The IUserInterface interface allows the user to extend the GUI of JForex client by adding his own customized tabs either to the main frame or/and the bottom frame by using getMainTab and getBottomTab methods, respectively. Just like the other tabs, they can be undocked and from then on used as separate windows. It is important to note that the IUserInterface interface only enables the access to user created Swing components (i.e. one can not access platform components through this interface). Besides the use of IUserInterface, the user also can create his own GUI components which use the strategy data, as it is done in New window with a tick counter. For more on GUI component creation refer to the Java Swing Tutorial.

Bottom tab with a tick counter

Consider a tab which displays tick count since the start of the strategy with a possibility to reset the tick counter:

package jforex.guitests;

import javax.swing.*;
import com.dukascopy.api.*;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;

/**
 * The strategy adds a new tab in JForex Client which contains a tick counter
 * that can be reset by pressing a button
 */
public class TickCountingTabSimple implements IStrategy {
    private IUserInterface userInterface;
    private JLabel labelTickCount;

    private int tickCount;
    private int resets;
    private final String tabName = "TickCounter";

    public void onStart(IContext context) throws JFException {
        this.userInterface = context.getUserInterface();

        //add a bottom tab and add to it a label and a reset button
        JPanel myTab = userInterface.getBottomTab(tabName);
        labelTickCount = new JLabel();
        final JButton btn = new JButton("Reset");

        myTab.add(labelTickCount);
        myTab.add(btn);

        //"Reset" click resets the tick counter and changes the label's color
        btn.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
            @Override
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
                tickCount = 0;
                labelTickCount.setForeground((resets % 2 == 0 ? Color.RED : Color.BLUE));
                btn.setText("Reset (" + ++resets +")");
            }
        }); 
    }

    public void onTick(Instrument instrument, ITick tick) throws JFException {
        if(labelTickCount != null)
            labelTickCount.setText("ticks since reset: " + tickCount++);     
    }

    public void onStop() throws JFException {
        userInterface.removeBottomTab(tabName);
    }

    public void onAccount(IAccount account) throws JFException {    }
    public void onMessage(IMessage message) throws JFException {    }    
    public void onBar(Instrument instrument, Period period, IBar askBar, IBar bidBar) throws JFException {    }
}

TickCountingTabSimple.java

New window with a tick counter

Consider the previous example Bottom tab with a tick with customized layout and an option to show the components in a new window.

package jforex.guitests;

import javax.swing.*;

import com.dukascopy.api.*;
import java.awt.Color;
import java.awt.Container;
import java.awt.Insets;
import java.awt.event.ActionEvent;
import java.awt.event.ActionListener;

/**
 * The strategy creates a customized GUI component in JForex client 
 * which contains a tick counter that can be reset by pressing a button. 
 * User can choose either to show the element either in a new bottom tab
 * or a new window. The component gets closed on strategy stop.
 */
public class TickCountingComponent implements IStrategy {
    private IUserInterface userInterface;
    private JTextField labelTickCount;

    @Configurable("Use tab")
    public boolean useTab = false;

    private int tickCount;
    private int resets;
    private final String tabName = "TickCounter";
    private Container container;

    public void onStart(IContext context) throws JFException {
        this.userInterface = context.getUserInterface();

        //build either a new tab or a new window
        container = useTab ? buildBottomTab() : buildWindow();

    }

    private void addComponentsToPane(Container pane) {

        pane.setLayout(null);

        labelTickCount = new JTextField();
        final JButton btn = new JButton("Reset");

        pane.add(labelTickCount);
        pane.add(btn);

        // "Reset" click resets the tick counter and changes the label's color
        btn.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
            @Override
            public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
                tickCount = 0;
                labelTickCount.setForeground((resets % 2 == 0 ? Color.RED : Color.BLUE));
                btn.setText("Reset (" + ++resets + ")");
            }
        });

        //customized size and placement of the label and the button
        Insets insets = pane.getInsets();
        btn.setBounds(25 + insets.left, 5 + insets.top, 100, 25);
        labelTickCount.setBounds(150 + insets.left, 15 + insets.top, 150, 25);

    }

    private JFrame buildWindow() {
        // Create and set up the window.
        JFrame frame = new JFrame(tabName + " window with absolute layout");

        addComponentsToPane(frame);

        // Size and display the window.
        Insets insets = frame.getInsets();
        frame.setSize(400 + insets.left + insets.right, 150 + insets.top + insets.bottom);
        frame.setVisible(true);
        return frame;
    }

    private JPanel buildBottomTab() {
        JPanel tab = userInterface.getBottomTab(tabName);

        addComponentsToPane(tab);
        return tab;
    }

    public void onTick(Instrument instrument, ITick tick) throws JFException {
        if (labelTickCount != null)
            labelTickCount.setText("ticks since reset: " + tickCount++);
    }

    public void onStop() throws JFException {
        //remove tab or dispose the window
        if (useTab){
            userInterface.removeBottomTab(tabName);
        } else {
            ((JFrame)container).dispose();
        }        
    }

    public void onAccount(IAccount account) throws JFException {
    }

    public void onMessage(IMessage message) throws JFException {
    }

    public void onBar(Instrument instrument, Period period, IBar askBar, IBar bidBar) throws JFException {
    }
}

TickCountingComponent.java

Bottom tab with a price alerter

A more evolved example of IUserInterface usage is Price Alerter.

Alerter.java

Order update table

See: Order update table