Dynamically Swapping Panels within a JFrame

In this Java Swing application, a JPanel within a JFrame needs to be swapped with another JPanel based on user actions. Exploring the appropriate approach to achieve this, the code below was tested:

panel = new CustomJPanelWithComponentsOnIt();
parentFrameJPanelBelongsTo.pack();

However, this approach fails to switch the panels.

Solution: Leveraging CardLayout

The ideal solution for this scenario lies in utilizing CardLayout, a layout manager that enables the display of multiple panels while selectively displaying only one panel at a given time.

To implement CardLayout, the following steps can be taken:

1. Create a CardLayout object:

   CardLayout cardLayout = new CardLayout();

2. Set the layout of the container that will hold the panels (e.g., the JFrame):

   parentFrameJPanelBelongsTo.setLayout(cardLayout);

3. Add the panels to the container using the CardLayout's constraints:

   parentFrameJPanelBelongsTo.add(new CustomJPanelWithComponentsOnIt(), "panel1");
   parentFrameJPanelBelongsTo.add(new AnotherJPanel(), "panel2");

4. Set the initial panel to be displayed:

   cardLayout.show(parentFrameJPanelBelongsTo, "panel1");

5. Change the active panel dynamically based on user interaction:

   cardLayout.show(parentFrameJPanelBelongsTo, "panel2");