JDK 1.5.0.3.  First, here's an SSCCE that works fine
(I know the SSCCE is supposed to demonstrate the problem.
I can't make an SSCCE that does so):

import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import javax.swing.*;

public class Test extends JFrame {
 private JTextArea textArea;
 private JButton goButton;

 public Test() {
   super("Test");

   Container container = getContentPane();

   textArea = new JTextArea();
   container.add(textArea, BorderLayout.CENTER);

   goButton = new JButton("Go");
   goButton.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
     public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
       doSomething();
     }
   });
   container.add(goButton, BorderLayout.NORTH);

   setDefaultCloseOperation(EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
   setSize(400, 400);
   setVisible(true);
 }

 private void doSomething() {
   setCursor(Cursor.getPredefinedCursor(Cursor.WAIT_CURSOR));

   textArea.setText("This is start text");

   SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
     public void run() {
       try {
         Thread.sleep(10000);
       } catch (InterruptedException x) { }

       textArea.setText("This is end text");

       setCursor(Cursor.getPredefinedCursor(Cursor.DEFAULT_CURSOR));

       JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(Test.this,
            "Done", "Done", JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
     }
   });
 }

 public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
   new Test();
 }
}

This SSCCE sets some text in a text area, changes the cursor to
a wait cursor, goes off and does something (in real life, a db
query, here, just sleep), updates the text area, sets the cursor
back to a default cursor, and pops up a message dialog.  Like I
said, this works fine.

Now here's my actual method, analogous to doSomething in the SSCCE:

private void invokeSearch() {
 final String dbName = (String) comboBox.getSelectedItem();
 final String sessionId = sessionIdField.getText();

 setCursor(Cursor.getPredefinedCursor(Cursor.WAIT_CURSOR));

 SearchCriteria s = getSearchCriteria(dbName, sessionId);
 final String sql = s.generateSQL();

 sqlArea.setText(sql);

 SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
   public void run() {
     cleanUpResults(dbName, sessionId);
     int rowCount = executeSQL(dbName, sql);
     tableModel.refresh(dbName, sessionId);

     setCursor(Cursor.getPredefinedCursor(Cursor.DEFAULT_CURSOR));

     JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(SearchTest.this,
         "Search found " + rowCount + " row" +
         (rowCount == 1 ? "." : "s."),
         "Search complete",
         JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
   }
 });
}

This method does essentially the same thing, but in this case, after
I set the text in the text area, and while the invokeLater is off
doing its thing, I get an I-bar instead of the wait cursor.  It
doesn't matter if I set it back to a wait cursor after the setText,
it still goes back to an I-bar.

If I comment out the setText it stays a wait cursor.  Is there any
reason for the cursor to stay a wait cursor in my SSCCE, but not with
my actual method?

Thanks for any advice.

Larry Coon
University of California