DropTargetListener (Java Platform SE 8 )
Keywords: java.awt.dnd.DropTargetListener interface
Date: 2026-04-24

java.awt.dnd

## Interface DropTargetListener

- All Superinterfaces:
    EventListener
  All Known Implementing Classes:
    DropTarget, DropTargetAdapter

      public interface DropTargetListener
      extends EventListener

  The `DropTargetListener` interface is the callback interface used by the `DropTarget` class to provide notification of DnD operations that involve the subject `DropTarget`. Methods of this interface may be implemented to provide "drag under" visual feedback to the user throughout the Drag and Drop operation.

  Create a listener object by implementing the interface and then register it with a `DropTarget`. When the drag enters, moves over, or exits the operable part of the drop site for that `DropTarget`, when the drop action changes, and when the drop occurs, the relevant method in the listener object is invoked, and the `DropTargetEvent` is passed to it.

  The operable part of the drop site for the `DropTarget` is the part of the associated `Component`'s geometry that is not obscured by an overlapping top-level window or by another `Component` higher in the Z-order that has an associated active `DropTarget`.

  During the drag, the data associated with the current drag operation can be retrieved by calling `getTransferable()` on `DropTargetDragEvent` instances passed to the listener's methods.

  Note that `getTransferable()` on the `DropTargetDragEvent` instance should only be called within the respective listener's method and all the necessary data should be retrieved from the returned `Transferable` before that method returns.

  Since:
    1.2

- - ### Method Summary

    All Methods Instance Methods Abstract Methods
    Modifier and Type | Method and Description
    --- | ---
    `void` | `dragEnter(DropTargetDragEvent dtde)` Called while a drag operation is ongoing, when the mouse pointer enters the operable part of the drop site for the `DropTarget` registered with this listener.
    `void` | `dragExit(DropTargetEvent dte)` Called while a drag operation is ongoing, when the mouse pointer has exited the operable part of the drop site for the `DropTarget` registered with this listener.
    `void` | `dragOver(DropTargetDragEvent dtde)` Called when a drag operation is ongoing, while the mouse pointer is still over the operable part of the drop site for the `DropTarget` registered with this listener.
    `void` | `drop(DropTargetDropEvent dtde)` Called when the drag operation has terminated with a drop on the operable part of the drop site for the `DropTarget` registered with this listener.
    `void` | `dropActionChanged(DropTargetDragEvent dtde)` Called if the user has modified the current drop gesture.

- - ### Method Detail

    - #### dragEnter

          void dragEnter(DropTargetDragEvent dtde)

      Called while a drag operation is ongoing, when the mouse pointer enters the operable part of the drop site for the `DropTarget` registered with this listener.
      Parameters:
        `dtde` - the `DropTargetDragEvent`

    - #### dragOver

          void dragOver(DropTargetDragEvent dtde)

      Called when a drag operation is ongoing, while the mouse pointer is still over the operable part of the drop site for the `DropTarget` registered with this listener.
      Parameters:
        `dtde` - the `DropTargetDragEvent`

    - #### dropActionChanged

          void dropActionChanged(DropTargetDragEvent dtde)

      Called if the user has modified the current drop gesture.

      Parameters:
        `dtde` - the `DropTargetDragEvent`

    - #### dragExit

          void dragExit(DropTargetEvent dte)

      Called while a drag operation is ongoing, when the mouse pointer has exited the operable part of the drop site for the `DropTarget` registered with this listener.
      Parameters:
        `dte` - the `DropTargetEvent`

    - #### drop

          void drop(DropTargetDropEvent dtde)

      Called when the drag operation has terminated with a drop on the operable part of the drop site for the `DropTarget` registered with this listener.

      This method is responsible for undertaking the transfer of the data associated with the gesture. The `DropTargetDropEvent` provides a means to obtain a `Transferable` object that represents the data object(s) to be transfered.

      From this method, the `DropTargetListener` shall accept or reject the drop via the acceptDrop(int dropAction) or rejectDrop() methods of the `DropTargetDropEvent` parameter.

      Subsequent to acceptDrop(), but not before, `DropTargetDropEvent`'s getTransferable() method may be invoked, and data transfer may be performed via the returned `Transferable`'s getTransferData() method.

      At the completion of a drop, an implementation of this method is required to signal the success/failure of the drop by passing an appropriate `boolean` to the `DropTargetDropEvent`'s dropComplete(boolean success) method.

      Note: The data transfer should be completed before the call to the `DropTargetDropEvent`'s dropComplete(boolean success) method. After that, a call to the getTransferData() method of the `Transferable` returned by `DropTargetDropEvent.getTransferable()` is guaranteed to succeed only if the data transfer is local; that is, only if `DropTargetDropEvent.isLocalTransfer()` returns `true`. Otherwise, the behavior of the call is implementation-dependent.

      Parameters:
        `dtde` - the `DropTargetDropEvent`

Submit a bug or feature
For further API reference and developer documentation, see Java SE Documentation. That documentation contains more detailed, developer-targeted descriptions, with conceptual overviews, definitions of terms, workarounds, and working code examples.
Copyright © 1993, 2026, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Use is subject to license terms. Also see the documentation redistribution policy.