Differences Between JRadioButton and JCheckBox in Java

Both JRadioButton and JCheckBox components can extend the JToggleButton class in Java, the main difference is that JRadioButton is a group of buttons in which only one button can be selected at a time, whereas JCheckBox is a group of checkboxes in which multiple items can be selected at a time.

JRadioButton

A JRadioButton is a component that represents an item with a state selected or unselected. Usually, a group of radio buttons is created to provide options to the user, but only one option can be selected at a time. JRadioButton will generate an ActionListener, ChangeListener, and ItemListener interfaces. 

Instantiating JRadioButton:

JRadioButton Radio_Name = new JRadioButton();

The radio buttons are often used in a group to display multiple options, therefore, they are used with ButtonGroup class. The ButtonGroup has a property that only one button in a group is selected at a given time and it does not have the visual appearance.

Methods in JRadioButton

The important methods of JRadioButton are:

• setText()
• getText()
• setEnabled()
• setMnemonic()

Example of JRadioButton

Below is an example of three checkboxes using JCheckBox in Java:

import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class JRadioButtonTest extends JFrame {
   public JRadioButtonTest() {
      super("JRadioButton Test");
      JRadioButton jrb1 = new JRadioButton("Java");
      JRadioButton jrb2 = new JRadioButton("Python");
      JRadioButton jrb3 = new JRadioButton("Scala");
      ButtonGroup group = new ButtonGroup();
      group.add(jrb1);
      group.add(jrb2);
      group.add(jrb3);
      setLayout(new FlowLayout());
      add(jrb1);
      add(jrb2);
      add(jrb3);
      setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
      setSize(450,375);
      setLocationRelativeTo(null);
      setVisible(true);
   }
   public static void main(String[] args) {
      SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
         @Override
         public void run() {
            new JRadioButtonTest();
        }
      });
   }
}

Output

JCheckBox

A JCheckBox is a component that represents an item that shows a state of selected or unselected. We can change this state by clicking on the checkbox of the component.A JCheckBox can generate either ItemListener or ActionListener interfaces.

Instantiating JCheckBox: 

JCheckBox Checkbox_name = new JCheckBox();

A standard JCheckBox component contains a checkbox and a label that describes the purpose of the checkbox.

Methods in JCheckBox

The important methods of JCheckBox are:

• setLabel()
• getLabel()
• setState()
• getState()

Example of JCheckBox

Below is an example of three checkboxes using JCheckBox in Java:

import java.awt.*;
import javax.swing.*;
public class JCheckBoxTest extends JFrame {
   JCheckBoxTest() {
      super("JCheckBox Test");
      JLabel lblHobbies = new JLabel("Languages");
      JCheckBox chkSports = new JCheckBox("Java");
      JCheckBox chkMusic = new JCheckBox("Python ",true);
      JCheckBox chkReading = new JCheckBox("Scala");
      setLayout(new FlowLayout());
      add(lblHobbies);
      add(chkSports);
      add(chkMusic);
      add(chkReading);
      setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
      setSize(450,375);
      setLocationRelativeTo(null);
      setVisible(true);
   }
   public static void main(String[] args) {
      SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
         @Override
         public void run() {
            new JCheckBoxTest();
         }
      });
   }
}

Output

Difference Table

The following are the key differences between JRadioButton and JCheckBox in Java: