jtextarea resize java swing

Question

I am working on Java Swing now , but as you can see in the picture below , I cannot resize(increase width) my textarea box . It only resizes if I change the width of outer jframe or if I maximise the window. Please help.

JFrame jframe = new JFrame("Java Tryout");
    jframe.setSize(500, 400);
    jframe.setLayout(new GridLayout());
    jframe.addWindowListener(new WindowAdapter() {
        public void windowClosing(WindowEvent windowEvent) {
            System.exit(0);
        }
    });
    JLabel headerLabel = new JLabel( "", JLabel.LEFT );
    JLabel statusLabel = new JLabel( "", JLabel.LEFT );

    statusLabel.setSize(350, 100);

    JPanel controlPanel = new JPanel();
    controlPanel.setLayout(new FlowLayout());

    jframe.add(headerLabel);
    jframe.add(controlPanel);
    jframe.add(statusLabel);
    jframe.setVisible(true);

This is my code. Am I doing anything wrong?

Answer 1

Use some other layout, one that respects component sizes. Than you can use setMaximumSize, setMinimumSize, setPerferredSize and setSize. I suggest you use something like BoxLayout or GridBagLayout. A useful link: A visual guild to layouts