Java Tips - How to use AWT CardLayout

It is a space saving layout manager. Multiple components on card can be added. But only one card can be seen at a time.
This layout provides various methods to navigate through all cards. This sample code shows how to use CardLayout.

import java.awt.BorderLayout;

import java.awt.CardLayout;

import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;

import java.awt.event.ActionListener;

import javax.swing.JButton;

import javax.swing.JFrame;

import javax.swing.JLabel;

import javax.swing.JPanel;



public class CardLayoutExp extends JFrame {

    

    private int currentCard = 1;

    private JPanel cardPanel;

    private CardLayout cl;

    

    public CardLayoutExp() {

        

        setTitle("Card Layout Example");

        setSize(300, 150);

        cardPanel = new JPanel();

        

        // getContentPane().add(cardPanel);

        cl = new CardLayout();

        cardPanel.setLayout(cl);

        JPanel jp1 = new JPanel();

        JPanel jp2 = new JPanel();

        JPanel jp3 = new JPanel();

        JPanel jp4 = new JPanel();

        JLabel jl1 = new JLabel("Card1");

        JLabel jl2 = new JLabel("Card2");

        JLabel jl3 = new JLabel("Card3");

        JLabel jl4 = new JLabel("Card4");

        jp1.add(jl1);

        jp2.add(jl2);

        jp3.add(jl3);

        jp4.add(jl4);

        cardPanel.add(jp1, "1");

        cardPanel.add(jp2, "2");

        cardPanel.add(jp3, "3");

        cardPanel.add(jp4, "4");

        JPanel buttonPanel = new JPanel();

        JButton firstBtn = new JButton("First");

        JButton nextBtn = new JButton("Next");

        JButton previousBtn = new JButton("Previous");

        JButton lastBtn = new JButton("Last");

        buttonPanel.add(firstBtn);

        buttonPanel.add(nextBtn);

        buttonPanel.add(previousBtn);

        buttonPanel.add(lastBtn);

        

        firstBtn.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {

            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {

                cl.first(cardPanel);

                currentCard = 1;

            }

        });

        

        lastBtn.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {

            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {

                cl.last(cardPanel);

                currentCard = 4;

            }

        });

        

        nextBtn.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {

            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {

                if (currentCard < 4) {

                    currentCard += 1;

                    cl.show(cardPanel, "" + (currentCard));

                }

            }

        });

        

        previousBtn.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {

            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent arg0) {

                if (currentCard > 1) {

                    currentCard -= 1;

                    cl.show(cardPanel, "" + (currentCard));

                }

            }

        });

        

        getContentPane().add(cardPanel, BorderLayout.NORTH);

        getContentPane().add(buttonPanel, BorderLayout.SOUTH);

    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {

        CardLayoutExp cl = new CardLayoutExp();

        cl.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);

        cl.setVisible(true);

    }

}
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