Question

When I register ActionListener on a non-editable JComboBox it fires actionPerformed() every time user changes selected item with arrows keys or with context search (typing the first letter of the item name).

I found similar question here:
How to make JComboBox selected item not changed when scrolling through its popuplist using keyboard. But that solution doesn’t cover context search option. It fires actionPerformed() when I type something.

How to determine when user confirms selected item using enter key or mouse click?

Answer 1

better would be implements ItemListener (fired twice SELECTED and DESELECTED), than ActionListener and KeyBindings, maybe with succes this simple example here

import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.event.PopupMenuEvent;
import javax.swing.event.PopupMenuListener;

public class PopupTest {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        final JComboBox c = new JComboBox();
        c.addPopupMenuListener(new PopupMenuListener() {

            @Override
            public void popupMenuCanceled(PopupMenuEvent e) {
                System.out.println(e.getSource());
            }

            @Override
            public void popupMenuWillBecomeInvisible(PopupMenuEvent e) {
                System.out.println(e.getSource());
            }

            @Override
            public void popupMenuWillBecomeVisible(PopupMenuEvent e) {
                System.out.println(e.getSource());
            }
        });
        JFrame f = new JFrame("Test");
        f.setDefaultCloseOperation(WindowConstants.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        f.getContentPane().setLayout(new FlowLayout());
        f.getContentPane().add(c);
        f.pack();
        f.setVisible(true);
    }

    private PopupTest() {
    }
}