Swing Timer in Netbeans GUI

Question

This is my first Swing application so I used NetBeans GUI Builder. There is a Start button to start simulation(two loops: the outer by days and the inner by hours). At each iteration the loop should pause. When you click on the Stop button simulation should stop. I tried to ways: 1)

private void StartActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {                                      
    Timer timer = new Timer(5000, new ActionListener() {

        @Override
        public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
            while(presentDay <= numberOfDays){
                jTextField2.setText(Integer.toString(presentDay));
                for(; presentTime <= 18; presentTime++){
                    jTextField6.setText(Integer.toString(presentTime));

                    StringBuilder res = new StringBuilder();

                    for(Event ev: schedule[presentDay-1].day){
                        if((presentTime <= ev.getTimeFinish()) && (presentTime >= ev.getTimeStart())){
                            res.append(ev);
                            ev.setStatus(1);
                        }
                    }
                    currentEvent.setText(res.toString());
                    // Pause should here
                }
                presentTime = 9;
                presentDay++;
            }
        }
    });
    timer.start();
}

2) Add Timer in main class constructor

public PlanningSystem() {
    initComponents();
    ...
    timer = new Timer(5000, new ActionListener() {

        @Override
        public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
            while(presentDay <= numberOfDays){
                jTextField2.setText(Integer.toString(presentDay));
                for(; presentTime <= 18; presentTime++){
                    jTextField6.setText(Integer.toString(presentTime));

                    StringBuilder res = new StringBuilder();

                    for(Event ev: schedule[presentDay-1].day){
                        if((presentTime <= ev.getTimeFinish()) && (presentTime >= ev.getTimeStart())){
                            res.append(ev);
                            ev.setStatus(1);
                        }
                    }
                    currentEvent.setText(res.toString());
                    // Pause here
                }
                presentTime = 9;
                presentDay++;
            }
        }
    });
}
private void StartActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {                                      

    timer.start();
}

But both ways did not work. I hope you help solve this problem. And sorry for my English :)

====================================================================== After editing :

private void StartActionPerformed(java.awt.event.ActionEvent evt) {                                      
if(presentDay <= numberOfDays){
    jTextField2.setText(Integer.toString(presentDay));
    Timer tim = new Timer (5000, new ActionListener() {
        @Override
        public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
        if(presentTime <= 18){
            jTextField6.setText(Integer.toString(presentTime));
            StringBuilder res = new StringBuilder();
            for(Event ev: schedule[presentDay-1].day){
                if((presentTime <= ev.getTimeFinish()) && (presentTime >= ev.getTimeStart())){
                    res.append(ev);
                    ev.setStatus(1);
                }
            }
            currentEvent.setText(res.toString());
            presentTime++;
        }
        }
    });            
    tim.start();
    presentTime = 9;
    presentDay++;
}
}

Answer 1

Your while loop is the problem. You are incrementing presentDay to numberOfDays the first time your timer is called. After that, nothing is ever going to change again.

I believe (though because of the partial code you posted, I can't be sure) that if you take out the while loop, it will work as you desire

Edit: (Better understanding of what you're doing)

Using two timers is wrong. Just use one timer, and update both your presentDay and presentTime there.

Timer tim = new Timer (5000, new ActionListener() {
        @Override
        public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
           presentTime++;
           if (presentTime == 24) {
             presentTime = 0;
             presentDay++;
           }
           //times how now been set
           //update your GUI here

        }
}