Special Edition Using Jscript
Chapter 18
Development Tools for JScript and Live Content
In Chapter 11, "More About Java," you learned about some of the tools you can use to develop Java applets. And in Chapter 13, "More About ActiveX," you learned about the ActiveX SDK. This chapter expands on those tools by introducing you to the tools you need in order to develop great Web pages with HTML, ActiveX, JScript, and Java.
Some of these tools are absolutely free; others are shareware programs that you can try free for a while. You pay for them only if you decide to keep and use them. Other tools described in this chapter are commercial products that you can get through commercial channels such as your corner computer superstore.
JavaScript Examples
The Internet is loaded with JavaScript (Microsoft calls it JScript) examples. In many cases, you can use those examples without worrying too much about copyright infringement. If in doubt at all, however, check with the original authors before you use their script in your Web page. If nothing else, you can rely on the scripts that you find on the Internet for inspiration when writing your own scripts. The following are some suggestions for finding scripts you can use:
- Open http://www.yahoo.com/Computers_and_Internet/Programming_Languages/JavaScript/Applets in your Web browser. This is a list of JavaScript applets. Most of them have scripts from which you can learn and, in some cases, scripts you can reuse in your own Web page.
- Open your favorite Web search tool. Use the keyword javascript with either demo, example, or sample. You'll see a list of JavaScript examples from all over the Internet.
- Microsoft's JScript site contains a number of JScript examples, including a mortgage calculator, Webzee (a Yahtzee knockoff), and Hangman. Open http://www.microsoft.com/JScript/us/JSsamp/JSsamp.htm in your Web browser to try them out. I doubt Microsoft minds if you borrow some of their code.
- Gamelan is an awesome Web site that contains hundreds upon hundreds of examples. As of this writing, it contains 372 JavaScript examples. Open http://www.gamelan.com in your Web browser, and click the JavaScript link (in the middle of the Web page). You'll see several categories of JavaScript examples. In particular, click the Example link.
Microsoft Technologies
Most of the truly useful ActiveX and JScript development tools are from Microsoft. This section describes some of those tools, including the following:
ActiveX Control Pad
Microsoft FrontPage
Microsoft Visual J++
Microsoft Visual Source Safe
Microsoft Visual C++
ActiveX Control Pad
The ActiveX Control Pad is a must-have utility if you're using ActiveX controls and JScript. It's an authoring tool that lets you automatically add ActiveX controls to your Web page-no hand-coding OBJECT tags, no hand-coding PARAM tags, just point and click, that's all. Take a look at Figure 18.1.
Figure 18.1 : The ActiveX Control Pad makes creating ActiveX Web pages much, much easier.
The ActiveX Control Pad also helps you easily create JScript language scripts. In the Script Wizard, you associate an object's events with an object's properties and methods. Figure 18.2 shows you an example of associating a button's Click event with the Window object's alert method.
You'll learn everything you want to know about the ActiveX Control Pad in Chapter 19, "The ActiveX Control Pad." You'll learn how to download a free copy. You'll also learn how to use it to insert controls into your Web pages, create scripts using the Script Wizard, and use the HTML Layout control to create two-dimensional regions in your Web page.
Microsoft FrontPage
Microsoft FrontPage is the ultimate HTML editor. The best part is that you don't have to know one lick of HTML in order to use it for creating great Web sites. It's much more than just a pretty HTML editor, though; it's a tool you can use to manage your entire Web site. FrontPage contains the following two components:
- FrontPage Explorer lets you create Web sites from scratch and even gives you wizards and templates to take you from no site at all to a site with a solid basis in only a few minutes. FrontPage Explorer gives you a structural view of your site, too.
- FrontPage Editor allows you to create individual pages or edit those pages you've created earlier in a what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) editing environment. Figure 18.3 shows you what the FrontPage Editor looks like.
You can purchase Microsoft FrontPage at any computer retailer. You can get more information about FrontPage at Microsoft's Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/frontpage.
| Note |
A good alternative to Microsoft FrontPage is Adobe PageMill. It's a similar product that makes creating Web pages easy for those who are not programmers. For example, it works just like a word processor, so you'll be immediately familiar with many of its features. You create links by dragging an icon representing an URL and dropping it on an anchor. You even use a WYSIWYG editor to create tables. You can find more information about Adobe PageMill at http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/pagemill/main.html. |
Microsoft Visual J++
Microsoft has thrown its hat into the Java ring with Visual J++. This is Microsoft's first-rate development environment for Java Developers. Visual J++ is a comprehensive development tool you can use to build software components for the Internet. Following are some of the highlights of Microsoft J++:
- Compiles over 10,000 lines of code per second.
- Includes an incredible debugger that you can use to disassemble bytecode, set breakpoints in your code, step through your code, watch variables, and more.
- Work with classes, methods, and variables using a class viewer (ClassView).
- Build event-driven Java applets using Visual J++ Wizards, which automatically generate basic code for you.
- Use the Visual J++ resource editor to create menus, forms, toolbars, and images.
You can purchase Visual J++ at most computer stores. You can also learn more about Microsoft Visual J++ at their Web site. Open http://www.microsoft.com/visualj in your Web browser.
