Java Swing Question

L5

Hi,

Im messing around with a swing application, and i want the help menu, when my "contents" button is pressed, to launch internet explorer on a page which ill of written up a help document. Is this even possible?
At the minute i have it bringing up a simple message box eg.

contentsMenu.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae) {
JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(desktop, "Content ... (enter text here, in the SimpleGUI.java, line 240");


Thanks

Draupnir

Im not sure about opening up an Internet explorer window, but you cud create a very basic web browser yourself in Java and then open the help file in that. It might just make your program look a bit more integrated as well. Im not sure of the classes necessary off hand although Im sure the browser window is a derivative of a JTextBox or some such.

Draupnir

Ok it was bugging me so I had to google. Its a JEditorPane that can render HTML docs. Heres a simple example:

http://www.cafeaulait.org/slides/sd2000east/webclient/24.html

OfflerCrocGod

The way to do it is to start the process iexplore with the argument the location of your webpage i.e.:D go to run and type in -> iexplore google.com that will open up IE on google.

Draupnir

but he wants to do it from his java program no? maybe im just dim

OfflerCrocGod

I dont know? - he asked for IE I told him how to get it it's up to him if he goes for IE by the way here is the code for LinkFollower(I believe). I haven't actually got this to work.

import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.event.*;


public class LinkFollower implements HyperlinkListener {

private JEditorPane pane;

public LinkFollower(JEditorPane pane) {
this.pane = pane;
}

public void hyperlinkUpdate(HyperlinkEvent evt) {

if (evt.getEventType() == HyperlinkEvent.EventType.ACTIVATED) {
try {
pane.setPage(evt.getURL());
}
catch (Exception e) {
}
}

}

}

L5

Thanks for the help. Yeah i want to run it from my java program. Ill give these suggestions a shot and see how they work.

GillyS

Check out the following - I've used it for a while and it works fine:

BrowserLauncher

Gilly

Silent Bob

Java is also perfectly capable of forking and execing processes in a similar manner to the *nix system calls.

Go look at Runtime.exec(...)

Couple of caveats though:

• Java forks the process and reserves the exact same amount of memory for the forked process as the forking process was using. Net result: you can have a simple ls process take up 64MB of RAM.
• Forking a process specific to one operating system makes your program completely non-portable.

OfflerCrocGod

Ye what Silent Bob is on about is what I suggested - by the way I've just fully woken up now and realised why the code wasn't working - I'm behind a firewall/proxy:rolleyes:, sorry about that .

L5

GillyS, that browserlauncher worked. It was really easy to get working with it. Thanks!