Changing the editability of a JTable cell through a TableModelEvent

[blazedaces]

Hi guys, what I'm I have is a jtable with boolean variables in the first column and text in the next two (checkboxes). I want my tableChanged method to make it so when I check one of the checkboxes then it would change whether that third column is editable or not.

I have made a short[][] array that would hold values of either 0 or 1, basically whether or not each cell is editable or not. Along with that is obviously a setEditable(int row, int col, short editability) method. I think that part works well, it's simply the tableChanged method which I think I'm doing incorrectly.

My issue is this: is there a way to access the methods of an AbstractTableModel of a specific table? If I knew how to do that then it would be easy. Perhaps that is not the problem at all, I don't know.

Here's my code:

import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.event.*;
import javax.swing.table.AbstractTableModel;
import java.util.*;
 
public class TagChoosingWindow extends JPanel implements TableModelListener {       
       private JTable table;
       private MyTableModel tableModel;  //Here's the model I'm using
 
    public TagChoosingWindow(ArrayList<String> al) {        
        super(new GridLayout(1,0));
 
        tableModel = new MyTableModel(al);
        table = new JTable(tableModel);
        table.setPreferredScrollableViewportSize(new Dimension(500, 400));
        table.setFillsViewportHeight(true);
        table.setLocation(50, 50);
 
        //Create the scroll pane and add the table to it.
        JScrollPane scrollPane = new JScrollPane(table);
 
        //Add the scroll pane to this panel.
        add(scrollPane);
    }
 
    public void tableChanged(TableModelEvent e) {
        int row = e.getFirstRow();
        int column = e.getColumn();
        String columnName = tableModel.getColumnName(column);
        Object data = tableModel.getValueAt(row, column);
 
        if (data.equals(Boolean.TRUE))
            tableModel.setEditable(row, column, (short) 1);
        else if(data.equals(Boolean.FALSE))
            tableModel.setEditable(row, column, (short) 0);
    }
 
    private static void createAndShowGUI(ArrayList<String> al) {
        //Create and set up the window.
        JFrame frame = new JFrame("TableDemo");
        frame.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
 
        //Create and set up the content pane.
        TagChoosingWindow newContentPane = new TagChoosingWindow(al);
        newContentPane.setOpaque(true); //content panes must be opaque
        frame.setContentPane(newContentPane);
 
        //Display the window.
        frame.pack();
        frame.setVisible(true);
    }
 
    public static void main(String args[]) {
        //Schedule a job for the event-dispatching thread:
        //creating and showing this application's GUI.
        javax.swing.SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
            public void run() {
                ArrayList<String> temp = new ArrayList<String>(2);
                temp.add("First Tag\\");
                temp.add("Second Tag\\");
                createAndShowGUI(temp); 
            }
        });
    }
 
    class MyTableModel extends AbstractTableModel {
        private String[] columnNames = {"Which Data is Used",
                                        "Original Tag Name",
                                        "Name To Appear in NRDCBin Header File" };
        private Object[][] data;
        private short[][] editable;
 
        public MyTableModel(ArrayList<String> al) {
            int size = al.size();
            data = new Object[size][3];
            editable = new short[size][3];
 
            for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
                data[i][0] = new Boolean(true);
                editable[i][0] = 1;
 
                data[i][1] = al.get(i);
                editable[i][1] = 0;
 
                data[i][2] = al.get(i);
                editable[i][2] = 1;
            }
        }
 
        public int getColumnCount() {
            return columnNames.length;
        }
 
        public int getRowCount() {
            return data.length;
        }
 
        public String getColumnName(int col) {
            return columnNames[col];
        }
 
        public Object getValueAt(int row, int col) {
            return data[row][col];
        }
 
        /*
         * JTable uses this method to determine the default renderer/
         * editor for each cell.  If we didn't implement this method,
         * then the last column would contain text ("true"/"false"),
         * rather than a check box.
         */
        public Class getColumnClass(int c) {
            return getValueAt(0, c).getClass();
        }
 
        public void setEditable(int row, int col, short editability) {
            if (editability > 1 || editability < 0) {
                System.out.println("Editability is like a boolean, it should only hold the value of zero or one!");
                System.exit(1);
            }
            editable[row][col] = editability;
        }
 
        /*
         * Don't need to implement this method unless your table's
         * editable.
         */
        public boolean isCellEditable(int row, int col) {
            //Note that the data/cell address is constant,
            //no matter where the cell appears onscreen.
            if (editable[row][col] == 0)
                return false;
            else
                return true;
        }
 
        /*
         * Don't need to implement this method unless your table's
         * data can change.
         */
        public void setValueAt(Object value, int row, int col) {
            data[row][col] = value;
            fireTableCellUpdated(row, col);
        }
    }
}
 

And thank you so much for your time and your help.

