🚀 go-pugleaf

After a six year hiatus, I'm back into Java and have been using JBuilder 
Foundation to relearn what I once knew and to learn some new things that 
weren't around back when.

I'm stuck on trying to alter the text of a "statusBar" JLabel component that 
was set up for me on the top-level frame when I started a new application. 
From looking at the generated source code, it appears that when the main() 
method of my application constructs itself, its creates an instance (which 
it names "frame") of my designated top-level extension to JFrame.   The 
constructor for that top-level JFrame extension lists among its components a 
JLabel named "statusBar".

I would like to alter the text of "stausBar" from within another component 
that I've added to "frame", the instance of the top-level JFrame extension.

I've tried several approaches to getting at "statusBar".  Simply using its 
name (i.e. "frame.statusBar") doesn't work  - presumably because "frame" is 
only a property of the generated application class (named, in this case, 
"hexGame").  The instance of hexGame, however, has not been given a name by 
JBuilder  - it is simply generated in the main() method by "new hexGame()" 
without any assignment - and so I can't prefix its name to 
"frame.statusBar".  I've tried using the "parentFrame" property of the 
component on the same "frame" from which I am trying to alter "statusBar". 
With the right castings, this compiles without a problem but causes an 
uncaught exception in the system's event queue.

Everything else in my application works like a charm  - as long as I don't 
try to access "statusBar".

I'm obviously missing something.  I'd appreciate what ever help anyone gan 
give.

Tom Giammo