What is the purpose of "Container c = getContentPane ();" in swing?

Question

import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class 
import javax.swing.*;
import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.tree.*;
import javax.swing.event.*;
/*<applet code="JT.class" width=200 height=300>
</applet>*/

 

public class JT extends JApplet {
    JTree tree;
    JTextField box;
    Object nodeInfo;
    String node1;
    public void init() {
        Container c=getContentPane();
        c.setLayout(new BorderLayout());
        DefaultMutableTreeNode topNode=new DefaultMutableTreeNode("qiscet");
        DefaultMutableTreeNode cou=new DefaultMutableTreeNode("Courses");
        DefaultMutableTreeNode mca=new DefaultMutableTreeNode("MCA");
        DefaultMutableTreeNode mba=new DefaultMutableTreeNode("MBA");
        DefaultMutableTreeNode tech=new DefaultMutableTreeNode("B.tech");
        topNode.add(cou);
        cou.add(mca);   
        cou.add(mba);
        cou.add(tech);
        DefaultMutableTreeNode manage=new DefaultMutableTreeNode("Management");
        DefaultMutableTreeNode ac=new DefaultMutableTreeNode("Accounts");
        DefaultMutableTreeNode sp=new DefaultMutableTreeNode("Sports");
        DefaultMutableTreeNode lib=new DefaultMutableTreeNode("Library");
        topNode.add(manage);
        manage.add(ac); 
        manage.add(sp);
        manage.add(lib);
        tree=new JTree(topNode);
        c.add(tree,BorderLayout.NORTH);
        box=new JTextField("",80);
        c.add(box,BorderLayout.SOUTH);
    }
}

My question is not used "Container c = getContentPane ();" I get the correct result. How is this possible? What is the reason for this?

Answer 1

To get started with Swing, you use getContentPane () for things like add () and setLayout (), so that you understand that there are different levels. After some time, I assume that they recognized that it was a pain, so they got the getContentPane () internal function, so you no longer needed it.

This has been changed in JDK 1.5 :

Finally, after seven years, we made jFrame.add equivalent to jFrame.getContentPane (). add ()

.