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REQUIREMENT

client.browser

XmlBlaster Logo


Type NEW
Priority LOW
Status CLOSED
Topic XmlBlaster provides a framework to callback browsers (push mode) using a never closing HTTP connection.
Des
cription

What is this?

When distributing dynamic, event driven content over the internet, you usually choose an applet. The applet connects to the server over CORBA (or any other protocol) and may receive instant notification from the server. But applets produce some well known problems like higher download time, firewalls which won't allow TCP/IP connections, applet-javascript communication problems with some Java-VM's etc. Note however that our requirement client.java.applet solves most of those problems.

This framework addresses these issues. It establishes a persistent http connection to allow instant callbacks of xmlBlaster messages to the browser.

The browser callback framework is based on Java Servlets and some Javascript code.

The Java Servlet BlasterHttpProxyServlet.java keeps a permanent HTTP connection to the browser and a CORBA connection to xmlBlaster.

Features

  • Complete object oriented xmlBlaster access in the browser with Javascript, see callback.js
  • The Javascript files callback.js and util.js provide the functionality on the browser side, xparse.js allows to parse the xml messages in the browser.
  • Very frequent message updates break the browsers, therefor the servlets automatically queues messages until the browser is ready again.
  • The callBackFrame queues messages until the frames processed them.
  • The callBackFrame is an own window, to avoid window resize problems of your application windows, and to avoid a 'waiting' cursor.
  • The http connection is pinged automatically with small but big enough dummy data, so that the connection does not close.
  • The browser responses on a ping with a 'pong', notifying the servlet that it is alive.
  • The browser Javascript code is traceable with the Log Javascript class in util.js

If you are logged in with your browser already and want in a later stage start the persistent connection, you can pass the login name and password using one of the following ways: 

1. Variant: Passing infos using the URL (index.html example see below):
   document.location.href = "index.html?ActionType=login" +
                              "&xmlBlaster.loginName=" + myLoginName +
                              "&xmlBlaster.passwd=" + myPassword +
                              "&xmlBlaster.invalidate=false");
   // xmlBlaster will read these variables and use them to login to xmlBlaster.

2. Variant: Passing infos in a servlet with the session object:
   // prevent BlasterHttpProxyServlet from creating a new session ID:
   session.putValue("xmlBlaster.invalidate", "false");
   session.putValue("xmlBlaster.loginName", myLoginName);
   session.putValue("xmlBlaster.passwd", myPassword);
   response.sendRedirect("/index.html");  // index.html example see below
   // xmlBlaster will read these variables and use them to login to xmlBlaster.

How does it work?

A callback frame in the browser refers to the BlasterHttpProxyServlet. Using the ActionType parameter set to login, the BrowserHttpProxyServlet holds the HTTP connection if login to the xmlBlaster succeeds.
This permanent HTTP connection is held by the HttpPushHandler, which pings each 40 sec the browser. This functionality ensures that the browser won't close the connection.

The ProxyConnection connects to xmlBlaster using CORBA or any other supported protocol.

The messages from the xmlBlaster are directly (ProxyConnection.update - HttpPushHandler.update) transferred to the browser, which has a Javascript based XML parser and notifies the interested browser frames about the callback.
You can provide as many own frames as you wish. This is the work which is left for you to design your web layout.

If you have too many messages in a short time frame, your browser won't process all of this message. For this you can use an additional ready frame. Connect this frame also with the BlasterHttpProxyServlet using ActionType=browserReady. Each reload of this frame indicates your permanent HTTP connection (HttpPushHandler) that your browser is ready to process more messages. HttpPushHandler will send you the whole queue each update.
The hidden callback frame is always necessary to handle the communication, in your parent frame you have to include callback.js, util.js and xparse.js.

For Servlet and Javascript examples have a look into the following directory of the xmlBlaster distribution: 

xmlBlaster/src/java/org/xmlBlaster/protocol/http
Example
Java

You can try the persistent http online demo first:

Online persistent HTTP demo

It will work with mozilla, netscape and a newer Opera. With IE i think there are problems which are not tracked down.

Example
Java 
      
Include this code into the index.html of your application, it
does a login and implements applications specific actions on
successful login:


   <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">
      /**
         * Opens a window which holds the persistent http connection.
         * Cut and paste this function 'as is' into your html file.
         */
      function openCallBack()
      {
         winOptions = "height=100,width=350,screenX=0,screenY=0,status=no," +
                        "scrollbars=no,toolbar=no," +
                        "directories=no,menubar=no,location=no,resizable=no";

         // The location.search should contain the login URL varables, e.g.
         // "?ActionType=login&loginName=karl&passwd=secret"
         xmlBlasterWindow = window.open("/persistentWindow/index.html"+location.search,
                                          "xmlBlasterFrame", winOptions);
      }
      openCallBack();


      /**
         * Callback from callbackFrame that the persistent http connection
         * is established.
         * Now we may load our application.
         * Cut and paste this method into your html file and implement some
         * actions ...
         */
      function loginSucceeded(persistentWindow)
      {
         alert("Login succeeded, loading application ...");

         // Now you can initialize your own servlets or do other actions,
         // like dynamic HTML coding ...

