[Jython-users] Interacting with Jython applet from web page

[Carl W. <wa...@ve...>]

Is it possible to pass data back and forth between an applet written using 
Jython (compiled with jythonc) and JavaScript on the web-page.  I have been 
attempting to write a very simple spread-sheet like grid applet, and I want 
to be able to pull some data out of its cells with JavaScript for use on the 
web page.

I thought that maybe if I defined extra methods on the class I am deriving 
from JApplet, (e.g. setValueAt(value, x, y), getValueAt(x, y)), these would 
work, but when I try to access them from my JavaScript code, I get an error 
that those attributes don't exist.

I wrote a couple lines of JavaScript to actually show what properties do 
exist, and all the public properties/methods from the JApplet class seem to 
be there, as well as some of the extra methods created during the jythonc 
compile (e.g. _PyGetInstance() -- might have spelled this one wrong).

I can go to a jython interactive prompt, import my derived class, and do a 
dir() on it and see that my custom methods exist, so I am not quite sure what 
is going on.

I have tried this on my WinXP machine using both Firefox 1.0 and IE 6.  Both 
indicate that the attributes are not present.  Firefox also has some strange 
behavior-- I put some HTML buttons on the page to execute the JavaScript I 
wanted to test the applet with, and immediately after I press the (HTML) 
button, the applet "resets", and all the data I typed in vanishes.  This 
happens even if I comment out all the code in the JavaScript event handler.  
This behavior does not occur with IE, so I am not sure if this is just a 
browser bug (I am also not sure which browser would be displaying the buggy 
behavior-- for all I know, maybe I need some sort of code to make the applet 
repaint itself?).

I am using JDK 1.5, but I am passing a "-source 1.2" to the javac compiler to 
get jythonc to compile-- I am not sure if this is a source of problems, 
either.  The Java numbering/versioning schemes confuse me to no end.

I can post my sample code if anyone is interested.

Thanks,
Carl Waldbieser