Java's AWT uses layout managers to control the position of controls. This is important because on different platforms, you don't know all the correct sizes you'd usually use to position items.
As an example, when you add a button to an applet, you might use code like this:
add(gobtn,"CENTER");
to put the button in the center.
Sometimes, this is not convienient. For example, what if you have an applet with only one button. The applet itself should look like a button. With the layout manager, it will try to leave some border space, and otherwise change the layout making it difficult to get the button to completely fill the applet. What you need is a way to turn off the layout manager.
Luckily, this is easy to do with setLayout. Just pass a null parameter and you are in business. So for example:
public void init() {
Rectangle sz=bounds();
// Don't use a layout manager
setLayout(null);
// make the next button, add it, and make it large
btn=new Button("Next");
add(btn);
btn.resize(sz.width,sz.height);
}
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