How to update JComboBox content from ArrayList?

Question

I have JComboBox based on ArrayList:

private ArrayList<String> klienci = new ArrayList<String>();
private JComboBox klienciLista;

and I add it in constructor:

klienciLista = new JComboBox(klienci.toArray());
klienciLista.setPrototypeDisplayValue("#############################");
panel.add(klienciLista); //JPanel panel

At the start List is empty. Client gets via socket new ArrayList in thread:

public void run() {
  try {
   host = InetAddress.getLocalHost().getHostName();
   socket = new Socket(host, SERVER_PORT);
   input = new ObjectInputStream(socket.getInputStream());
   output = new ObjectOutputStream(socket.getOutputStream());
   output.writeObject(nazwa);
  } catch (IOException e) {
   System.out.println(e);
   JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,
     "Polaczenie sieciowe dla klienta nie moze byc utworzone");
   setVisible(false);
   dispose(); // zwolnienie zasobów graficznych
      // okno graficzne nie zostanie utworzone
   return;
  }
  try {
   while (true) {
    container = new Object[2];
    container = (Object[]) input.readObject();
    String m = (String) container[0];
    setKlienci((ArrayList<String>) container[1]);
    klienciLista = new JComboBox(klienci.toArray());
    String pom = textArea.getText();
    textArea.setText(pom + ">>> " + m + "\n");
    klienciLista.revalidate();
    panel.revalidate();
    panel.repaint();

    if (m.equals("exit")) {
     input.close();
     output.close();
     socket.close();
     setVisible(false);
     dispose();
     break;
    }
   }
  } catch (Exception e) {
   System.out.println(e);
   JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null,
     "Polaczenie sieciowe dla klienta zostalo przerwane");
   setVisible(false);
   dispose();
  }
 }

What I want to do is that my JComboBox klienciLista fill with new ArrayList of available clients, but that does not happen. After connecting, the server sends arrayList and client updates it but doesn't update ComboBox. Why is this?

Answer 1

It's because you keep creating a new JComboBox in your loop, instead of updating the existing one.

Instead of

while(true){
...
klienciLista = new JComboBox(klienci.toArray());
...
}

do:

while(true){
    ...
    klienciLista.removeAllItems();
    for(String s:klienci){
        klienciLista.addItem(s);
    }
    ...
}

or, preferably, use a model:

    klienciLista.setModel(new DefaultComboBoxModel(klienci.toArray()));