the following code is used to get the contents of an excel document and pint it to console - will eventually filter and write a new excel file, but that will come later.

/**
 * 
 */
import java.io.*;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.List;


import javax.swing.*;

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;

import org.apache.poi.hssf.usermodel.HSSFCell;
//import org.apache.poi.hssf.usermodel.HSSFCellStyle;
//import org.apache.poi.hssf.usermodel.HSSFDataFormat;
import org.apache.poi.hssf.usermodel.HSSFRow;
import org.apache.poi.hssf.usermodel.HSSFSheet;
import org.apache.poi.hssf.usermodel.HSSFWorkbook;
//import org.apache.poi.hssf.util.HSSFColor;
import org.apache.poi.poifs.filesystem.*;
import org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.Cell;
import org.apache.poi.ss.usermodel.Row;
/**
 * @author bjchampl
 *
 */



class BpsExportGUI extends JFrame implements ActionListener{
	JTextField fileIN; //Text Field Bull
	//JLabel fInHelp;//Labels time
	JFileChooser BpsFile = new JFileChooser(); 	//File Chooser
	JCheckBox Check;
	JButton expButton; 	//reference button object
	JButton opnButton;
	JButton reset;
	JButton all;
	
	//Panels
	
	List<JCheckBox> checkList = new ArrayList<JCheckBox>();
	
	JPanel inOut = new JPanel();
	JPanel ChckBx= new JPanel();
	
  BpsExportGUI(String title, String[] chkNms){ // Constructor 
	//Name Window  
	super(title);
	//construct TextField	//Set what to do
	fileIN = new JTextField(15);
	fileIN.addActionListener(this);
	fileIN.setEditable(false);
	//Label constructor
//	fInHelp =  new JLabel("OPen- Choose File to export");
	
	// construct all JButton & Actions
	expButton = new JButton("Export");
	expButton.setActionCommand("export");
	opnButton = new JButton("Open");
	opnButton.setActionCommand("Open");
	reset = new JButton("Reset");
	reset.setActionCommand("reset");
	all = new JButton("Check All");
	all.setActionCommand("all");
	
	// set the layout manager
	setLayout( new FlowLayout()); 
	inOut.add(fileIN);
	inOut.add(opnButton);
	inOut.add(expButton);
	ChckBx.setLayout(new GridLayout());
//	ChckBx.add(Check);
	
//	ChckBx.setLayout(new GridLayout());
//	ChckBx.add(Check);
	
/**
* Order for adding in the parts of the GUI will matter
**/
	//add Label to text field
	//add(fInHelp);
	//Add Text Field
	add(fileIN);
	//add buttons and check boxes
	add(opnButton);
	add(expButton);
	
	
	add(all);
	//CheckBox Creator
	for(String name : chkNms) {
		
		
		Check = new JCheckBox(name);
	    
		Check.setMnemonic(KeyEvent.VK_C);
		Check.setSelected(false);
	    Check.setActionCommand(name);
		add(Check);
	    checkList.add(Check);
	    
	    Check.addActionListener(this);
	}

	add(reset);


	//register listener to buttons
	expButton.addActionListener(this);
	opnButton.addActionListener(this);
	//Set what happens on hitting x(close) button- top right
    setDefaultCloseOperation( JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE );   
  }
  
 
  // listener method for the ActionListener interface
  public void actionPerformed( ActionEvent evt)
  {
	  ArrayList<String> filter = new ArrayList<String>();
	  
	  for(int x=0; x< checkList.size();x++){
	  }
	  
	  if(evt.getActionCommand().equals("reset")){
	  }
	 // if(evt.getActionCommand().equals("all")){
	//	}
	  if(evt.getActionCommand().equals("export")){
			 String file2Read;
			 file2Read = fileIN.getText();
			 //for(int i = 0; i < checkList.size(); i++){
			//	 JCheckBox cb = checkList.get(i);
			//	 if(cb.isSelected()){
			//		 filter.add(cb.getText());
			//	 }
			// }
		  	new BPSepcExporter().BPSReader(file2Read);
	  }
	 //If to check if Open button was hit
	  if(evt.getActionCommand().equals("Open")){
		 //If to make sure something useful was done
		int fIn = BpsFile.showOpenDialog(null);
		BpsFile.setFileSelectionMode(1);
		if(fIn == JFileChooser.APPROVE_OPTION){
			File file = BpsFile.getSelectedFile();
			fileIN.setText(file.getPath());
		}
	  }
  }

}

public class BPSepcExporter {
		//Main is the call for all other nested functions
	public static void main(String[] args) {
		int width = 750;
		int heigth = 375;
		
