Sun Java as Default Plugin for Internet Explorer

[Former Member]

The xMII 'Getting Started' guide says 'The client browser does require that a Java Runtime Environment (JRE) plug-in to be installed in order to use the full set of user interface objects.' I'm assuming 'to be installed' means the JRE must be flagged (checked) as the default plugin for the browser in the Java Plug-In Console.

In our environment we have other web applications where the JRE plug-in must NOT be flagged as the default plugin for the browser (we use IE6) in order for them to work.

Is there any common Java ground where all these applications (xMII, et al) will operate without the user having to check and then uncheck a box in the Java Plug-In Console?

[Former Member]

Unfortunately the Microsoft VM is version 1.1 of JAVA. XMII requires 1.4 or higher. There is no direct workaround for this. Some things you could look into:

1) Create a custom active X control which will allow you to automatcially switch versions and setup your links to go throuhg it first

2) Install firefox or another browser and run XMII through it. (easiest option)

3) You might be able to create a VBapp with a embedded browser for running your old microsoft VM applications. (might be a relatively easy thing to try if you have any VB programmers)

4) don't use XMII applets, just use the XMII service layer. The WB should run as long as web start is installed, I don't think the plugin has to be enabled for that.

5) upgrade you internal app sooner than 2010.

Unfortunately the VMs do not coexist well.

Fran

[Former Member]

I found an acceptable work-around for this issue of not being able to specify Sun Java as the default JRE for browsers in our environment.

I replaced our APPLET tags with OBJECT tags in our HTML code. This allowed me to specify a Java version using a classid value, like so:

Original APPLET tag:

<applet name="SPCchart" code="iSPCChart" codebase="/XMII/Classes" archive="illum8.zip" mayscript>

<param name="QueryTemplate" value="Metrics_ING/ING_010Query">

<param name="DisplayTemplate" value="Metrics_ING/ING_010SPCChart">

</applet>

New OBJECT tag:

<object name="SPCChart" classid="clsid:CAFEEFAC-0016-0000-FFFF-ABCDEFFEDCBA" mayscript>

<PARAM name="code" value="iSPCChart">

<PARAM name="codebase" value="/XMII/Classes">

<PARAM name="archive" value="illum8.zip">

<param name="QueryTemplate" value="Metrics_ING/ING_010Query">

<param name="DisplayTemplate" value="Metrics_ING/ING_010SPCChart">

</object>

The specific classid specifies any Java version in the 1.6.0 family. (We're using 1.6.0_05)

We're not yet in production so we're not talking about having to update thousands of APPLET tags.

Does anyone see any problem to this approach - switching APPLET tags to OBJECT tags and specifying the appropriate Java CLASSID?

David

[Former Member]

Nice. Now only if we could find a way around that pesky, but compulsory "mayscript" attribute so that the applets/objects would pass the W3C HTML and XHTML compliance checks!

IMO, as long as your events fire and you can interact with the Applet methods - go for it. Of course, any odd issues, and this approach might be a red flag (perhaps false) for support - even though the applet tag was deprecated in HTML 4.01 (c.1999) and not supported in XHTML.

[jcgood25]

mayscript="true" doesn't work?

[Former Member]

No, sir.

"The tag contains an attribute that is proprietary to Netscape or Internet Explorer."

[Former Member]

David,

The simple answer is NO!

Without Java you would not be able to run any of the Query Templates, Display Template and Business Logic editors seeing as they are Java-based.

Not really sure what you mean by "common Java ground". Java is either enabled or disabled for a specific browser as you mentioned earlier. Currently there is nothing in place that would allow that enable/disable option to be checked according to a specific application.

- A.P.

[Former Member]

Thanks, Alin for the response.

I understand that Sun Java must be installed on the client PC for xMII to work. It's all the enabling and disabling needed if you work in an environment where Sun Java apps like xMII and Microsoft VM apps co-exist.

Today for example I worked in xMII, filed two expense reports and two change management requests which required me to launch the Java Plug-In Console and check and uncheck the 'Java Plug-in will be used as the default Java Runtime in the following browsers’ box six times. OK for me as a developer but users won't care for it, particularly if they make more money than I do (which is most of them )

There just has to be something I'm missing!

[jcgood25]

David,

Even though the runtime java applets are a big portion of the Visualization services provided by xMII, there are other ways to leverage the Data Services and Business Logic Services that don't require the runtime client to be java enabled (MS or Sun). The pdfs, server side image rendering, and SERVLET calls with xslt are very useful techniques that we would use for non-java enabled devices, but work the same way with a typical browser.

What are some of the highlights and use cases of your current xMII application development (from the visualization and front-end consideration)?

Best Regards,

Jeremy Good

[Former Member]

This issue has raised its ugly head again. We run Sun Java apps and Microsoft VM apps throughout our company. If we set the 'Sun JRE as the default Java for browsers' option, it breaks the other apps. If we leave it unchecked, MII doesn't work. We have very few apps that require the ''Sun JRE as the default" setting (MII and a couple of others) but we have a couple of apps that don't allow the ''Sun JRE as the default" setting - and they swing heavier bats than MII.

What are other MII users doing about this issue?

[jcgood25]

Time to transition?

http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/java/default.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/java/faq.mspx

Snippet from the FAQ

Q: How might the April 2004 settlement between Microsoft and Sun affect my business?

A: "...Customers are encouraged to identify and eliminate any dependencies on the MSJVM before support ends on December 31, 2007."

[Former Member]

Unfortunately one of the other Microsoft VM apps is a very old version of FileNet, a company-wide application. It won't get upgraded until 2010 at the earliest (and even then I doubt it.)

As I understand this 'Use SunJRE as the default JRE for browsers' option, it's only necessary for those applications that don't explicitly request the SunJRE upon launch. Why doesn't MII make the request?

David