-blazed

[JosAH]

My issue is this: is there a way to access the methods of an AbstractTableModel of a specific table? If I knew how to do that then it would be easy. Perhaps that is not the problem at all, I don't know.

Have a look at the JTable.getModel() method; it returns the TableModel
being in use for that particular table. If you *know* the exact table model you
can even cast that TableModel return value to the implementation type you want.

kind regards,

Jos

[blazedaces]

Have a look at the JTable.getModel() method; it returns the TableModel
being in use for that particular table. If you *know* the exact table model you
can even cast that TableModel return value to the implementation type you want.

kind regards,

Jos

Thank you very much for the help. I believe I did what you advised (I think), but it didn't work. Here's my tableChanged method now:

    public void tableChanged(TableModelEvent e) {
        int row = e.getFirstRow();
        int column = e.getColumn();
        MyTableModel model = (MyTableModel)table.getModel();
        String columnName = model.getColumnName(column);
        Object data = model.getValueAt(row, column);
 
        if (data.equals(Boolean.TRUE))
            model.setEditable(row, column, (short) 1);
        else if(data.equals(Boolean.FALSE))
            model.setEditable(row, column, (short) 0);
    }
 

I still think though that this way of doing it will never work. I think this is so because Java only passes everything by reference so the returned table model, even if I change some variable in it using setEditable it will only change the editable of the new model...

UNLESS I set the JTable to have a new table model...hmm? I don't know, just came to a realization. But won't that not work, the gui is running, what will that do to the table... I'll give it a wack anyways...

I will try, and thank you for your help.

-blazed

[blazedaces]

Hold up, before you come and try to guide me that way, I think I have thought of a better solution... I should probably avoid the entire tableChanged method if I just change the isEditable method.

I should make it check what the values inside the checkBoxes are at the moment and that should return what value boolean they're holding... something like that.

Again, I'll be back in a few to update you guys. Thanks again for all your help,

-blazed

[JosAH]

I think this is so because Java only passes everything by reference

You don't want to be defenestrated do you?

kind regards,

Jos ;-)

[blazedaces]

You don't want to be defenestrated do you?

kind regards,

Jos ;-)

Well... I ... I mean... it sounds fun to tell you the truth. Depends how high a window though, because if it's high enough I can pull out the parachute or glide (both of which fit in my left back pocket) but if it's only a few floors up, but too high to live through and no trees or big people to break my fall... I see things turning for the worse...

This was mentioned once amongst my friends and we all agreed it had to be the funniest word we had ever heard or could even possibly imagine ... as a word.

Anyway, here's my isEditable method and I'm certainly doing something wrong here, because I get an error message (I'll write it at the end):

        public boolean isCellEditable(int row, int col) {
            //Note that the data/cell address is constant,
            //no matter where the cell appears onscreen.
            if (col == 1)
                return false;
               else if (col == 0)
                   return true;
            else {
                return ((Boolean)(getValueAt(row, col)).booleanValue());
            }
        }
 

The getValueAt returns the Object data[row][col] but I guess even though the Object returned is a Boolean things don't work out quite like I would like them to... does anyone know of a solution?

It says it doesn't recognize the .booleanValue() in that one line

Basically I want to get the Boolean value of those checkBoxes stored in the data[row][0] (the checkboxes are in the first column) and then use that to determine whether or not the cell is editable...

Thanks again for your help,

-blazed

[blazedaces]

I made it work! But it helped to re-read my post, first I tried to just ask it if equaled a new Boolean(true), but then when re-reading I remembered, I'm asking for the value of data[row][col] but that value is a string, the Boolean values are at data[row][0], like I said in the post above, how foolish of me!

Don't know if it matters, but the working isEditable looked like this:

        public boolean isCellEditable(int row, int col) {
            //Note that the data/cell address is constant,
            //no matter where the cell appears onscreen.
            if (col == 1)
                return false;
               else if (col == 0)
                   return true;
            else {
                return (getValueAt(row, 0).equals(new Boolean(true)));
            }
        }
 

Thank you again,

-blazed

[r035198x]

Java passes everything by value. Don't be confused with passing refences. The refences are passed by value as well. The moment you forget that you become a good candidate for defenestration.