Be aware that when the user modify the field, the DocumentListener can, sometime, receive two events. For instance if the user selects the whole field content, then press a key, you'll receive a removeUpdate (all the content is remove) and an insertUpdate.
In your case, I don't think it is a problem but, generally speaking, it is.
Unfortunately, it seems there's no way to track the content of the textField without subclassing JTextField.
Here is the code of a class that provide a "text" property :
package net.yapbam.gui.widget;
import javax.swing.JTextField;
import javax.swing.text.AttributeSet;
import javax.swing.text.BadLocationException;
import javax.swing.text.PlainDocument;
/** A JTextField with a property that maps its text.
* <br>I've found no way to track efficiently the modifications of the text of a JTextField ... so I developed this widget.
* <br>DocumentListeners are intended to do it, unfortunately, when a text is replace in a field, the listener receive two events:<ol>
* <li>One when the replaced text is removed.</li>
* <li>One when the replacing text is inserted</li>
* </ul>
* The first event is ... simply absolutely misleading, it corresponds to a value that the text never had.
* <br>Anoter problem with DocumentListener is that you can't modify the text into it (it throws IllegalStateException).
* <br><br>Another way was to use KeyListeners ... but some key events are throw a long time (probably the key auto-repeat interval)
* after the key was released. And others events (for example a click on an OK button) may occurs before the listener is informed of the change.
* <br><br>This widget guarantees that no "ghost" property change is thrown !
* @author Jean-Marc Astesana
* <BR>License : GPL v3
*/
public class CoolJTextField extends JTextField {
private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
public static final String TEXT_PROPERTY = "text";
public CoolJTextField() {
this(0);
}
public CoolJTextField(int nbColumns) {
super("", nbColumns);
this.setDocument(new MyDocument());
}
@SuppressWarnings("serial")
private class MyDocument extends PlainDocument {
private boolean ignoreEvents = false;
@Override
public void replace(int offset, int length, String text, AttributeSet attrs) throws BadLocationException {
String oldValue = CoolJTextField.this.getText();
this.ignoreEvents = true;
super.replace(offset, length, text, attrs);
this.ignoreEvents = false;
String newValue = CoolJTextField.this.getText();
if (!oldValue.equals(newValue)) CoolJTextField.this.firePropertyChange(TEXT_PROPERTY, oldValue, newValue);
}
@Override
public void remove(int offs, int len) throws BadLocationException {
String oldValue = CoolJTextField.this.getText();
super.remove(offs, len);
String newValue = CoolJTextField.this.getText();
if (!ignoreEvents && !oldValue.equals(newValue)) CoolJTextField.this.firePropertyChange(TEXT_PROPERTY, oldValue, newValue);
}
}