JPanel eighthRow = new JPanel();

            //Construct a panel for the fields and buttons
            JPanel fieldPanel = new JPanel();
            JPanel buttonPanel = new JPanel();

            //Construct labels and text boxes
            JLabel acctNumLabel = new JLabel("Account Number:                            ");
                JTextField acctNum = new JTextField(15);
            JLabel pmtLabel = new JLabel("Payment Amount:");
                JTextField pmt = new JTextField(10);
            JLabel firstNameLabel = new JLabel("First Name:         ");
                JTextField firstName = new JTextField(10);
            JLabel lastNameLabel = new JLabel("Last Name:");
                JTextField lastName = new JTextField(20);
            JLabel addressLabel = new JLabel("Address:");
                JTextField address = new JTextField(35);
            JLabel cityLabel = new JLabel("City:                   ");
                JTextField city = new JTextField(10);
            JLabel stateLabel = new JLabel("State:");
                JTextField state = new JTextField(2);
            JLabel zipLabel = new JLabel("Zip:");
                JTextField zip = new JTextField(9);

            //Construct button
            JButton submitButton = new JButton("Submit");

            public void main(String[] args)
            {
                //set the look and feel of the interface
                try
                {
                    UIManager.setLookAndFeel("com.sun.java.swing.plaf.motif.MotifLookAndFeel");

                }
                catch(Exception e)
                {
                    JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"The UIManager could not set the Look and Feel for this application.","Error",JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
                }

                BillPayer f = new BillPayer();
                f.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.DO_NOTHING_ON_CLOSE);
                f.setSize(450,300);
                f.setTitle("Crandall Power and Light Customer Payments");
                f.setResizable(false);
                f.setLocation(200,200);
                f.setVisible(true);
            }

            public BillPayer()
            {
                Container c = getContentPane();
                c.setLayout((new BorderLayout()));
                fieldPanel.setLayout(new GridLayout(8,1));
                FlowLayout rowSetup = new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.LEFT,5,3);
                    firstRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
                    secondRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
                    thirdRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
                    fourthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
                    fifthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
                    sixthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
                    seventhRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
                    eighthRow.setLayout(rowSetup);
                buttonPanel.setLayout(new FlowLayout(FlowLayout.CENTER));

                //Add fields to rows
                firstRow.add(acctNumLabel);
                firstRow.add(pmtLabel);

                secondRow.add(acctNum);
                secondRow.add(pmt);

                thirdRow.add(firstNameLabel);
                thirdRow.add(lastNameLabel);


                fourthRow.add(firstName);
                fourthRow.add(lastName);

                fifthRow.add(addressLabel);

                sixthRow.add(address);

                seventhRow.add(cityLabel);
                seventhRow.add(stateLabel);
                seventhRow.add(zipLabel);

                eighthRow.add(city);
                eighthRow.add(state);
                eighthRow.add(zip);

                //Add rows to panel
                fieldPanel.add(firstRow);
                fieldPanel.add(secondRow);
                fieldPanel.add(thirdRow);
                fieldPanel.add(fourthRow);
                fieldPanel.add(fifthRow);
                fieldPanel.add(sixthRow);
                fieldPanel.add(seventhRow);
                fieldPanel.add(eighthRow);

                //Add button to panel
                buttonPanel.add(submitButton);

                //Add panels to frame
                c.add(fieldPanel, BorderLayout.CENTER);
                c.add(buttonPanel, BorderLayout.SOUTH);

                //Add functionality to buttons
                submitButton.addActionListener(this);

                //Get the current date and open the file
                Date today = new Date();
                SimpleDateFormat myFormat = new SimpleDateFormat("MMddyyyy");
                String filename = "payments" + myFormat.format(today);

                try
                {
                    output = new DataOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(filename));
                }
                catch(IOException io)
                {
                    JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"The program could not create a storage location. Please check the disk drive and then run the program again.","Error",JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);

                    System.exit(1);
                }

                addWindowListener(
                    new WindowAdapter()
                    {
                        public void windowClosing(WindowEvent f)
                        {
                            int answer = JOptionPane.showConfirmDialog(null,"Are you sure you want to exit and submit the file?", "File Submission",JOptionPane.YES_NO_OPTION);
                            if (answer == JOptionPane.YES_OPTION)
                            System.exit(0);
                        }
                    }
                );
            }

            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent f)
            {
                String arg = f.getActionCommand();

                if(checkFields())
                {
                    try
                    {
                        output.writeUTF(acctNum.getText());
                        output.writeUTF(pmt.getText());
                        output.writeUTF(firstName.getText());
                        output.writeUTF(lastName.getText());
                        output.writeUTF(address.getText());
                        output.writeUTF(city.getText());
                        output.writeUTF(state.getText());
                        output.writeUTF(zip.getText());

