🎯 Java GUI Event Listener Learning Application

A comprehensive, interactive learning application for understanding all Java Swing event handlers and listeners.

This application demonstrates 30+ event listener interfaces with 70+ methods in a hands-on, educational environment. Perfect for students, educators, and developers learning Java GUI programming.

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📸 Screenshots

Basic Events - ActionListener, ItemListener, ChangeListener	Mouse & Key Events - Interactive testing area
Component Events - Focus, Resize, Container changes	Real-time Event Log - Track every event fired

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✨ Features

🎓 Educational Design

• Real-time Event Logging: See exactly which listener fires, which method is called, and what data is passed
• Comprehensive Documentation: Every listener includes detailed comments explaining:
  • What triggers the event
  • When to use it
  • Common use cases
  • Example implementations
• Interactive Components: All UI elements are designed to demonstrate their associated events
• Organized Layout: 6 themed tabs categorizing events by functionality

🔍 Complete Event Coverage

Basic Event Listeners (Tab 1)

• ✅ ActionListener - Button clicks, menu selections, Enter key actions
• ✅ ItemListener - Checkbox, radio button, combobox state changes
• ✅ ChangeListener - Slider, spinner, progress bar value changes
• ✅ ListSelectionListener - JList selection changes
• ✅ ButtonModel ChangeListener - Advanced button state tracking

Mouse & Keyboard Events (Tab 2)

• ✅ MouseListener (5 methods) - Click, press, release, enter, exit
• ✅ MouseMotionListener (2 methods) - Drag and move tracking
• ✅ MouseWheelListener - Mouse wheel scroll events
• ✅ KeyListener (3 methods) - Key press, release, and typed

Component Lifecycle Events (Tab 3)

• ✅ FocusListener (2 methods) - Focus gained/lost
• ✅ ComponentListener (4 methods) - Resize, move, show, hide
• ✅ ContainerListener (2 methods) - Component add/remove
• ✅ HierarchyListener - Component hierarchy changes
• ✅ AncestorListener (3 methods) - Ancestor add, remove, move

Window Events (Tab 4)

• ✅ WindowListener (7 methods) - Open, close, iconify, activate, etc.
• ✅ WindowFocusListener (2 methods) - Window focus gained/lost
• ✅ WindowStateListener - Window state changes (minimize, maximize)
• ✅ InternalFrameListener (7 methods) - Internal frame lifecycle

Advanced UI Events (Tab 5)

• ✅ TreeSelectionListener - JTree node selection
• ✅ TreeExpansionListener (2 methods) - Tree expand/collapse
• ✅ TreeWillExpandListener (2 methods) - Pre-expansion veto capability
• ✅ TableModelListener - Table data changes
• ✅ MenuListener (3 methods) - Menu selected, deselected, canceled
• ✅ PopupMenuListener (3 methods) - Popup visibility and cancel
• ✅ PropertyChangeListener - Bean property changes

Text & Document Events (Tab 6)

• ✅ DocumentListener (3 methods) - Text insert, remove, attribute changes
• ✅ UndoableEditListener - Undoable edit tracking
• ✅ CaretListener - Text caret position changes
• ✅ HyperlinkListener - Hyperlink interactions

🛠️ Additional Features

• Event Counter: Track the total number of events fired
• Timestamps: See when each event occurred
• Clear Log Function: Reset the event log anytime
• Test Windows: Create separate windows to test window events
• Dynamic Components: Add/remove components to see container events
• Modern UI: Clean, professional interface with FlatLaf theme

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� Download & Installation

Option 1: Use Platform-Specific Installers (Recommended)

Download the latest installer for your platform from our Releases page. These installers include Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 21, so no separate Java installation is needed!

Windows

• Download EventListenersDemo-windows.exe
• Run the installer
• Choose your installation location (defaults to C:\Program Files\EventListenersDemo)
• Launch from:
  • Start Menu → EventListenersDemo
  • Desktop shortcut
  • C:\Program Files\EventListenersDemo\EventListenersDemo.exe

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt install ./EventListenersDemo-linux.deb
# Launch from Applications menu or terminal:
EventListenersDemo

macOS

• Download EventListenersDemo-macos.dmg
• Open the DMG file
• Drag EventListenersDemo to Applications
• Launch from Applications folder or Spotlight

Option 2: Standalone JAR (For Advanced Users)

If you prefer a portable option and already have Java 8 or newer installed:

1. Download EventListenersDemo-standalone.jar from Releases
2. Run with:

java -jar EventListenersDemo-standalone.jar

Note for HiDPI Displays: If using Java 8 and text appears too small:

java -Dsun.java2d.uiScale=1.75 -Dflatlaf.uiScale=1.75 -jar EventListenersDemo-standalone.jar

Option 3: Get Latest Development Builds

1. Go to Actions tab
2. Click the latest successful workflow run
3. Download the artifact for your platform from:
   • installer-windows
   • installer-linux
   • installer-macos
   • standalone-jar

Option 4: Build and Run in NetBeans (recommended)

1. Open the project folder in NetBeans.
2. Build/Run using NetBeans (Run ▶). NetBeans uses the provided build.xml and project metadata.
3. NetBeans will produce a runnable JAR in dist/ (ignored by Git).

