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| Chapter 4 Events |

## 4.2 The Event Class

An instance of the `Event` class is a platform-independent representation that encapsulates the specifics of an event that happens within the Java 1.0 model. It contains everything you need to know about an event: who, what, when, where, and why the event happened. Note that the `Event` class is not used in the Java 1.1 event model; instead, Java 1.1 has an `AWTEvent` class, with subclasses for different event types.

When an event occurs, you decide whether or not to process the event. If you decide against reacting, the event passes through your program quickly without anything happening. If you decide to handle the event, you must deal with it quickly so the system can process the next event. If handling the event requires a lot of work, you should move the event-handling code into its own thread. That way, the system can process the next event while you go off and process the first. If you do not multithread your event processing, the system becomes slow and unresponsive and could lose events. A slow and unresponsive program frustrates users and may convince them to find another solution for their problems.

### Variables

`Event` contains ten instance variables that offer all the specific information for a particular event. Instance variables

public Object arg

  The `arg` field contains some data regarding the event, to be interpreted by the recipient. For example, if the user presses Return within a `TextField`, an `Event` with an `id` of `ACTION_EVENT` is generated with the `TextField` as the `target` and the string within it as the `arg`. See a description of each specific event to find out what its `arg` means.

public int clickCount

  The `clickCount` field allows you to check for double clicking of the mouse. This field is relevant only for `MOUSE_DOWN` events. There is no way to specify the time delta used to determine how quick a double-click needs to be, nor is there a maximum value for `clickCount`. If a user quickly clicks the mouse four times, `clickCount` is four. Only the passage of a system-specific time delta will reset the value so that the next `MOUSE_DOWN` is the first click. The incrementing of `clickCount` does not care which mouse button is pressed.

public Event evt

  The `evt` field does not appear to be used anywhere but is available if you wish to pass around a linked list of events. Then your program can handle this event and tell the system to deal with the next one (as demonstrated in the following code), or you can process the entire chain yourself.

    public boolean mouseDown (Event e, int x, int y) {
        System.out.println ("Coordinates: " + x + "-" + y);
        if (e.evt != null)
            postEvent (e.evt);
        return true;
    }

public int id

  The `id` field of `Event` contains the identifier of the event. The system-generated events are the following `Event` constants:

  `WINDOW_DESTROY` | `MOUSE_ENTER`
  `WINDOW_EXPOSE` | `MOUSE_EXIT`
  `WINDOW_ICONIFY` | `MOUSE_DRAG`
  `WINDOW_DEICONIFY` | `SCROLL_LINE_UP`
  `KEY_PRESS` | `SCROLL_LINE_DOWN`
  `KEY_RELEASE` | `SCROLL_PAGE_UP`
  `KEY_ACTION` | `SCROLL_PAGE_DOWN`
  `KEY_ACTION_RELEASE` | `SCROLL_ABSOLUTE`
  `MOUSE_DOWN` | `LIST_SELECT`
  `MOUSE_UP` | `LIST_DESELECT`
  `MOUSE_MOVE` | `ACTION_EVENT`

  As a user, you can create your own event types and store your own unique event ID here. In Java 1.0, there is no formal way to prevent conflicts between your events and system events, but using a negative IO is a good ad-hoc method. It is up to you to check all the user events generated in your program in order to avoid conflicts among user events.

public int key

  For keyboard-related events, the `key` field contains the integer representation of the keyboard element that caused the event. Constants are available for the keypad keys. To examine `key` as a character, just cast it to a `char`. For nonkeyboard-related events, the value is zero.

pubic int modifiers

  The `modifiers` field shows the state of the modifier keys when the event happened. A flag is set for each modifier key pressed by the user when the event happened. Modifier keys are Shift, Control, Alt, and Meta. Since the middle and right mouse key are indicated in a Java event by a modifier key, one reason to use the `modifiers` field is to determine which mouse button triggered an event. See Working With Mouse Buttons in Java 1.0 for an example.

