Search WebTools   Article Level   BEGINNER    INTERMEDIATE    ADVANCED   WebTools members, log in.   Toolboxes   Browsers   HTML, XML, & CSS   Graphics & Design   Multimedia   DHTML & JavaScript   Java   Servers & E-Commerce   Scripting   Demo   All Articles   Tips & Tricks   About WebTools  Byte.com  CMPmetrics  Data Communications  File Mine  InformationWeek  InternetWeek  Network Computing  Planet IT  TechShopper  TechWeb News  Tele.com  WebTools  Winmag.com   Free E-mail  Login - Sign Up Now   Privacy Statement

Article Level   ADVANCED

In This Article: • How About A Dash Of Windows In Your Java? • WFC in Action Print this story Send as e-mail Take a look at the latest Visual J++ 6.0 environment And what Windows Foundation Classes can offer Java developers. By William Gee, WebTools (04/28/98) Microsoft Visual J++ 6.0 makes it easier for a Java developer to become an expert Windows programmer (and Web page author). The enhancements found in the technology preview of Visual J++ 6.0 go far beyond a simple version update -- developers now have the option of creating native Windows programs using Java with Microsoft's Windows Foundation Classes for Java. VJ++ 6.0 can also use WFC to manipulate the Internet Explorer 4.0 object model and create reusable ActiveX controls for environments such as Visual Basic and Office 97. Does writing platform-specific code violate Sun Microsystems' vision for the Java platform? It certainly does. Will developers find a reason to use Visual J++ 6.0 and WFC? There should be several. An updated development environment, intelligent editing tools, and the temptation to create Windows-specific programs require a closer look at Microsoft's latest Java offering. Background WFC consist of more than 100 prebuilt classes and components written in Java targeted at accessing Windows via Microsoft's J/Direct (technology for exposing Windows resources to Java) interface. Many WFC features offer a Windows-specific alternative to Sun's Java Abstraction Windowing Toolkit and Java Development Kit. The JDK provides the foundation for writing all Java applets and applications. The AWT is a collection of GUI components used with Java. Tools developers including NuMega Technologies, Intel, Metrowerks, Rational Software, and Sybase have pledged to support WFC in future product releases. While Java purists may choose to ignore WFC altogether, chances are it'll be hard to. Looking Inside The WFC package can be better understood as a collection of function-specific classes (Figure 1 below). The burning question Java developers need to ask is whether having direct access to operating system services will have a positive or negative impact on the development process. Rather than reinventing the wheel, developers can take advantage of these classes to add prepackaged functionality to their applications. The complete list of WFC classes found within the Visual J++ 6.0 preview are: wfc.app.*, wfc.ax.*, wfc.core.*, wfc.data.*, wfc.html.*, wfc.io.*, wfc.ole32.*, wfc.ui.*, wfc.util.*, wfc.win32.* Figure 1 The wfc.data class handles database access. Both HTML and Dynamic HTML (DHTML) can be generated from Java with the wfc.html class. File input/output is addressed with the wfc.io class. User-interface elements can be found in the wfc.ui class. The list boxes, buttons, tabbed panels, and other Windows-specific GUI elements are available within Visual J++ 6.0. According to Microsoft, developing with WFC promises to deliver more flexibility and faster native-Windows applications written with the Java language. [WFC in Action>>>] Page 1 of 2

Related Stories • Developing Web Apps With Ease WebTools Home | Browsers | HTML, XML, & CSS | Graphics & Design | Multimedia | DHTML & JavaScript | Java | Servers & E-Commerce | Scripting | Demo | All Articles | Threads | WebTools News | Tips and Tricks

C M P n e t   S H O P P I N G MacTuner V2.1 for Mac $22.95 Tune in to over 1800 live TV and radio broadcasts and get the most out of your RealAudio and RealVideo players. BBEdit V5.1 for Mac $98.99 !! save 17% !! A fast, easy, Mac-based HTML authoring tool used by most professional Web Designers. McAfee VirusScan V4.0 for Win95 $7.99 !! after rebate !! Protect your PC from all virus types, and receive updates directly on your desktop the moment they're released.