Date:  Friday, 01 Nov 2002 11:06 a.m.
   From:  Mark Jacobson <jacobson@cns.uni.edu>
     To:  810-061-01@uni.edu, 810-061-02@uni.edu

Subject:  Try validate();  last statement in begin()...

Hi 061 students,

    If you put the validate(); statement in your begin() method
for any class that extends WindowController and uses components
such as Panels, Scrollbars, Choices and Buttons,

    you do NOT have to resize your applet window to see the buttons
and scrollbars and choices and panels appear to the SOUTH or NORTH
or EAST or WEST.

    validate();

public void begin () {
   Font myFont = new Font("Courier New", Font.BOLD + Font.ITALIC, 28);
   Label greet = new Label("Hello World", Label.CENTER);
   greet.setFont(myFont);
   add(greet, BorderLayout.NORTH);

   Panel southPanel = new Panel();
   southPanel.setLayout( new GridLayout(3, 1) );
   southPanel.add( new Button("UNI") );
   southPanel.add( new Button("Panthers") );
   Panel lastRowSouthPanel = new Panel();

   Choice myChoice = new Choice();

   myChoice.add("UNI Panther volleyball");
   myChoice.add("Senegal Dance");
   myChoice.add("Iowa field hockey");
   myChoice.add("UNI rugby");

   lastRowSouthPanel.add( myChoice );

   Button theButton = new Button("Get PKE meter reading");
   lastRowSouthPanel.add( theButton );
   southPanel.add( lastRowSouthPanel );

   add(southPanel, BorderLayout.SOUTH);

   validate();              // <-------------------- validate(); ***********
}                           //                       -----------

Note that my Wright 106 office machine required that I wait 21 seconds
after the application window (Run as Applet) appeared before the
GUI components did show up, so validate() continues to work after
everything else is displayed.  That is why it should generally be
the very LAST statement in the begin() method.

Mark