Why Mainframe JButton appear foreground of JInternalFrame?

Question

I am creating a Swing Application. I have one main JFrame and a JDesktopPane. I added one button and one label on main frame. But if I open any JInternalFrame on Main Frame button and label covers the internal frame.

(JButtonand JLabel appear foreground of JInternalFrame). If I click internal frame button go to background.

Can you help to solve this?

import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.FlowLayout;
import java.awt.Font;
import java.awt.Frame;
import java.awt.Point;
import java.awt.Rectangle;
import javax.swing.JButton;
import javax.swing.JComponent;
import javax.swing.JDesktopPane;
import javax.swing.JFrame;
import javax.swing.JInternalFrame;
import javax.swing.JLabel;
import javax.swing.SwingConstants;
import javax.swing.UIManager;

public class MainFrame {

   JFrame frame1 ;
   JDesktopPane desktop ;

       public MainFrame () {
         frame1 = new JFrame("EMPLOYEE LEAVE TRACKER");
         frame1.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
         frame1.setExtendedState(Frame.MAXIMIZED_BOTH);
         frame1.repaint();
         desktop = new JDesktopPane();        //Creates a new JDesktopPane.
         frame1.setContentPane(desktop);
         frame1.setSize(900,700);
         frame1.setVisible(true);
         desktop.setBackground(Color.DARK_GRAY );

    //Creates a JLabel on JDesktopPane.
    JLabel label1 = new JLabel("EMPLOYEE LEAVE TRACKER", SwingConstants.CENTER);
       label1.setFont(new Font("SansSerif",Font.ITALIC + Font.BOLD,54));
       label1.setBounds(new Rectangle(new Point(275, 100),label1.getPreferredSize()));
    //Creates a JButon on JDesktopPane.


   JButton Leave = new JButton("Leave Management");
     Leave.setHorizontalTextPosition(JButton.CENTER);
     Leave.setBounds(new Rectangle(new Point(700,200),Leave.getPreferredSize()));
     Leave.setSize(300, 300);
     Leave.addActionListener(new java.awt.event.ActionListener()      {
        @Override
        public void actionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent e)   {
        frame1.add(LeaveManagment()); 
        }
    });

  //Look and Feel

     try {
        UIManager.setLookAndFeel("javax.swing.plaf.nimbus.NimbusLookAndFeel");
        } catch(Exception e) {
          System.out.println("Error setting native LAF: " + e);
        }

    desktop.add(Leave);
    desktop.add(label1);

     }
   //Creating JInternalFrame

    public JInternalFrame LeaveManagment(){              
    final JInternalFrame employeeFrame = new JInternalFrame("LEAVE M" +
            "ANAGEMNT", true, true, true, true);
    employeeFrame.getContentPane().setBackground(Color.white);
    employeeFrame.setSize(900,700);
    employeeFrame.setVisible(true);
    employeeFrame.setMaximizable(true);
    employeeFrame.setResizable(true);
    JComponent c = (JComponent)
    employeeFrame.getContentPane();
    c.setLayout(new FlowLayout());

        return employeeFrame;
}

    public static void main(String[] args) {
    javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
      new MainFrame ();
      }
});
}}

Please edit your question to include an [sscce](http://sscce.org/) that exhibits the problem you describe. — trashgod, Oct 12 '12 at 11:12
Please see reply to your SSCCE. Answer by @MadProgrammer is the correct one. — Hovercraft Full Of Eels, Oct 16 '12 at 12:18

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Oct 12 '12 at 11:51

From the sound of it, you've added the buttons to the JDesktopPane.

The desktop pane is a type of JLayeredPane, this allows you to place components on, we'll, layers.

While this is a neat feature, IMHO, only JInternalFrames and the occasional special "window" should appear on the desktop (although the desktop manager does use a type of button to represent minimised windows)

Personally, I'd place the buttons also where, not on the desktop.

Take a look at How to Use Internal Frames and How to use Layered Pane

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 16 '12 at 12:18

MadProgrammer has it right. One solution is to add your components to the appropriate JLayeredPane layer. i.e.,

// Note name change of JButton to adhere to Java naming standards:
desktop.add(leaveManagementBtn, JLayeredPane.DEFAULT_LAYER);
desktop.add(label1, JLayeredPane.DEFAULT_LAYER); // note layer component being added to

and,

public void actionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent e) {
  // again method name capitalization changed to adhere to standard
  // again, component added to appropriate layer
  frame1.add(leaveManagment(), JLayeredPane.PALETTE_LAYER);
}

Again, MadProgrammer is right, the buttons should not be on the JDesktopFrame but on a button bar off of the desktop. I recommend that you accept his answer.

Why Mainframe JButton appear foreground of JInternalFrame?

2 Answers2