JTextField swallows the return key, which makes it difficult for the user to access the default button on a dialog box when the focus is on the JTextField component.

The Java Look and Feel Design Guidelines do not specify any binding for JTextField for Return/Enter.

JTextArea has a similar problem. An editable JTextArea needs to bind the return key, but this does not make sense when the JTextArea is non-editable (but focusable).

There may be other text components with similar problems.

Components that needlessly swallow the return key negatively affect keyboard accessibility of swing applications.

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Here is a test case for the bug.

-- TextTest.java

import java.util.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.text.*;


public class TextTest {
    static JTextComponent ed;
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        JFrame f = new JFrame("test");
        f.setVisible(true);
        JDialog frame = new JDialog(f,"TextTest");
        JButton button = new JButton("west");
        frame.getContentPane().add(button,BorderLayout.WEST);
        button = new JButton("button");
        frame.getContentPane().add(button,BorderLayout.SOUTH);
        button.addActionListener(
                                 new ActionListener() {
                                     public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae) {
                                         System.out.println("button pressed "+ae);
                                         ed.setEditable(!ed.isEditable());
                                     }
                                 });
        frame.getRootPane().setDefaultButton(button);
        JTextComponent editor = new JTextArea("JTextArea");
        ed = editor;
        //editor.setEditable(false);
        //editor.disable();
        frame.getContentPane().add(editor,BorderLayout.NORTH);
        editor = new JTextArea("JTextArea");
        editor.setEditable(false);
        //editor.disable();
        frame.getContentPane().add(editor,BorderLayout.CENTER);
        frame.pack();
        frame.setVisible(true);
    }
}

---
Select TextField or TextArea by mouse.
Press enter.
Button 'button' should be pressed and "button pressed" should be printed to sistem out.

###@###.### 2002-04-18