Web Enabling Your HP 3000

Minisoft’s Javelin Designer
Javelin Designer is a Java servlet and a collection of Java components that enable running lega-
cy applications from a web browser. The Java components provide a framework for translating
between the user interface of the legacy application and a user interface presented through a
web browser. The Designer allows existing legacy applications to run through the web browser
“as is”, or the components can be used to form new user interfaces. Manipulation of the compo-
nents to form new user interfaces can be accomplished with any visual Java development tool
that supports Java Beans, such as Jbuilder and Visual Café.
Javelin Designer’s servlet communicates with a legacy application via normal 700/92 terminal
emulation. As far as the application is concerned, it is talking to a terminal. Because of this
fact most legacy application can run through the Javelin Designer with no modifications. Based
upon various criteria, most likely the contents of the screen, a Javelin Designer page is used to
generate a HTML page, which will be presented to the user’s web browser by the web server.
The page is actually a Java class, which contains the Javelin Designer components needed for
the user interface. Some common components are text boxes, list boxes, check boxes, radio
buttons, tables, and push buttons. In addition, there are components to load background HTML,
link to databases via JDBC, and link to custom objects.
A Javelin Designer page can be built in many ways. First there a default pages to implement
common screens, such a block mode screens. There is an import facility that will build a page
for any screen. In most cases, a page can be modified just by changing the properties of the
components contained in it. This can be done using any visual Java development tool. A
Javelin Designer page could also be built by coding in Java. This gives a developer great flexi-
bility when implementing the user interface.
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Javelin
Designer
Servlet
HP e3000
Legacy
Application
Browser
Javelin
Designer
Pages
HTML
Web Server
A typical scenario for
implementing a legacy
application on a web
browser would involve
the following steps.
b) Add background HTML ( logos, pictures, etc... )
c) Change field types ( radio buttons for Y/N responses )
d) Add new user interface components ( a list box with data from a dataset )
e) Create a trigger to determine when the page will be used
3. Package all the pages in JAR file and install on the web server.
The legacy application, with a whole new look and some new functionality, can now be run
from a web browser. For more information visit our web site at www.minisoft.com.
1. Run the application and import its
screens into pages.
2. Modify the pages using a visual Java
development tool.
a) Change field appearance and order