public Object target

  The `target` field contains a reference to the object that is the cause of the event. For example, if the user selects a button, the button is the target of the event. If the user moves the mouse into a `Frame`, the `Frame` is the target. The `target` indicates where the event happened, not the component that is dealing with it.

public long when

  The `when` field contains the time of the event in milliseconds. The following code converts this `long` value to a `Date` to examine its contents:

    Date d = new Date (e.when);

public int x
public int y

  The `x` and `y` fields show the coordinates where the event happened. The coordinates are always relative to the top left corner of the target of the event and get translated based on the top left corner of the container as the event gets passed through the containing components. (See the previous Identifying the Target for an example of this translation.) It is possible for either or both of these to be outside the coordinate space of the applet (e.g., if user quickly moves the mouse outside the applet).

### Constants

Numerous constants are provided with the `Event` class. Several designate which event happened (the why). Others are available to help in determining the function key a user pressed (the what). And yet more are available to make your life easier.

When the system generates an event, it calls a handler method for it. To deal with the event, you have to override the appropriate method. The different event type sections describe which methods you override. Key constants

These constants are set when a user presses a key. Most of them correspond to function and keypad keys; since such keys are generally used to invoke an action from the program or the system, Java calls them action keys and causes them to generate a different `Event` type (`KEY_ACTION`) from regular alphanumeric keys (`KEY_PRESS`).

Table 4.2 shows the constants used to represent keys and the event type that uses each constant. The values, which are all declared `public static final int`, appear in the `key` variable of the event instance. A few keys represent ASCII characters that have string equivalents such as `\n`. Black stars () mark the constants that are new in Java 1.1; they can be used with the 1.0 event model, provided that you are running Java 1.1. Java 1.1 events use a different set of key constants defined in the `KeyEvent` class.

Table 4.2: Constants for Keys in Java 1.0
Constant | Event Type |  | Constant | Event Type
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
`HOME` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `F9` | `KEY_ACTION`
`END` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `F10` | `KEY_ACTION`
`PGUP` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `F11` | `KEY_ACTION`
`PGDN` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `F12` | `KEY_ACTION`
`UP` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `PRINT_SCREEN` | `KEY_ACTION`
`DOWN` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `SCROLL_LOCK` | `KEY_ACTION`
`LEFT` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `CAPS_LOCK` | `KEY_ACTION`
`RIGHT` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `NUM_LOCK` | `KEY_ACTION`
`F1` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `PAUSE` | `KEY_ACTION`
`F2` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `INSERT` | `KEY_ACTION`
`F3` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `ENTER` (`\n`) | `KEY_PRESS`
`F4` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `BACK_SPACE` (`\b`) | `KEY_PRESS`
`F5` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `TAB` (`\t`) | `KEY_PRESS`
`F6` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `ESCAPE` | `KEY_PRESS`
`F7` | `KEY_ACTION` |  | `DELETE` | `KEY_PRESS`
`F8` | `KEY_ACTION` |  |  |

Modifiers

Modifiers are keys like Shift, Control, Alt, or Meta. When a user presses any key or mouse button that generates an `Event`, the `modifiers` field of the `Event` instance is set. You can check whether any modifier key was pressed by ANDing its constant with the `modifiers` field. If multiple modifier keys were down at the time the event occurred, the constants for the different modifiers are ORed together in the field.

`public static final int ALT_MASK`
`public static final int CTRL_MASK`
`public static final int META_MASK`
`public static final int SHIFT_MASK`

When reporting a mouse event, the system automatically sets the `modifiers` field. Since Java is advertised as supporting the single-button mouse model, all buttons generate the same mouse events, and the system uses the `modifiers` field to differentiate between mouse buttons. That way, a user with a one- or two-button mouse can simulate a three-button mouse by clicking on his mouse while holding down a modifier key. Table 4.3 lists the mouse modifier keys; an applet in Working With Mouse Buttons in Java 1.0 demonstrates how to differentiate between mouse buttons.

