Arrays, Loops, and Layout Managers Using External Classes - Java Programming: Comprehensive Concepts and Techniques - page 339

The Choice component has several methods used to manipulate items in
Choice lists. Table 5-10 lists several of these methods and their purpose.

Table 5-10 Choice Component Methods

METHOD SAMPLE PURPOSE

add() myDropDown.add(“First Item”); Populates a drop-down list

Choice() Choice myDropDown = new Choice(); Serves as constructor method

getIndex() myDropDown.getIndex(); Returns the index number of the

selected item

getItemCount() myDropDown.getItemCount(); Returns the number of items in

this Choice menu

getSelectedItem() String answer = Returns String of

myDropDown.getSelectedItem(); user selection

insert() myDropDown.insert(“new item”, 3); Inserts new item into Choice list at

the specified position

remove() myDropDown.remove(“String to remove”): Removes the first occurrence of

myDropDown.remove(2); the String or removes the item at

the specified position in Choice list

select() myDropDown.select(“Highlight this one”); Sets the selected item in this

myDropDown.select(4); Choice list to be the specified

String or the item at the specified
position

Items added to the Choice component are indexed internally by Java,
beginning with zero and incremented by 1 for each new item. It sometimes is
useful to reference that index number, using the getIndex() method shown in
Table 5-10. Programmers also can access the String of characters displayed in an
item from the list using the getSelectedItem() method.
In the Reservations program, a Choice component will be constructed,
populated with a list of numbers, and then used in the program interface to
allow users to select the number of guests in the party.