Option 5: Build with Ant (CLI)

If you have Ant installed, you can use the NetBeans build script:

# From the project root (PowerShell)
ant clean jar

# Run the generated JAR
java -jar .\dist\javaGuiEventListenerDemo.jar

Notes

• If you run the JAR with an older Java (e.g., 8) on HiDPI displays and see small UI text, you can either run with a newer JDK (17+) or pass a UI scale VM option, for example:

java -Dsun.java2d.uiScale=1.75 -Dflatlaf.uiScale=1.75 -jar .\dist\javaGuiEventListenerDemo.jar

Adjust the scale value (1.25–2.0) to taste.

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🏗️ Repository Layout

This reflects the actual folders in this repository. Items ignored by Git (per .gitignore) are marked with [ignored].

java-gui-event-listener-demo/
│
├── build.xml                      # NetBeans/Ant build script
├── LICENCE                        # CC BY-NC 4.0 license
├── manifest.mf                    # JAR manifest
├── README.md
│
├── build/               [ignored] # Local build output (not tracked)
│   └── classes/
│
├── lib/                          # NetBeans libraries/config
│   ├── nblibraries.properties
│   └── CopyLibs/
│
├── nbproject/                    # NetBeans project metadata
│   ├── build-impl.xml
│   ├── genfiles.properties
│   ├── project.properties
│   ├── project.xml
│   └── private/         [ignored]
│
├── screenshots/                  # Application screenshots
│   └── ...
│
├── src/
│   └── javaGuiEventListenersDemo/
│       └── CompleteEventHandlersApp.java  # Main application
│
└── test/

What’s tracked vs. ignored

From .gitignore, these are not tracked by Git and won’t appear in commits:

• NetBeans private config: nbproject/private/
• Build outputs: /build/, /dist/, nbbuild/, nbdist/
• Compiled classes: *.class
• Logs/backups: /logs/, *.log, *.bak, *~, *.swp
• System files: .DS_Store, Thumbs.db

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🔧 Technologies Used

Technology	Purpose	Version
Java	Core programming language	8+
Swing	GUI framework	Built-in
AWT	Event handling framework	Built-in
FlatLaf	Modern look and feel theme	Latest
NetBeans + Ant	Build/run scripts	Provided

Build & Distribution

• Automated Builds: GitHub Actions workflow creates installers for all platforms
• Runtime: Java 8+ compatible (standalone JAR)
• Installers: Bundled with JRE 21 for hassle-free installation
• CI/CD: Automatic releases on version tags
• Artifacts: Available via GitHub Releases and Actions

Why FlatLaf?

FlatLaf is a modern, flat design look and feel for Java Swing applications. It provides:

• ✨ Contemporary, professional appearance
• 🎨 Better aesthetics than default Swing themes
• 📱 Consistency across different operating systems
• ⚡ Excellent performance

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📚 Learning Guide

How to Use This Application

1. Start with Basic Events Tab

   • Click buttons, check boxes, move sliders
   • Watch the event log to see which events fire
   • Notice the method names and parameters

2. Explore Mouse & Key Events

   • Move your mouse over the test area
   • Click, drag, and use the mouse wheel
   • Type in the text field to see keyboard events

3. Test Component Events

   • Focus on different text fields
   • Resize the window to see component events
   • Add and remove components dynamically

4. Experiment with Window Events

   • Create new test windows
   • Minimize, maximize, and restore windows
   • Switch between windows to see focus events

5. Try Advanced Features

   • Expand/collapse tree nodes
   • Edit table data
   • Interact with menus and popups
   • Monitor property changes

6. Work with Text Events

   • Edit text areas to see document events
   • Move the text caret
   • Use undo/redo functionality

Understanding Event Listeners

Event listeners follow the Observer pattern:

1. A component (subject) maintains a list of listeners (observers)
2. When an event occurs, the component notifies all registered listeners
3. Each listener receives an event object with detailed information

Example:

button.addActionListener(e -> {
    System.out.println("Button clicked!");
    System.out.println("Command: " + e.getActionCommand());
});

Adapter Classes

Adapter classes provide empty implementations of listener interfaces, allowing you to override only the methods you need:

// Instead of implementing all 5 MouseListener methods:
component.addMouseListener(new MouseAdapter() {
    @Override
    public void mouseClicked(MouseEvent e) {
        // Only implement what you need
    }
});

Available Adapters:

• MouseAdapter, KeyAdapter, FocusAdapter
• ComponentAdapter, ContainerAdapter
• WindowAdapter, InternalFrameAdapter
• MouseMotionAdapter

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🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! This is an educational project designed to help others learn Java Swing.