		//Array of the check names that will be passed into the gui for creation
		String chkNms[] = {"COMMITMENTTYPE", "PONUMBER", "HEADERSTATUS", "VENDORNUMBER", "LINENUMBER",
						"LINESTATUS", "REVISION", "JOB", "CURRENCYCODE", "POAwardDate", "RELEASENUMBER",
						"RELEASELINENUMBER", "PODESCRIPTION", "PERCENTQTY", "SUBRESOURCE", "EACQTY", 
						"EACAMT	COSTCODE", "QTYORDERED", "RATEDATE", "UOM", "UNITPRICE", "DESCRIPTION", 
						"NATURALCLASS", "LINESTATUSDATE", "LINETYPE"};
		
		String title = "BPS to EPC Works Exporter"; 
						
		BpsExportGUI frame = new BpsExportGUI(title, chkNms);
	    frame.setSize( width, heigth );
		frame.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
	    frame.setVisible( true );
    
	    
		//String[] checker = {"PONUMBER"};			
	}
	public void BPSReader(String fileName){
		//Input control variable- take from GUI options
		List<List<HSSFCell>> cellDataList = new ArrayList<List<HSSFCell>>();  
		try {  
			//Create a new instance for FileInputStream class  
  			FileInputStream fileInputStream = new FileInputStream(fileName);  
 			// Create a new instance for POIFSFileSystem class  
  
  			POIFSFileSystem fsFileSystem = new POIFSFileSystem(fileInputStream);  
  
  			//Create a new instance for HSSFWorkBook Class  
  
  			HSSFWorkbook workBook = new HSSFWorkbook(fsFileSystem);  
  			HSSFSheet hssfSheet = workBook.getSheetAt(0);  
   
		 //Iterate the rows and cells of the spreadsheet to get all the datas.  
  			Iterator<Row> rowIterator = hssfSheet.rowIterator();  
  				while (rowIterator.hasNext()){  
  					HSSFRow hssfRow = (HSSFRow) rowIterator.next();  
  					Iterator<Cell> iterator = hssfRow.cellIterator();  
  					List<HSSFCell> cellTempList = new ArrayList<HSSFCell>();  
  						while (iterator.hasNext()){  
  							HSSFCell hssfCell = (HSSFCell) iterator.next();  
  							cellTempList.add(hssfCell);
  						}  
  				cellDataList.add(cellTempList);
  				}
  		}  
		catch (Exception e){  
		e.printStackTrace();  
		}
	 printToConsole(cellDataList);
	}

	private void printToConsole(List<List<HSSFCell>> cellDataList){
		
		int row = 0;
		int col = 0;
			
		//String[] checker = {"PONUMBER"};
				
		for (int x = 0; x < cellDataList.size(); x++){  
			List cellTempList = (List) cellDataList.get(x);
			row = cellDataList.size();
			col = cellTempList.size();
			String[][] listCollector = new String[row][col];
			for (int y = 0; y < cellTempList.size(); y++){
				HSSFCell hssfCell = (HSSFCell) cellTempList.get(y);  
				listCollector[x][y] = hssfCell.toString();
				//if(listCollector[y][0].equals(filter)){
				 System.out.print(listCollector[x][y] + "\t");									
				//}
			}
			System.out.println();
		}
		for(;;){
			
		}
	}  
	//Takes reader variable and will write an excel sheet
	public static void exportFile(String fileName){
		String exportFileName= fileName;
		
		try {
			FileOutputStream fileOut = new FileOutputStream(exportFileName);
			HSSFWorkbook workbook = new HSSFWorkbook();
			//HSSFSheet workSheet = workbook.createSheet("Sheet1");

			// index from 0,0... cell A1 is cell(0,0)
			
			workbook.write(fileOut);
			fileOut.flush();
			fileOut.close();
		} catch (FileNotFoundException e) {
			e.printStackTrace();
		} catch (IOException e) {
			e.printStackTrace();
		}
	}	
		
	
}

The problem is that once you load a file in and export it... the program freezes with the export button... frozen in a recessed position. No Run time errors present. Oh yes, the gui is very ugly at present, but I figure get the code working first, then work on how the gui looks. ALso the check all and reset buttons do not work.

Your code has third party packages in it that not everyone has making it impossible to compile and test your code.
Can you make a simpler version of the program using java SE classes that demonstrates your problem.

Your problem sounds like you are using the GUI's thread to do your processing.
You should start a new thread in the action listener to do your processing and let the GUI's thread exit your code.

Norm,

I"m new to java, and my brother who has been programming in the language for some time told me where and how I should start, so I don't really know how to make a simpler version for those with out the 3rd party packages.

Not sure what you mean in the second section. My Export button only passes the file name and path into the reader. the Reader and any thing there after does the processing.

I made a change in the export button to get the selected check boxes to add to a filter array, as soon as the export button started getting "stuck" I commented the code out, but it didn't solve the problem.

//}
			}
			System.out.println();
		}
		for(;;){
 
		}
	}

Found the problem.... for(; ; ){} created an infinate loop that didn't end....

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