Module java.desktop
Package javax.swing

# Interface CellEditor

All Known Subinterfaces:
  `TableCellEditor`, `TreeCellEditor`

All Known Implementing Classes:
  `AbstractCellEditor`, `DefaultCellEditor`, `DefaultTreeCellEditor`

public interface CellEditor
This interface defines the methods any general editor should be able to implement.

Having this interface enables complex components (the client of the editor) such as `JTree` and `JTable` to allow any generic editor to edit values in a table cell, or tree cell, etc. Without this generic editor interface, `JTable` would have to know about specific editors, such as `JTextField`, `JCheckBox`, `JComboBox`, etc. In addition, without this interface, clients of editors such as `JTable` would not be able to work with any editors developed in the future by the user or a 3rd party ISV.

To use this interface, a developer creating a new editor can have the new component implement the interface. Or the developer can choose a wrapper based approach and provide a companion object which implements the `CellEditor` interface (See `DefaultCellEditor` for example). The wrapper approach is particularly useful if the user want to use a 3rd party ISV editor with `JTable`, but the ISV didn't implement the `CellEditor` interface. The user can simply create an object that contains an instance of the 3rd party editor object and "translate" the `CellEditor` API into the 3rd party editor's API.

Since:
  1.2
See Also:
  - `CellEditorListener`

## Method Summary

Modifier and Type
Method
Description
`void`
`addCellEditorListener(CellEditorListener l)`
Adds a listener to the list that's notified when the editor stops, or cancels editing.
`void`
`cancelCellEditing()`
Tells the editor to cancel editing and not accept any partially edited value.
`Object`
`getCellEditorValue()`
Returns the value contained in the editor.
`boolean`
`isCellEditable(EventObject anEvent)`
Asks the editor if it can start editing using `anEvent`.
`void`
`removeCellEditorListener(CellEditorListener l)`
Removes a listener from the list that's notified
`boolean`
`shouldSelectCell(EventObject anEvent)`
Returns true if the editing cell should be selected, false otherwise.
`boolean`
`stopCellEditing()`
Tells the editor to stop editing and accept any partially edited value as the value of the editor.

## Method Details

### getCellEditorValue

Object getCellEditorValue()
Returns the value contained in the editor.

Returns:
  the value contained in the editor

### isCellEditable

boolean isCellEditable(EventObject anEvent)
Asks the editor if it can start editing using `anEvent`. `anEvent` is in the invoking component coordinate system. The editor can not assume the Component returned by `getCellEditorComponent` is installed. This method is intended for the use of client to avoid the cost of setting up and installing the editor component if editing is not possible. If editing can be started this method returns true.

Parameters:
  `anEvent` - the event the editor should use to consider whether to begin editing or not
Returns:
  true if editing can be started
See Also:
  - `shouldSelectCell(java.util.EventObject)`

### shouldSelectCell

boolean shouldSelectCell(EventObject anEvent)
Returns true if the editing cell should be selected, false otherwise. Typically, the return value is true, because is most cases the editing cell should be selected. However, it is useful to return false to keep the selection from changing for some types of edits. eg. A table that contains a column of check boxes, the user might want to be able to change those checkboxes without altering the selection. (See Netscape Communicator for just such an example) Of course, it is up to the client of the editor to use the return value, but it doesn't need to if it doesn't want to.

Parameters:
  `anEvent` - the event the editor should use to start editing
Returns:
  true if the editor would like the editing cell to be selected; otherwise returns false
See Also:
  - `isCellEditable(java.util.EventObject)`

### stopCellEditing

boolean stopCellEditing()
Tells the editor to stop editing and accept any partially edited value as the value of the editor. The editor returns false if editing was not stopped; this is useful for editors that validate and can not accept invalid entries.

Returns:
  true if editing was stopped; false otherwise

### cancelCellEditing

void cancelCellEditing()
Tells the editor to cancel editing and not accept any partially edited value.

### addCellEditorListener

void addCellEditorListener(CellEditorListener l)
Adds a listener to the list that's notified when the editor stops, or cancels editing.

Parameters:
  `l` - the CellEditorListener

### removeCellEditorListener

void removeCellEditorListener(CellEditorListener l)
Removes a listener from the list that's notified

Parameters:
  `l` - the CellEditorListener