Create a custom event in Java

You probably want to look into the observer pattern.

Here's some sample code to get yourself started:

import java.util.*;

// An interface to be implemented by everyone interested in "Hello" events
interface HelloListener {
    void someoneSaidHello();
}

// Someone who says "Hello"
class Initiater {
    private List<HelloListener> listeners = new ArrayList<HelloListener>();

    public void addListener(HelloListener toAdd) {
        listeners.add(toAdd);
    }

    public void sayHello() {
        System.out.println("Hello!!");

        // Notify everybody that may be interested.
        for (HelloListener hl : listeners)
            hl.someoneSaidHello();
    }
}

// Someone interested in "Hello" events
class Responder implements HelloListener {
    @Override
    public void someoneSaidHello() {
        System.out.println("Hello there...");
    }
}

class Test {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Initiater initiater = new Initiater();
        Responder responder = new Responder();

        initiater.addListener(responder);

        initiater.sayHello();  // Prints "Hello!!!" and "Hello there..."
    }
}

Related article: Java: Creating a custom event


What you want is an implementation of the observer pattern. You can do it yourself completely, or use java classes like java.util.Observer and java.util.Observable


The following is not exactly the same but similar, I was searching for a snippet to add a call to the interface method, but found this question, so I decided to add this snippet for those who were searching for it like me and found this question:

 public class MyClass
 {
        //... class code goes here

        public interface DataLoadFinishedListener {
            public void onDataLoadFinishedListener(int data_type);
        }

        private DataLoadFinishedListener m_lDataLoadFinished;

        public void setDataLoadFinishedListener(DataLoadFinishedListener dlf){
            this.m_lDataLoadFinished = dlf;
        }



        private void someOtherMethodOfMyClass()
        {
            m_lDataLoadFinished.onDataLoadFinishedListener(1);
        }    
    }

Usage is as follows:

myClassObj.setDataLoadFinishedListener(new MyClass.DataLoadFinishedListener() {
            @Override
            public void onDataLoadFinishedListener(int data_type) {
                }
            });

There are 3 different ways you may wish to set this up:

  1. Thrower inside of Catcher
  2. Catcher inside of Thrower
  3. Thrower and Catcher inside of another class in this example Test

THE WORKING GITHUB EXAMPLE I AM CITING Defaults to Option 3, to try the others simply uncomment the "Optional" code block of the class you want to be main, and set that class as the ${Main-Class} variable in the build.xml file:

4 Things needed on throwing side code:

import java.util.*;//import of java.util.event

//Declaration of the event's interface type, OR import of the interface,
//OR declared somewhere else in the package
interface ThrowListener {
    public void Catch();
}
/*_____________________________________________________________*/class Thrower {
//list of catchers & corresponding function to add/remove them in the list
    List<ThrowListener> listeners = new ArrayList<ThrowListener>();
    public void addThrowListener(ThrowListener toAdd){ listeners.add(toAdd); }
    //Set of functions that Throw Events.
        public void Throw(){ for (ThrowListener hl : listeners) hl.Catch();
            System.out.println("Something thrown");
        }
////Optional: 2 things to send events to a class that is a member of the current class
. . . go to github link to see this code . . .
}

2 Things needed in a class file to receive events from a class

/*_______________________________________________________________*/class Catcher
implements ThrowListener {//implement added to class
//Set of @Override functions that Catch Events
    @Override public void Catch() {
        System.out.println("I caught something!!");
    }
////Optional: 2 things to receive events from a class that is a member of the current class
. . . go to github link to see this code . . .
}