Question

I’m using JOptionPane.showOptionDialog to show a JDialog. I would like to know how:

1. set the dimension of the dialog (for now I’m using setPreferredSize() method on the given panel but I know that such method shouldn’t be used).
2. make the showed dialog resizable.

My code looks like:

JPanel panel; //my JPanel built with dialog contents
int ret = JOptionPane.showOptionDialog(myFrame,
                    panel,
                        "titel",
                    JOptionPane.YES_NO_OPTION,
                    JOptionPane.PLAIN_MESSAGE,
                    null,
                    options,
                    options[1]);

I know that I could obtain the desired result building a JDialog this way:

JDialog dialog = new JDialog(panel);
dialog.setResizable(true);
dialog.setSize(800,600);
dialog.setVisible(true);

The problem with the last solution is that I can’t get the return value.

EDIT:
in response to @camickr observations:

Why do you need to set the preferred size? If you build the panel
properly is should be displayed at its preferred size.

I’m not sure of having fully understood Swing on this point. The problem is, for example, that I’m displaying through a JDialog a ChartPanel built with JFreeChart. Now, I suppose that panel has it’s own preferred size, but I want to see it bigger. How can I do that without explicitly use setPreferredSize()?

Read the JOptionPane API. Search for “Direct Use”. It shows you how to
directly access the dialog used by the option pane and you can

I read it but I can’t find the right method to understand which button (Ok or Cancel) has been pressed on the JDialog.

Answer 1

1. Why do you need to set the preferred size? If you build the panel properly is should be displayed at its preferred size.

2. Read the JOptionPane API. Search for “Direct Use”. It shows you how to directly access the dialog used by the option pane and you can

With you second approach why are you setting the size? Again just pack() the dialog and it will be displayed at the panels preferred size.

What do you mean you can’t get the return value? You have access to any method of your custom panel. So you can just invoke the getXXX() method when you receive control again. Just make sure the dialog is modal and the code after the setVisible(true) will block until the dialog is closed.