Java Swing, 2nd Edition

The JInternalFrame Class

JInternalFrame provides the ability to create lightweight frames that exist inside other components. An internal frame is managed entirely within some other Java container, just like any other component, giving the program complete control over iconification, maximization, resizing, etc. Despite looking like “real” windows, the underlying windowing system knows nothing of the existence of internal frames.^[1] Figure 9-2 shows what internal frames look like in various L&Fs.

Figure 9-2. JInternalFrames in four L&Fs

There’s quite a lot to discuss about JInternalFrames, but most of their power comes when they are used inside a JDesktopPane. This section provides a quick overview of the properties, constructors, and methods available in JInternalFrame, and a more detailed discussion of using internal frames follows.

Properties

JInternalFrame defines the properties and default values shown in Table 9-1. The background and foreground properties are delegated to the frame’s content pane.

Table 9-1. JInternalFrame properties

Property	Data type	get	is	set	Default value
accessibleContexto	AccessibleContext	·			JInternalFrame.AccessibleJInternalFrame( )
closable	boolean		·	·	false
closedb,c	boolean		·	·	false
contentPaneb, o	Container	·		·	From rootPane
defaultCloseOperation	int	·		·	DISPOSE_ON_CLOSE1.3
desktopIcon	JInternalFrame.JDesktopIcon	·		·	JInternalFrame.JDesktopIcon( )
desktopPane	JDesktopPane ...