Reordering components in a class

The Java Beans view displays components in the order in which they are added to their parent. You can use the Java Beans view to change this order.

When the source is parsed, the order that displays in the Java Beans view is determined by the order of the methods that create the relationship, such as add(Component,Object).

Tip: Depending on the layout manager being used, you can reorder most components on the Design view by dragging and dropping them. Your changes will be reflected in the Java Beans view.

To use the Java Beans view to reorder children components:

1. In the Java Beans view, click and drag the component that you want to reorder.

2. Release the mouse in the new position where you want the component to be placed: Use the feedback lines to determine proper placement:
   • As you drag the component, feedback is drawn as a line that shows the position of where the bean will be moved. The following figure shows a label that has been selected and dragged below the scroll bar. The left edge of the feedback shows that the label is added at the same depth as the scrollbar and the label. So, it will remain a child component of the contents pane.
     

     
     

   • As the mouse is moved around, the left edge of the feedback line will always be drawn at the depth level in the tree where the item will be inserted. The following figure shows that the left edge of the feedback line is level with the frame itself, and if the drag operation is completed the label will become a top level Java bean similar to the frame itself.
     

     
     

 

Parent topic

Developing Java classes with the visual editor

 

Related tasks

Adding a component to a class
Deleting components from a class
Changing component properties
Resizing visual components