TEXT AREA

Sometimes a single line of text input is not enough for a given task. To handle these
situations, the AWT includes a simple multiline editor called TextArea. Following are
the constructors for TextArea:
TextArea( )
TextArea(int numLines, int numChars)
TextArea(String str)
TextArea(String str, int numLines, int numChars)
TextArea(String str, int numLines, int numChars, int sBars)
Here, numLines specifies the height, in lines, of the text area, and numChars specifies its
width, in characters. Initial text can be specified by str. In the fifth form you can specify
the scroll bars that you want the control to have. sBars must be one of these values:
SCROLLBARS_BOTH SCROLLBARS_NONE
SCROLLBARS_HORIZONTAL_ONLY SCROLLBARS_VERTICAL_ONLY
TextArea is a subclass of TextComponent. Therefore, it supports the getText( ), setText( ),
getSelectedText( ), select( ), isEditable( ), and setEditable( ) methods described in the
preceding section.

TextArea adds the following methods:
void append(String str)
void insert(String str, int index)
void replaceRange(String str, int startIndex, int endIndex)
The append( ) method appends the string specified by str to the end of the current
text. insert( ) inserts the string passed in str at the specified index. To replace text,
call replaceRange( ). It replaces the characters from startIndex to endIndex–1, with
the replacement text passed in str.
Text areas are almost self-contained controls. Your program incurs virtually no
management overhead. Text areas only generate got-focus and lost-focus events.
Normally, your program simply obtains the current text when it is needed.
The following program creates a TextArea control:
// Demonstrate TextArea.
import java.awt.*;
import java.applet.*;
/*


*/
public class TextAreaDemo extends Applet {
public void init() {
String val = "There are two ways of constructing " +
"a software design.\n" +
"One way is to make it so simple\n" +
"that there are obviously no deficiencies.\n" +
"And the other way is to make it so complicated\n" +
"that there are no obvious deficiencies.\n\n" +
" -C.A.R. Hoare\n\n" +
"There's an old story about the person who wished\n" +
"his computer were as easy to use as his telephone.\n" +
"That wish has come true,\n" +
"since I no longer know how to use my telephone.\n\n" +
" -Bjarne Stroustrup, AT&T, (inventor of C++)";
TextArea text = new TextArea(val, 10, 30);
add(text);
}
}