                        JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"The payment information has been saved.","Submission successful",JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
                    }
                    catch(IOException c)
                    {
                        System.exit(1);
                    }
                    clearFields();
                }
            }

            public boolean checkFields()
            {
                if ((acctNum.getText().compareTo("")<1)    ||
                    (pmt.getText().compareTo("")<1)        ||
                    (firstName.getText().compareTo("")<1)  ||
                    (lastName.getText().compareTo("")<1)   ||
                    (address.getText().compareTo("")<1)    ||
                    (city.getText().compareTo("")<1)       ||
                    (state.getText().compareTo("")<1)      ||
                    (zip.getText().compareTo("")<1))
                {
                    JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,"You must complete all fields.","Data Entry Error",JOptionPane.WARNING_MESSAGE);
                    return false;
                }
                else
                {
                    return true;
                }
            }

            public void clearFields()
            {
                //Clear fields and reset the focus
                acctNum.setText("");
                pmt.setText("");
                firstName.setText("");
                lastName.setText("");
                address.setText("");
                city.setText("");
                state.setText("");
                zip.setText("");
                acctNum.requestFocus();
            }
        }
    }
}

I tried to make quite a few changes to the program. The issue is that now the button does bring up a new window but the window doesn't include the data I need it to have. It has the title "Coat Payment", so I believe it is getting to everything but the inner class I have in the BillPayer method (the inner class is PaymentScreen). Once again I believe that my ignorance is leading me astray.

    //Add functionality to buttons
    submitButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener()
    {
        public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent d)
        {
            if (d.getSource() == submitButton)
            {
                BillPayer();
            }
        }
    });
}

private void BillPayer()
{
    JDialog PaymentScreen = new JDialog();
    PaymentScreen.setDefaultCloseOperation(JDialog.DO_NOTHING_ON_CLOSE);
    PaymentScreen.setSize(900,600);
    PaymentScreen.setTitle("Coat Payment");
    PaymentScreen.setResizable(false);
    PaymentScreen.setLocation(200,200);
    PaymentScreen.setVisible(true);

    class PaymentScreen extends JDialog implements ActionListener
    {

Answer 1

Sorry, but that's some schizophrenic code. Maybe I'm reading it wrong, but I see:

• You create a JFrame variable called BillPayer, and set it visible. It is a small empty JFrame and nothing else.
• You then declare a separate BillPayer class, and don't display it,
• Except for in code within its (???) main method, a main method that is within a private inner class, which is (appropriately) never called.

Recommendations:

• First and foremost, you probably really don't want to display another JFrame. Most applications should have only one main window, a JFrame.
• If you need another window being displayed from a main window, then use a dialog such as a JDialog. This is fairly easy to do, and just like a JFrame involves creating a JPanel filled with your GUI, and then placing that JPanel into the JDialog and setting it visible.
• If you use a JDialog, you can choose whether it is modal or not, whether it will freeze the underlying calling window when it is displayed or not.
• To display another window from a button press, be it a JFrame or a JDialog, you would call setVisible(true) on the window from within the button press's ActionListener actionPerformed method. It looks like you're doing this. Is anything showing at all? Have you debugged the code to see if code you think is being reached is not being called?
• Or if you want to display another view inside of the main window, use a CardLayout.
• Don't give your variables the exact same name, spelling and capitalization as your classes.
• Learn and follow Java naming conventions: class names begin with an upper case letter and variable and method names with lower-case letters.
• Don't confuse your code by burying a main method inside of an inner private class. This makes little sense.
• Study up on use of arrays and collections such as ArrayLists which can help you make programs that are much more compact, more readable, and easier to debug and extend. A lot of your code's redundancy can be reduced by doing this.
• If you have code for another GUI view that is distinct from the main view, perhaps this code should be in its own top-level class, and not an inner class.

  ---

Edit On review of your code some more, I suggest:

• Yes, use a JDialog for the data entry window.
• The data would probably be best displayed in a JTable held in a JScrollPane in the main GUI. This would be in place of the rows of JPanels that your current code uses.

Answer 2

This is going to sound rough, but it's more time efficient.

Select project > hit delete

Download Netbeans or Eclipse (or both) and program in these programs. They will help filter out mistakes you've made and provide a help with layout, so that it looks more comprehensible.

Once that's done, follow these tutorials:

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/start/index.html

The answer above already gave a lot of valuable tips, but your problem is that you simply do not know anything yet on how to properly build a program.

My tip: decide for yourself what would be awesome to make. Something you think is useful for yourself or others, then go through the tutorial and try to build it. This forces you to not only implement what you learn as you go along, but also run into the real issue with any programmming language: learn how to solve problems.