Table 4.3: Mouse Button Modifier Keys
Mouse Button | Modifier Key
--- | ---
Left mouse button | None
Middle mouse button | `ALT_MASK`
Right mouse button | `META_MASK`

For example, if you have a three-button mouse, and click the right button, Java generates some kind of mouse event with the `META_MASK` set in the `modifiers` field. If you have a one-button mouse, you can generate the same event by clicking the mouse while depressing the Meta key.

> NOTE:

If you have a multibutton mouse and do an Alt+right mouse or Meta+left mouse, the results are platform specific. You should get a mouse event with two masks set.

Key events

The component peers deliver separate key events when a user presses and releases nearly any key. `KEY_ACTION` and `KEY_ACTION_RELEASE` are for the function and arrow keys, while `KEY_PRESS` and `KEY_RELEASE` are for the remaining control and alphanumeric keys.

public static final int KEY_ACTION

  The peers deliver the `KEY_ACTION` event when the user presses a function or keypad key. The default `Component.handleEvent()` method calls the `keyDown()` method for this event. If the user holds down the key, this event is generated multiple times. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `KeyListener.keyPressed()` handles this event.

public static final int KEY_ACTION_RELEASE

  The peers deliver the `KEY_ACTION_RELEASE` event when the user releases a function or keypad key. The default `handleEvent()` method for `Component` calls the `keyUp()` method for this event. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the `KeyListener.keyReleased()` interface method handles this event.

public static final int KEY_PRESS

  The peers deliver the `KEY_PRESS` event when the user presses an ordinary key. The default `Component.handleEvent()` method calls the `keyDown()` method for this event. Holding down the key causes multiple `KEY_PRESS` events to be generated. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `KeyListener.keyPressed()` handles this event.

public static final int KEY_RELEASE

  The peers deliver `KEY_RELEASE` events when the user releases an ordinary key. The default `handleEvent()` method for `Component` calls the `keyUp()` method for this event. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `KeyListener.keyReleased()` handles this event.

> NOTE:

If you want to capture arrow and keypad keys under the X Window System, make sure the key codes are set up properly, using the xmodmap command.

> NOTE:

Some platforms generate events for the modifier keys by themselves, whereas other platforms require modifier keys to be pressed with another key. For example, on a Windows 95 platform, if Ctrl+A is pressed, you would expect one `KEY_PRESS` and one `KEY_RELEASE`. However, there is a second `KEY_RELEASE` for the Control key. Under Motif, you get only a single `KEY_RELEASE`.

Window events

Window events happen only for components that are children of `Window`. Several of these events are available only on certain platforms. Like other event types, the `id` variable holds the value of the specific event instance.

public static final int WINDOW_DESTROY

  The peers deliver the `WINDOW_DESTROY` event whenever the system tells a window to destroy itself. This is usually done when the user selects the window manager's Close or Quit window menu option. By default, `Frame` instances do not deal with this event, and you must remember to catch it yourself. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the `WindowListener.windowClosing()` interface method handles this event.

public static final int WINDOW_EXPOSE

  The peers deliver the `WINDOW_EXPOSE` event whenever all or part of a window becomes visible. To find out what part of the window has become uncovered, use the `getClipRect()` method (or `getClipBounds()` in Java version 1.1) of the `Graphics` parameter to the `paint()` method. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the `WindowListener.windowOpening()` interface method most closely corresponds to the handling of this event.

public static final int WINDOW_ICONIFY

  The peers deliver the `WINDOW_ICONIFY` event when the user iconifies the window. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `WindowListener.windowIconified()` handles this event.

public static final int WINDOW_DEICONIFY

  The peers deliver the `WINDOW_DEICONIFY` event when the user de-iconifies the window. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `WindowListener.windowDeiconified()` handles this event.

public static final int WINDOW_MOVED

  The `WINDOW_MOVED` event signifies that the user has moved the window. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the `ComponentListener.componentMoved()` interface method handles this event.

