Java Tip 129: SGLayout—a layout manager for the rest of us

A good layout manager proves essential for creating a good graphical user interface (GUI), but many beginner developers find the standard Java layout managers difficult to master. Of these, BorderLayout and FlowLayout generally prove useful, but developers often start running into difficulties when coding more complex layouts. GridBagLayout, in particular, is very powerful, but many developers find it difficult and nonintuitive. Personally, I follow the “least surprise” principle when I look at layout managers: If you are surprised at a layout manager’s behavior, it probably was designed poorly. On this basis, GridBagLayout gets particularly poor marks. With that in mind, a better way to get similar results must exist.

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