Java - Start a loop and then carry on?

Question

I'm currently programming in Java. When the user presses the program's start button, I'd like a loop to start. But then I'd like the user to have the ability to stop the loop with a stop button:

public class Program {
    private boolean active;

    // MVC stuff...

    private class StartListener implements ActionListener {
        public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
            // Do stuff...

            active = true;
            hotelCalifornia();
        }
    }

    private class StopListener implements ActionListener {
        public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
            // Do stuff...

            active = false;
        }
    }

    public void hotelCalifornia() {
        while (this.active) {
            // The program never leaves!
        }
    }
}

But once the loop is started, the program only performs the actions of the loop. Is there a way around this? Is there a better way to accomplish my goal?

Thanks!

Answer 1

All the events in a Java Swing application is called in a single Event Thread.

You should create a Swing Timer to call whatever method you want whenever so frequent.