Mouse events

The component peers deliver mouse events when a user presses or releases a mouse button. Events are also delivered whenever the mouse moves. In order to be platform independent, Java pretends that all mice have a single button. If you press the second or third button, Java generates a regular mouse event but sets the event's `modifers` field with a flag that indicates which button was pressed. If you press the left button, no `modifiers` flags are set. Pressing the center button sets the `ALT_MASK` flag; pressing the right button sets the `META_MASK` flag. Therefore, you can determine which mouse button was pressed by looking at the `Event.modifiers` attribute. Furthermore, users with a one-button or two-button mouse can generate the same events by pressing a mouse button while holding down the Alt or Meta keys.

> NOTE:

Early releases of Java (1.0.2 and earlier) only propagated mouse events from `Canvas` and `Container` objects. With the 1.1 event model, the events that different components process are better defined.

public static final int MOUSE_DOWN

  The peers deliver the `MOUSE_DOWN` event when the user presses any mouse button. This action must occur over a component that passes along the `MOUSE_DOWN` event. The default `Component.handleEvent()` method calls the `mouseDown()` method for this event. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the `MouseListener.mousePressed()` interface method handles this event.

public static final int MOUSE_UP

  The peers deliver the `MOUSE_UP` event when the user releases the mouse button. This action must occur over a component that passes along the `MOUSE_UP` event. The default `handleEvent()` method for `Component` calls the `mouseUp()` method for this event. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `MouseListener.mouseReleased()` handles this event.

public static final int MOUSE_MOVE

  The peers deliver the `MOUSE_MOVE` event whenever the user moves the mouse over any part of the applet. This can happen many, many times more than you want to track, so make sure you really want to do something with this event before trying to capture it. (You can also capture `MOUSE_MOVE` events and without losing much, choose to deal with only every third or fourth movement.) The default `handleEvent()` method calls the `mouseMove()` method for the event. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `MouseMotionListener.mouseMoved()` handles this event.

public static final int MOUSE_DRAG

  The peers deliver the `MOUSE_DRAG` event whenever the user moves the mouse over any part of the applet with a mouse button depressed. The default method `handleEvent()` calls the `mouseDrag()` method for the event. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `MouseMotionListener.mouseDragged()` handles this event.

public static final int MOUSE_ENTER

  The peers deliver the `MOUSE_ENTER` event whenever the cursor enters a component. The default `handleEvent()` method calls the `mouseEnter()` method for the event. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `MouseListener.mouseEntered()` handles this event.

public static final int MOUSE_EXIT

  The peers deliver the `MOUSE_EXIT` event whenever the cursor leaves a component. The default `handleEvent()` method calls the `mouseExit()` method for the event. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `MouseListener.mouseExited()` handles this event.

Scrolling events

The peers deliver scrolling events for the `Scrollbar` component. The objects that have a built-in scrollbar (like `List`, `ScrollPane`, and `TextArea`) do not generate these events. No default methods are called for any of the scrolling events. They must be dealt with in the `handleEvent()` method of the `Container` or a subclass of the `Scrollbar`. You can determine which particular event occurred by checking the `id` variable of the event, and find out the new position of the thumb by looking at the `arg` variable or calling `getValue()` on the scrollbar. See also the description of the `AdjustmentListener` interface later in this chapter.

public static final int SCROLL_LINE_UP

  The scrollbar peers deliver the `SCROLL_LINE_UP` event when the user presses the arrow pointing up for the vertical scrollbar or the arrow pointing left for the horizontal scrollbar. This decreases the scrollbar setting by one back toward the minimum value. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `AdjustmentListener.adjustmentValueChanged()` handles this event.