How to Contribute

1. Report Issues: Found a bug or have a suggestion?

   • Open an issue on the Issues page
   • Provide detailed information about the problem or enhancement
   • Include steps to reproduce (for bugs)

2. Submit Improvements:

   • Fork the repository
   • Create a new branch (git checkout -b feature/improvement)
   • Make your changes with clear comments
   • Test thoroughly
   • Submit a pull request with a detailed description

3. Enhance Documentation:

   • Add more examples
   • Improve explanations
   • Create tutorials or guides
   • Fix typos or clarify concepts

4. Give Solutions to opened issues

   • Submit Improvements:
   • Fork the repository
   • Create a new branch (git checkout -b feature/improvement)
   • Make your changes with clear comments
   • Test thoroughly
   • Submit a pull request with a detailed description and tagging the issue

Contribution Guidelines

• Keep code educational and well-commented
• Follow Java naming conventions
• Test all event handlers thoroughly
• Update documentation for new features
• Maintain the educational focus of the project

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📖 Use Cases

👨‍🎓 For Students

• Learn event-driven programming through hands-on interaction
• Understand the Observer pattern in a practical context
• Prepare for exams with comprehensive examples
• Complete assignments with working reference code

👨‍🏫 For Educators

• Teaching tool for Java GUI programming courses
• Live demonstrations during lectures
• Assignment reference for students
• Lab exercises for hands-on learning

👨‍💻 For Developers

• Quick reference for event handler syntax
• Prototyping GUI applications
• Testing event handling logic
• Refresher on Swing event model

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📄 License

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

✅ You are free to:

• Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
• Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material

📋 Under the following terms:

• Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made
• NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes

🎓 Encouraged Uses:

• ✨ Educational purposes in schools, universities, and online courses
• 📚 Learning and teaching Java Swing programming
• 🔬 Research and experimentation
• 🤝 Personal projects and portfolio development
• 📖 Workshops and coding bootcamps (non-profit)

⚠️ Not Permitted:

• ❌ Selling this application or derivatives
• ❌ Using in commercial training programs
• ❌ Including in paid courses without permission
• ❌ Commercial redistribution

💝 Giving Credit:

When using or adapting this work, please credit as:

Java GUI Event Listener Learning Application
Original work by [Your Name/Organization]
https://github.com/yourusername/java-gui-event-listener-demo
Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

For commercial use inquiries, please open an issue or contact the repository owner.

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🌟 Acknowledgments

• Oracle Java Documentation - Comprehensive Swing/AWT reference
• FlatLaf - Modern look and feel implementation
• Java Swing Community - Inspiration and best practices
• All Contributors - Thank you for helping improve this educational resource!

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📞 Support & Contact

• Issues: Report bugs or request features
• Discussions: Ask questions or share ideas
• Email: [email protected] (for commercial inquiries)

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🎯 Project Goals

1. ✅ Provide a complete reference for all Swing event handlers
2. ✅ Make event-driven programming easy to understand
3. ✅ Offer hands-on learning through interaction
4. ✅ Serve as a teaching aid for educators
5. ✅ Help developers quickly reference event handling
6. ✅ Maintain clear, educational code quality
7. ✅ Stay updated with Java best practices

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📈 Roadmap

Future Enhancements

• Add keyboard shortcut demonstrations
• Include drag-and-drop event handlers
• Add print event listeners
• Create video tutorials
• Develop interactive quizzes
• Add event filtering examples
• Include multi-threading event scenarios
• Create a web-based version using JavaFX

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⭐ Star This Repository

If you find this project helpful for learning Java Swing, please consider giving it a star! ⭐

It helps others discover this educational resource and motivates continued development.

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Made with ❤️ for the Java learning community

Report Bug · Request Feature · Contribute

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📜 Version History

v1.0.0 (Current)

• ✅ Initial release
• ✅ 30+ event listeners demonstrated
• ✅ 70+ event handler methods
• ✅ 6 categorized tabs
• ✅ Real-time event logging
• ✅ FlatLaf modern theme
• ✅ Comprehensive documentation
• ✅ Windows executable included

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Last Updated: October 2025

Contributing

Thanks for your interest in this project! 🎉
We welcome pull requests for Hacktoberfest and beyond.

There are some simple issues already open that you can pick up — feel free to comment on one to let us know you’re working on it.
If you spot something else that could be improved or have a new idea, it’s totally fine to open a new issue and start a discussion before creating a PR.

How to Contribute

1. Fork this repository
2. Create a new branch for your changes
3. Make your changes (fix an issue or add something new)
4. Open a Pull Request with a clear description of what you did

We’ll review all submissions and merge eligible PRs marked with the hacktoberfest-accepted label.
Even small improvements (like fixing typos, improving documentation, or cleaning up code) are welcome!

Happy contributing and happy Hacktoberfest! 🌱

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