Java Swing CardLayout

Table of Contents

Java Swing CardLayout

In this tutorial, you will learn about Java Swing CardLayout.

In Java Swing, CardLayout is a layout manager used to manage multiple components (like panels) where only one component is visible at a time. Think of it like a deck of cards—only the top card is visible, and you can flip to the next one when needed.

This is useful when you want to create wizard-style interfaces, tab-like behavior, or step-by-step forms in your GUI. The CardLayout manages components in a stack, with only the top visible at a given point in time. Users can choose which components to display through GUI components like buttons, combo boxes, etc.

Basic Methods of `CardLayout`

first(container) – Shows the first card.
next(container) – Shows the next card.
previous(container) – Shows the previous card.
last(container) – Shows the last card.
show(container, name) – Shows the card with the specified name.

Java Demo Program

package com.testingdocs.swing.layouts;

/****************************************
 * Filename: CardLayoutDemo.java
 * Package : com.testingdocs.swing.layouts
 * Java Tutorials - www.TestingDocs.com
 *****************************************/

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JPanel;
import javax.swing.text.AttributeSet.ColorAttribute;
import javax.swing.text.StyleConstants.ColorConstants;


public class CardLayoutDemo {

 public static void main(String[] args) {

 final String card1Text = "Card 1";
 final String card2Text = "Card 2";
 final String card3Text = "Card 3";
 final JPanel cards; 
 // buttons
 final String NEXT = "NEXT";
 final String PREVIOUS = "PREVIOUS";
 
 // Create a frame
 JFrame frame = new JFrame("CardLayout Demo - www.TestingDocs.com");


 //Create cards.
 JPanel card1 = new JPanel();
 card1.add(new JButton("Button Card 1"));

 JPanel card2 = new JPanel();
 card2.add(new JButton("Button Card 2"));

 JPanel card3 = new JPanel();
 card3.add(new JButton("Button Card 3"));

 cards = new JPanel(new CardLayout());
 cards.add(card1, card1Text);
 cards.add(card2, card2Text);
 cards.add(card3, card3Text);


 class ControlActionListenter implements ActionListener {
 public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
 CardLayout cl = (CardLayout) (cards.getLayout());
 String cmd = e.getActionCommand();
 if (cmd.equals(NEXT)) {
 cl.next(cards);
 } else if (cmd.equals(PREVIOUS)) {
 cl.previous(cards);
 } 
 }
 }
 ControlActionListenter cal = new ControlActionListenter();

 JButton btn1 = new JButton("Next Card");
 btn1.setActionCommand(NEXT);
 btn1.addActionListener(cal);

 JButton btn2 = new JButton("Previous Card");
 btn2.setActionCommand(PREVIOUS);
 btn2.addActionListener(cal);


 // add buttons
 JPanel controlButtons = new JPanel();
 controlButtons.add(btn1);
 controlButtons.add(btn2);
 
 Container pane = frame.getContentPane();
 pane.add(cards, BorderLayout.CENTER);
 pane.add(controlButtons, BorderLayout.PAGE_END);

 //Frame properties
 frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
 frame.setSize(400, 200);
 frame.setVisible(true);
 }
}