public static final int SCROLL_LINE_DOWN

  The peers deliver the `SCROLL_LINE_DOWN` event when the user presses the arrow pointing down for the vertical scrollbar or the arrow pointing right for the horizontal scrollbar. This increases the scrollbar setting by one toward the maximum value. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `AdjustmentListener.adjustmentValueChanged()` handles this event.

public static final int SCROLL_PAGE_UP

  The peers deliver the `SCROLL_PAGE_UP` event when the user presses the mouse with the cursor in the area between the slider and the decrease arrow. This decreases the scrollbar setting by the paging increment, which defaults to 10, back toward the minimum value. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `AdjustmentListener.adjustmentValueChanged()` handles this event.

public static final int SCROLL_PAGE_DOWN

  The peers deliver the `SCROLL_PAGE_DOWN` event when the user presses the mouse with the cursor in the area between the slider and the increase arrow. This increases the scrollbar setting by the paging increment, which defaults to 10, toward the maximum value. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `AdjustmentListener.adjustmentValueChanged()` handles this event.

public static final int SCROLL_ABSOLUTE

  The peers deliver the `SCROLL_ABSOLUTE` event when the user drags the slider part of the scrollbar. There is no set time period or distance between multiple `SCROLL_ABSOLUTE` events. If you are using the Java version 1.1 event model, the `AdjustmentListener.adjustmentValueChanged()` interface method handles this event.

public static final int SCROLL_BEGIN

  The `SCROLL_BEGIN` event is not delivered by peers, but you may wish to use it to signify when a user drags the slider at the beginning of a series of `SCROLL_ABSOLUTE` events. `SCROLL_END`, described next, would then be used to signify the end of the series.

public static final int SCROLL_END

  The `SCROLL_END` event is not delivered by peers, but you may wish to use it to signify when a user drags the slider at the end of a series of `SCROLL_ABSOLUTE` events. `SCROLL_BEGIN`, described previously, would have been used to signify the beginning of the series.

List events

Two events specific to the `List` class are passed along by the peers. They signify when the user has selected or deselected a specific choice in the `List`. It is not ordinarily necessary to capture these events, because the peers deliver the `ACTION_EVENT` when the user double-clicks on a specific item in the `List` and it is this `ACTION_EVENT` that triggers something to happen. However, if there is reason to do something when the user has just single-clicked on a choice, these events may be useful. An example of how they would prove useful is if you are displaying a list of filenames with the ability to preview files before loading. Single selection would preview, double-click would load, and deselect would stop previewing.

No default methods are called for any of the list events. They must be dealt with in the `handleEvent()` method of the `Container` of the `List` or a subclass of the `List`. You can determine which particular event occurred by checking the `id` variable of the event.

public static final int LIST_SELECT

  The peers deliver the `LIST_SELECT` event when the user selects an item in a `List`. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the interface method `ItemListener.itemStateChanged()` handles this event.

public static final int LIST_DESELECT

  The peers deliver the `LIST_DESELECT` event when an item in a `List` has been deselected. This is generated only if the `List` permits multiple selections. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the `ItemListener.itemStateChanged()` interface method handles this event.

Focus events

The peers deliver focus events when a component gains (`GOT_FOCUS`) or loses (`LOST_FOCUS`) the input focus. No default methods are called for the focus events. They must be dealt with in the `handleEvent()` method of the `Container` of the component or a subclass of the component. You can determine which particular event occurred by checking the `id` variable of the event.

> NOTE:

Early releases of Java (1.0.2 and before) did not propagate focus events on all platforms. This is fixed in release 1.1 of Java. Still, you should avoid capturing focus events if you want to write portable 1.0 code.

public static final int GOT_FOCUS

  The peers deliver the `GOT_FOCUS` event when a component gets the input focus. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the `FocusListener.focusGained()` interface method handles this event.

public static final int LOST_FOCUS

  The peers deliver the `LOST_FOCUS` event when a component loses the input focus. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the `FocusListener.focusLost()` interface method handles this event.

