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Java for the Webmaster: All Gain No Pain

Getting the class files

You can tell if you need to unzip the files by looking at the source code for the demo Web page. If it refers to an "archive" file, then you may leave it compressed. If it does not, then you will have to manually unzip the file. We mention the use of archives, which are called jar or zip files, because the newest release of the JVM that is included with the 4+ Web browsers allows developers to store the class files in a compressed format such as JAR or ZIP. This makes the download much faster, and to the end-user, this is done transparently.

As a side note, an alternative to using the supplied class files would to download the Java source code and compile it yourself. You can do this using the Java compiler that is included with the Java Developers Kit from Sun Microsystems. This can be obtained directly from their Web site for free. The use of the Java Developer's Kit requires a greater explanation than can be covered here, but suffice it to say that if you know how to use it, compiling an applet will not be a problem.

If you don't have access to Sun's JDK compiler, you could always use the Java Boutique's online Java Compiler Service, which makes the compiled class files available as either a zipped file, or a standard class file.

Once you're finished downloading or compiling the class file or files, you must place it into the appropriate directory. Place the applet file or files into the path that is indicated in the CODEBASE portion of the APPLET tag, or the directory of your HTML document if no CODEBASE is specified. If the Applet requires image and/or sound files (generally .gif, .jpg, and .au files), place them in the appropriate directories as indicated on the applet demo page.

The next step is to make a note of the HTML source code for the applet. If the applet comes from the Java Boutique, the HTML source is included on the applet page. Simply copy the syntax into your HTML document. You can do this by cutting and pasting the applet's HTML code from the JB page to your own page. To do this you simply highlight the code by holding down your mouse button and dragging your mouse across the text you wish to select. Then you right click with your mouse, and select "copy." Click within the code of your Web page where you want the applet to appear (in the code, not on the page) then right click again and select "Paste." There's not much to it. (For additional information about cutting and pasting, check out this article).

NEXT

This article first appeared in October, 1998

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