         // e.g. this servlet subscribes to messages from xmlBlaster
         // see xmlBlaster/demo/html/systemInfo/SystemInfo.java
         cpuinfoFrame.location.href = "/servlet/SystemInfo?ActionType=cpuinfo";
      }


      /**
         * When leaving this frameset, logout from xmlBlaster and destroy the
         * persistent window.
         */
      function cleanup()
      {
         if ((typeof top.xmlBlasterWindow) != "undefined" &&
               (typeof top.xmlBlasterWindow.location) != "undefined")
            top.xmlBlasterWindow.location.href =
                              "/servlet/BlasterHttpProxyServlet?ActionType=logout";
      }
   </script>

      ...

      <frameset onUnload="cleanup()" ...>
         ...




 To receive the message updates from xmlBlaster, any of your application frames
 can listen to them:


   <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">
      /**
         * Tell the callbackFrame that i am interested in message updates.
         * Cut and paste this function 'as is' into your interested html frame
         */
      function initialize()
      {
         // alert("Registering '" + self.name + "' for updates in initialize()");
         top.xmlBlasterWindow.addUpdateListener( self );
         top.xmlBlasterWindow.setReady( self, true );
      }

      /**
         * The callback from xmlBlaster messages arrives here.
         * The Javascript objects are defined in callback.js
         * Cut and paste this function 'as is' into your interested html frame
         *
         * @param messageQueue array with MessageWrapperDom objects (key, content, qos)
         *        key     = UpdateKey object from callback.js
         *        content = The content (a string with the message data)
         *        qos     = UpdateQos object from callback.js
         */
      function update( messageQueue )
      {
         // alert(self.name + " is receiving " + messageQueue.length + " updates");
         top.xmlBlasterWindow.setReady( self, false ); // Tell that i'm busy ...
         for( var i = 0; i < messageQueue.length; i++ ) {
            var msg =  messageQueue[i];

            var keyOid = msg.key.oid;
            var mimeType = msg.key.contentMime;
            var content = msg.content;
            var sender = msg.qos.sender;
            // ...

            // Do whatever you like with the new arrived message, eg. draw
            // into another frame, or do some DHTML
            // or call public methods of an embedded applet ...

         }
         top.xmlBlasterWindow.setReady( self, true ); // I'm ready for further updates
      }
   </script>
Example
Java

Quick start installation of the server

You can try it with tomcat locally (no apache is necessary, i had tomcat 3.2.4, 4.1.29 and 5.0.14 to test it, others should work as well):

1. Create a war file: 

  cd xmlBlaster

  build all      (assure xmlBlaster is compiled)

  build  -DTOMCAT_HOME=/opt/jakarta_tomcat   deploy_war

Set TOMCAT_HOME to point to your installation and the xmlBlaster.war and xmlBlaster.jar will be automatically deployed.

2. Start it 

  java org.xmlBlaster.Main -admin.remoteconsole.port 0 -cluster false

  java  http.dhtml.systemInfo.SystemInfoPublisher

 cd /opt/jakarta-tomcat/bin
 export TOMCAT_OPTS="-Xms18M -Xmx64M"
 startup.sh

3. Start your browser and use this URL:

http://YOURHOST:8080/xmlBlaster/dhtml/systemInfo/systemInfo.html? ActionType=login&xmlBlaster.loginName=joe&xmlBlaster.passwd=secret

Configure

All xmlBlaster parameters (client side) allow to configure the servlet behavior. Invoke 

      java HelloWorld3 -help

to get a full listing of available parameters.

To set the parameters for our servlets, add them to WEB-INF/web.xml, for example to configure the servlets to look for xmlBlaster on another host try: 

   <init-param>
      <param-name>hostname</param-name>
      <param-value>192.168.1.5</param-value>
      <description>IP where xmlBlaster is running (for CORBA protocol)</description>
   </init-param>

To switch on more logging edit WEB-INF/web.xml: 

   <init-param>
      <param-name>trace</param-name>
      <param-value>true</param-value>
      <description>sets the logging level to trace</description>
   </init-param>

NOTE: Configuration parameters are specified on command line (-someValue 17) or in the xmlBlaster.properties file (someValue=17). See requirement "util.property" for details.
Columns named Impl tells you if the feature is implemented.
Columns named Hot tells you if the configuration is changeable in hot operation.

Todo 
      The framework allows to directly subscribe from Javascript,
      these requests are routed over the doPost() method of BlasterHttpProxyServlet.
See API org.xmlBlaster.protocol.http.BlasterHttpProxyServlet
See API org.xmlBlaster.protocol.http.HttpPushHandler
See API html.systemInfo.SystemInfo
See REQ client.java.applet
See http://jakarta.apache.org/tomcat/
See http://www.xmlblaster.org/xmlBlaster/demo/http/index.html
See http://www.xmlBlaster.org/xmlBlaster/src/java/org/xmlBlaster/protocol/http/javascript/callback.js
See http://www.xmlBlaster.org:8080/xmlBlaster/index.html
Testcase Netscape 4.72, Mozilla M13, Mozilla 1.5, Opera 7.21 run fine.

This page is generated from the requirement XML file xmlBlaster/doc/requirements/client.browser.xml

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