FileDialog events

The `FileDialog` events are another set of nonportable events. Ordinarily, the `FileDialog` events are completely dealt with by the system, and you never see them. Refer to Chapter 6, Containers for exactly how to work with the `FileDialog` object. If you decide to create a generic `FileDialog` object, you can use these events to indicate file loading and saving. These constants would be used in the `id` variable of the specific event instance:

public static final int LOAD_FILE
public static final int SAVE_FILE

Miscellaneous events

`ACTION_EVENT` is probably the event you deal with most frequently. It is generated when the user performs the desired action for a specific component type (e.g., when a user selects a button or toggles a checkbox). This constant would be found in the `id` variable of the specific event instance.

public static final int ACTION_EVENT

  The circumstances that lead to the peers delivering the `ACTION_EVENT` event depend upon the component that is the target of the event and the user's platform. Although the event can be passed along differently on different platforms, users will be accustomed to how the peers work on their specific platforms and will not care that it is different on the other platforms. For example, a Java 1.0 `List` component on a Microsoft Windows platform allows the user to select an item by pressing the first letter of the choice, whereupon the `List` tries to find an item that starts with the letter. The X Window System `List` component does not provide this capability. It works like a normal X `List`, where the user must scroll to locate the item and then select it.

  When the `ACTION_EVENT` is generated, the `arg` variable of the specific `Event` instance is set based upon the component type. In Chapters 5-11, which describe Java's GUI components, the description of each component contains an "Events" subsection that describes the value of the event's `arg` field. If you are using the 1.1 event model, the `ActionListener.actionPerformed()` and `ItemListener.itemStateChanged()` interface methods handle this event, depending upon the component type.

### Event Methods

Constructors

Ordinarily, the peers deliver all your events for you. However, if you are creating your own components or want to communicate across threads, it may be necessary to create your own events. You can also create your own events to notify your component's container of application-specific occurrences. For example, if you were implementing your own tab sequencing for text fields, you could create a "next text field" event to tell your container to move to the next text field. Once you create the event, you send it through the system using the `Component.postEvent()` method.

public Event (Object target, long when, int id, int x, int y, int key, int modifiers, Object arg)

  The first version of the constructor is the most complete and is what the other two call. It initializes all the fields of the `Event` to the parameters passed and sets `clickCount` to 0. See the descriptions of the instance variables Variables for the meanings of the arguments.

public Event (Object target, long when, int id, int x, int y, int key, int modifiers)

  The second constructor version calls the first with `arg` set to null.

public Event (Object target, int id, Object arg)

  The final version calls the first constructor with the `when`, `x`, `y`, `key`, and `modifiers` parameters set to 0.

Modifier methods

The modifier methods check to see if the different modifier mask values are set. They report the state of each modifier key at the moment an event occurred. It is possible for multiple masks to be set if multiple modifiers are pressed when the event occurs.

There is no `altDown()` method; to check whether the Alt key is pressed you must directly compare the event's `modifiers` against the `Event.ALT_MASK` constant. The `metaDown()` method is helpful when dealing with mouse events to see if the user pressed the right mouse button.

public boolean shiftDown ()

  The `shiftDown()` method returns `true` if the Shift key was pressed and `false` otherwise. There is no way to differentiate left and right shift keys.

public boolean controlDown ()

  The `controlDown()` method returns `true` if the Control key was pressed and `false` otherwise.

public boolean metaDown ()

  The `metaDown()` method returns `true` if the Meta key was pressed and `false` otherwise.

Miscellaneous methods

public void translate (int x, int y)

  The `translate()` method translates the x and y coordinates of the `Event` instance by `x` and `y`. The system does this so that the coordinates of the event are relative to the component receiving the event, rather than the container of the component. The system takes care of all this for you when passing the event through the containment hierarchy (not the object hierarchy), so you do not have to bother with translating them yourself. Figure 4.3 shows how this method would change the location of an event from a container down to an internal component.

