This document goes over the process of accessing native libraries from Java applets working with both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer while keeping the code same. We wrote it because we couldn't find a unified description of the process anywhere on the Web.

The main objective of the document is to propose a single way of coding which will help invocation of JNI calls through an applet from the two main browsers in the market i.e. The Internet Explorer and the Netscape Navigator. Also in here, we will be trying to keep the approach such that as much as possible the old browsers can support the code.

It's written with as much detail as possible, but with the assumption that the reader basically knows his requirements and some basic knowledge of the issue. Please send any comments to us at s.bakshi@ebsolutech.com

Before you go any further, make sure you read the disclaimer.

Contents

• Overview
  1. The Java Sandbox
  2. Digital Certificates
  3. JNI
  4. Java plug-in
  5. Browser Versions
• Normal Applet Capabilities
  1. Applet Capabilities
  2. Security Restrictions
• The JNI Technology
  1. Introduction
  2. Design Overview
  3. The Process
• Issues in using JNI with Applets
  1. The JVM Security Restrictions
  2. Browser Incompatibilities
• The Java Security Model – Sandbox
  1. Evolution of the Java Sandbox
  2. The Class Loader Architecture
  3. The Java Security Manager
  4. The Java Policy file.
• The Java Plug-in
  1. Introduction to the Java Plug-in
  2. The Java Plug-in Security
• Digital Certificates
  1. How Certificates Work
  2. Creating and installing your own Digital certificates
• Tools to be used
  1. Keytool
  2. Jar tool
  3. JarSigner
• Signing the JAR Files
• Web-Page to Applet Communication
  1. Normal Scenario
  2. Problems with the Java Plug-in
• Applet To Web-Page Communication
  1. The MAYSCRIPT tag
  2. How Applet to Java-Script communication works in Java Plug-in
  3. JSObject support in Java Plug-in
• Solution – Invoking JNI calls from a Applet
• Solution – Managing Communication between Applets and Web Pages
• Disclaimer

Release history

Disclaimer

We believe this document to be fairly complete and correct. However, it may contain errors of various magnitudes. Although we are interested in hearing about any such errors, and will attempt to fix those brought to our attention, this information comes with no warranty, and we are not responsible for any harm you may come to by using it.

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