Java API for WebShell

• Overview
• History
• Requirements
• Getting and Building the Code
  NEW: webclient win32 binary available
  
• Using the webclient
• Requirements Specification
• Requirements Analysis
• Status
• References

Overview

Pre mozilla.org history

This project was started by Kirk Baker <kbaker@eb.com> and Ian Wilkinson <iw@ennoble.com> and was originally called RaptorCanvas. In the first quarter of 1999, the AOL/Netscape/Sun deal closed and a group at Sun started the blackwood project, to better integrate Java and Mozilla. One of the subprojects in blackwood was to provide a Java API to the mozilla webshell, which Kirk and Ian had already done. Thus, Sun has joined forces with Kirk and Ian to produce webclient.

Requirements

• JDK1.1.7 or later (on Linux, you will need JDK1.2 or later)
• a built mozilla tree from later than 5 October 1999
• a built mozilla java util package

Getting and Building the Code

Getting the Code

1. You must first grab the latest mozilla and webclient code This can be found at http://www.mozilla.org/cvs.html, but instead of cvs checkout SeaMonkeyAll use cvs checkout SeaMonkeyBlackwood

Building the Code

1. Build the Mozilla tree using the instructions found at http://www.mozilla.org/build/

2. Follow the steps in the mozilla/java/README and mozilla/java/webclient/README files.

Webclient Binaries

• win32: built with 10/29/99 mozilla. Place the dll in the mozilla bin directory.
  webclient.dll
  Then examine the install target of webclient/src/Makefile.win to discern how to invoke the main class properly.

Using the webclient

There is an example browser in the java-webclient distribution that illustrates how to use the basic webclient features. This class is included by reference here [1] for your convenience. Note that the referenced document may be out of date with respect to the actual source tree.

You may also want to visit the web presentation, given at Codestock, about webclient. http://www.mozilla.org/projects/blackwood/webclient/codestock/index.htm

Basically, you create yourself a BrowserControlCanvas, which is a subclass of java.awt.Canvas, and add it into your display hierarchy.

	// Create the browser
	BrowserControlCanvas browser  = 
	               BrowserControlCanvasFactory.newBrowserControlCanvas();
	add(browser,      BorderLayout.CENTER);

	
      

Then you can control the embedded mozilla via the BrowserControl interface.

public void actionPerformed (ActionEvent evt) {
    String command = evt.getActionCommand();
    
    try {
	if (command.equals("Back")) {
	    if (browserControl.canBack()) {
		browserControl.back();
		int index = browserControl.getHistoryIndex();
		String newURL = browserControl.getURL(index);
		
		System.out.println(newURL);
		
		urlField.setText(newURL);
	    }
	}
	else if (command.equals("Forward")) {
	    if (browserControl.canForward()) {
		browserControl.forward();
		int index = browserControl.getHistoryIndex();
		String newURL = browserControl.getURL(index);
		
		System.out.println(newURL);
		
		urlField.setText(newURL);
	    }
	}
	else if (command.equals("Stop")) {
	    browserControl.stop();
	}
	else {
	    browserControl.loadURL(urlField.getText());
	}
    }
    catch (Exception e) {
	System.out.println(e.toString());
    }
} // actionPerformed()

	
      

Requirements Specification

The webclient requirements specification is available at http://www.mozilla.org/projects/blackwood/webclient/RequirementsSpec.html We welcome feedback on the requirements specification. Post all feedback to the newsgroup netscape.public.mozilla.java. Use the subject: webclient spec.

Requirements Analysis

For webclient, Requirements Analysis, will be the process of takeing the Requirements Spec, and seeing what can realistically be built with today's browser API technology. The webclient requirements analysis document is available at http://www.mozilla.org/projects/blackwood/webclient/RequirementsAnalysis.html

Current Status

7 January 2000

Trying to get webclient working on Win32 and Solaris at the same time.

Added a notes page, accessible here. I'll try to update this page as soon as I have news about webclient.

29 October 1999

Completed Requirements Analysis.

15 October 1999

Working on Requirements Analysis.

23 September 1999

Working on, and gathering feedback on Requirements Specification.

References

• 1. org.mozilla.webclient.test.EmbeddedMozilla
• 2. api docs