GridLayout experimentLayout = new GridLayout(0,2);//create grid any amount of rows and 2 coloumns

...

compsToExperiment.setLayout(experimentLayout);//add gridlayout to Component/JPanel

compsToExperiment.add(new JButton("Button 1"));
compsToExperiment.add(new JButton("Button 2"));
compsToExperiment.add(new JButton("Button 3"));
compsToExperiment.add(new JButton("Long-Named Button 4"));
compsToExperiment.add(new JButton("5"));

JButton button;
pane.setLayout(new GridBagLayout());
GridBagConstraints c = new GridBagConstraints();
if (shouldFill) {
                //natural height, maximum width
                c.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
}




button = new JButton("Button 1");
if (shouldWeightX) {
                   c.weightx = 0.5;
}
c.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
c.gridx = 0;
c.gridy = 0;
pane.add(button, c);




button = new JButton("Button 2");
c.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
c.weightx = 0.5;
c.gridx = 1;
c.gridy = 0;
pane.add(button, c);




button = new JButton("Button 3");
c.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
c.weightx = 0.5;
c.gridx = 2;
c.gridy = 0;
pane.add(button, c);




button = new JButton("Long-Named Button 4");
c.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
c.ipady = 40;      //make this component tall
c.weightx = 0.0;
c.gridwidth = 3;
c.gridx = 0;
c.gridy = 1;
pane.add(button, c);




button = new JButton("5");
c.fill = GridBagConstraints.HORIZONTAL;
c.ipady = 0;       //reset to default
c.weighty = 1.0;   //request any extra vertical space
c.anchor = GridBagConstraints.PAGE_END; //bottom of space
c.insets = new Insets(10,0,0,0);  //top padding
c.gridx = 1;       //aligned with button 2
c.gridwidth = 2;   //2 columns wide
c.gridy = 2;       //third row
pane.add(button, c);