Java For Dummies Quick Reference

JTextArea Class

Package: javax.swing

The JTextArea class creates a text area, which is similar to a text field, but it lets the user enter more than one line of text. If the user enters more text in the text area than can be displayed at once, the text area can display a scroll bar to allow the user to see the entire text. Figure 5-12 shows a text area in action.

Figure 5-12

To create the text area shown in Figure 5-12, you must use the JScrollPane class to create the scroll bars. For more information, see JScrollPane Class.

Constructors

Constructor	Description
JTextArea()	Creates a new text area
JTextArea(int rows, int cols)	Creates a new text area large enough to display the specified number of rows and columns
JTextArea(String text, int rows, int cols)	Creates a new text area with the specified initial text value, large enough to display the specified number of rows and columns

Methods

Method	Description
void append(String text)	Adds the specified text to the end of the text area’s text value.
int getLineCount()	Gets the number of lines currently in the text value.
String getText()	Gets the text value entered in the field.
void insert(String str, int pos)	Inserts the specified text at the specified position.