#### Figure 4.3: Translating an event's location relative to a component

protected String paramString ()

  When you call the `toString()` method of `Event`, the `paramString()` method is called in turn to build the string to display. In the event you subclass `Event` to add additional information, instead of having to provide a whole new `toString()` method, you need only add the new information to the string already generated by `paramString()`. Assuming the new information is `foo`, this would result in the following method declaration:

    protected String paramString() {
        return super.paramString() + ",foo=" + foo;
    }

public String toString ()

  The `toString()` method of `Event` returns a string with numerous components. The only variables that will always be in the output will be the event ID and the x and y coordinates. The others will be present if necessary (i.e., non-null): key (as the integer corresponding to a keyboard event), shift when `shiftDown()` is true; control, when `controlDown()` is true; meta, when `metaDown()` is true; target (if it was a `Component`); and arg (the value depends on the target and ID). `toString()` does not display all pieces of the `Event` information. An event when moving a `Scrollbar` might result in the following:

    java.awt.Event[id=602,x=374,y=110,target=java.awt.Scrollbar[374,
    110,15x50,val=1,vis=true,min=0,max=255,vert],arg=1]

### Working With Mouse Buttons in Java 1.0

As stated earlier, the `modifiers` component of `Event` can be used to differentiate the different mouse buttons. If the user has a multibutton mouse, the `modifiers` field is set automatically to indicate which button was pressed. If the user does not own a multibutton mouse, he or she can press the mouse button in combination with the Alt or Meta keys to simulate a three-button mouse. Example 4.2 is a sample program called `mouseEvent` that displays the mouse button selected.

#### Example 4.2: Differentiating Mouse Buttons in Java 1.0

    import java.awt.*;
    import java.applet.*;
    public class mouseEvent extends Applet {
        String theString = "Press a Mouse Key";
        public synchronized void setString (String s) {
            theString = s;
        }
        public synchronized String getString () {
            return theString;
        }
        public synchronized void paint (Graphics g) {
            g.drawString (theString, 20, 20);
        }
        public boolean mouseDown (Event e, int x, int y) {
            if (e.modifiers == Event.META_MASK) {
                setString ("Right Button Pressed");
            } else if (e.modifiers == Event.ALT_MASK) {
                setString ("Middle Button Pressed");
            } else {
                setString ("Left Button Pressed");
            }
            repaint ();
            return true;
        }
        public boolean mouseUp (Event e, int x, int y) {
            setString ("Press a Mouse Key");
            repaint ();
            return true;
        }
    }

Unfortunately, this technique does not always work. With certain components on some platforms, the peer captures the mouse event and does not pass it along; for example, on Windows, the display-edit menu of a `TextField` appears when you select the right mouse button. Be cautious about relying on multiple mouse buttons; better yet, if you want to ensure absolute portability, stick to a single button.

### Comprehensive Event List

Unfortunately, there are many platform-specific differences in the way event handling works. It's not clear whether these differences are bugs or whether vendors think they are somehow improving their product by introducing portability problems. We hope that as Java matures, different platforms will gradually come into synch. Until that happens, you might want your programs to assume the lowest common denominator. If you are willing to take the risk, you can program for a specific browser or platform, but should be aware of the possibility of changes.

Appendix C, Platform-Specific Event Handling, includes a table that shows which components pass along which events by default in the most popular environments. This table was developed using an interactive program called `compList`, which generates a list of supported events for each component. You can find `compList` on this book's Web site, http://www.ora.com/catalog/javawt. If you want to check the behavior of some new platform, or a newer version of one of the platforms in Appendix C, Platform-Specific Event Handling, feel free to use `compList`. It does require a little bit of work on your part. You have to click, toggle, type, and mouse over every object. Hopefully, as Java matures, this program will become unnecessary.

Java 1.0 Event Model |  | The Java 1.1 Event Model