setBackground

[pungentSapling]

Java NEWBIE
I can't get setBackground to work.
I will include the code.

The program is a simple GUI that is supposed to change the background color to the color you select in the choice control.

this is an awt exercise.

my concernis with the

pMain.setBackground(Color."a color name") parts I can not get the codde to compile the color name throws an error... cannot resolve symbol symbol: Variable red for example

[java code]
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
public class ColorChanger implements ActionListener,ItemListener {


private Frame f;
private Panel pMain;

private Choice cColor;

private MenuBar mb;
private Menu m;
private MenuItem miClose, miClear;

public ColorChanger(){



Frame f= new Frame("Color Changer with ItemListener");
Panel pMain = new Panel();

mb= new MenuBar();
m = new Menu("File");
miClose = new MenuItem("Close");
miClear = new MenuItem("Clear");
miClose.addActionListener(this);
miClear.addActionListener(this);
m.add(miClose);
m.add(miClear);
mb.add(m);


cColor= new Choice();
cColor.addItemListener(this);
cColor.add("Choose a Color");
cColor.add("Green");
cColor.add("Red");
cColor.add("Blue");
cColor.add("Yellow");
cColor.add("Orange");

//pMain.setMenuBar(mb);
pMain.add(cColor);
f.addWindowListener(new WindowCloser());
f.setMenuBar(mb);
f.add(pMain);
f.setSize(300,300);
f.setVisible(true);
//f.setBackground(Color.red);

}
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
System.out.println("actionPerformed called");
if (e.getSource() == miClose) { //if menu item close is selected then exit
System.exit(0);
}
if (e.getSource() == miClear) {
ColorChanger a = new ColorChanger(); //resets all settings by recalling the class
}
}

public void itemStateChanged(ItemEvent e) {
String vCol;
Color Orange;

vCol = cColor.getSelectedItem();
System.out.println(vCol);
System.out.println("itemStateChanged called");

if (vCol=="Red") {
System.out.println("Success Red");
pMain.setBackground(Color.red);

}
if (vCol=="Blue"){
System.out.println("Sucess Blue");
//f.setBackground(Color.Blue);
}
if (vCol=="Yellow"){
System.out.println("Success Yellow");
//f.setBackground(Color.Yellow);
}
if (vCol=="Green"){
System.out.println("Success Green");
//f.setBackground(Color.Green);
}
if (vCol =="Orange"){
System.out.println("Success Orange");
//f.setBackground(Color.Orange);
}

}

public static void main (String [] args) {
ColorChanger a= new ColorChanger();




}

class WindowCloser extends WindowAdapter{
public void windowClosing(WindowEvent we){
System.exit(0);
}
}



}
[/java code]
any help would be appreciated.

[marnitzg]

Your pMain variable is not defined in the procedure you're calling it in. Its a local variable for ColorChanger