/*
 * @(#)Box.java	1.45 05/11/17
 *
 * Copyright 2006 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.
 * SUN PROPRIETARY/CONFIDENTIAL. Use is subject to license terms.
 */


package javax.swing;

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.beans.PropertyChangeListener;
import java.util.Locale;
import java.io.Serializable;
import javax.accessibility.*;

/**
 * A lightweight container 
 * that uses a BoxLayout object as its layout manager.
 * Box provides several class methods
 * that are useful for containers using BoxLayout --
 * even non-Box containers.
 *
 * <p>
 * The <code>Box</code> class can create several kinds
 * of invisible components 
 * that affect layout:
 * glue, struts, and rigid areas.
 * If all the components your <code>Box</code> contains 
 * have a fixed size,
 * you might want to use a glue component
 * (returned by <code>createGlue</code>)
 * to control the components' positions.
 * If you need a fixed amount of space between two components,
 * try using a strut
 * (<code>createHorizontalStrut</code> or <code>createVerticalStrut</code>).
 * If you need an invisible component
 * that always takes up the same amount of space,
 * get it by invoking <code>createRigidArea</code>.
 * <p>
 * If you are implementing a <code>BoxLayout</code> you 
 * can find further information and examples in
 * <a
 href="http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/uiswing/layout/box.html">How to Use BoxLayout</a>,
 * a section in <em>The Java Tutorial.</em>
 * <p>
 * <strong>Warning:</strong>
 * Serialized objects of this class will not be compatible with
 * future Swing releases. The current serialization support is
 * appropriate for short term storage or RMI between applications running
 * the same version of Swing.  As of 1.4, support for long term storage
 * of all JavaBeans<sup><font size="-2">TM</font></sup>
 * has been added to the <code>java.beans</code> package.
 * Please see {@link java.beans.XMLEncoder}.
 *
 * @see BoxLayout
 *
 * @author  Timothy Prinzing
 * @version 1.45 11/17/05
 */
public class Box extends JComponent implements Accessible {

    /**
     * Creates a <code>Box</code> that displays its components
     * along the the specified axis.
     *
     * @param axis  can be {@link BoxLayout#X_AXIS},
     *              {@link BoxLayout#Y_AXIS},
     *              {@link BoxLayout#LINE_AXIS} or
     *              {@link BoxLayout#PAGE_AXIS}.
     * @throws AWTError if the <code>axis</code> is invalid
     * @see #createHorizontalBox
     * @see #createVerticalBox
     */
    public Box(int axis) {
	super();
	super.setLayout(new BoxLayout(this, axis));
    }

    /**
     * Creates a <code>Box</code> that displays its components
     * from left to right. If you want a <code>Box</code> that
     * respects the component orientation you should create the
     * <code>Box</code> using the constructor and pass in
     * <code>BoxLayout.LINE_AXIS</code>, eg:
     * <pre>
     *   Box lineBox = new Box(BoxLayout.LINE_AXIS);
     * </pre>
     *
     * @return the box
     */
    public static Box createHorizontalBox() {
	return new Box(BoxLayout.X_AXIS);
    }

    /**
     * Creates a <code>Box</code> that displays its components
     * from top to bottom. If you want a <code>Box</code> that
     * respects the component orientation you should create the