Microsoft Visual SourceSafe
If you've built a Web site of any magnitude, you probably have dozens or hundreds of HTML files. Not to mention hundreds of graphics files. What's worse, you probably have more than one person working on those files, too. You need something to help you manage all those files. Keep all the different versions straight and manage conflicts between the different developers, artists, and the like. Take a look at Figure 18.4.
Figure 18.4 : Visual SourceSafe's user interface looks very similar to Windows Explorer.
Visual SourceSafe is precisely the right tool. It's a project-oriented
version control system that manages your source files and the
activities of the developers who work on them. When you want to
work on a file, you check it out. This locks the file so that
no one else can change it. Then, when you're finished with the
file, you check it back in-unlocking the file. Visual SourceSafe
keeps track of all the different versions so that you can keep
a history of what's changed in the file. You can even roll back
to a different version of the file if you make a mistake.
| Note |
Visual SourceSafe makes sharing files between multiple Web sites easy. You have one copy of a file that you share between multiple sites. Then, when you make a change to the file, that change is automatically reflected in all of the sites that share the file. |
You can get more information about Visual SourceSafe from Microsoft's Web site. Open http://www.microsoft.com/ssafe in your Web browser.
Microsoft Visual C++
Currently, the only tool you can use to develop ActiveX controls is Microsoft's Visual C++, shown in Figure 18.5. You also need the ActiveX SDK, which you learned about in Chapter 13, "More About ActiveX."
There are two ways to build ActiveX controls using Visual C++:
- You can build ActiveX controls using the Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC). This isn't a good idea, however, because the MFC code is just too big to download over slow phone lines.
- You can build ActiveX controls using the ActiveX Template Library. This requires a reasonably complete understanding of the Component Object Model (COM), however. These controls download much faster, though, because they don't carry the baggage of MFC.
You've learned about some of the shareware HTML editors on the Internet. This section describes some of the shareware Java tools you can download and try out.
CafeBabe
URL: http://members.aol.com/opensolinc/opensolution.html
CafeBabe is a freeware Java tool that you can use to view the revision, super class name, and methods in a class file.
ED
This is an evaluation copy of ED, which is an integrated development environment for Java.
Jamba
URL: http://www.aimtech.com/prodjahome.html
This is an evaluation copy of Jamba, which is a Java tool you can use to create Java applets without knowing much about Java programming.
Java JDKDeveloper's Kit
URL: http://java.sun.com/JDK-1.0/index.html
The Java Developer's Kit, from Sun Microsystems, is the standard for Java. It's freeware, too. You can use it with most of the shareware Java environments you see in this chapter or find it on the Internet.
Java IDE for Windows 95
URL: http://www.opennet.com/NetXS/index11.html
Java IDE for Windows 95 is a freeware integrated development environment for creating Java applets.
JavaPad
URL: http://www.csn.net/express
JavaPad is an editor you can use with Sun's Java Development Kit (http://java.sun.com/JDK). You can edit, compile, debug, and run Java applets within JavaPad. Tracking down errors is easy with JavaPad, too.
Shareware HTML Editors
The Web is just crawling with shareware HTML editors. Some of
them are high-class, commercial-quality products. Others are kind
of junky, but they have features that make them worthwhile anyway.
This section describes some of the most popular HTML editors.
| Note |
I've listed only the most notable HTML editors in this section. You'll find a comprehensive list of editors at Tucows, however. Open http://www.tucows.com in your Web browser for more information. |
1-4-All
URL: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/minibbjd
1-4-All is a shareware HTML editor that comes with a wizard for creating frames and a table editor. It also has some predefined JavaScripts.
Almost Reality
URL: http://www.lm.com/~pdixon/index.html
Almost Reality is a freeware HTML editor for Windows 95.
DerekWare HTML Author
URL: http://shell.masterpiece.com:80/derek
DerekWare is a freeware HTML editor that supports all of the Internet Explorer HTML extensions. It has wizards for images, marquees, links, and forms. You can also add your own tags.
Dummy
URL: http://www.sausage.com/dumy.htm
Dummy is a shareware utility published by Sausage Software (see HotDog Professional) that works more like a wizard. It provides step-by-step help for creating your home page from a predetermined style.
FlexED for Windows 95
URL: http://www.infoflex.com.au/flexed.htm
FlexED for Windows 95 is a highly rated shareware HTML editor. You can edit the HTML directly, using dialog boxes to set the attributes for each tag. It also provides a lot of wizards to format your Web page for you automatically, based upon how you answer the questions. You can use this HTML editor even if you don't know one lick of HTML.
HotDog Professional
HotDog Professional is one of the single best shareware HTML editors available on the Internet. It has an easy-to-use user interface, and provides wizards to simplify your job. It also has features that Microsoft hasn't yet started to dream about, such as a built-in animation editor. It contains JavaScript language scripts that you can use to add special effects to your Web page.
HomeSite
URL: http://www.dexnet.com/homesite.htm
HomeSite is a basic shareware HTML editor that does HTML 3.0. It has some nice features in it, such as multifile search and replace and a Windows Explorer-like view of your HTML files.
HTML Edit
URL: http://www.iac.net/~afi/htmledit/htmledit.html
HTML Edit is an easy-to-use freeware HTML editor. It's a good choice for beginners.
HTML Express
URL: http://www.pe.net/~coolkev/htmlexpress.html
HTML Express is a shareware wizard-type program that creates HTML pages in a snap. If you don't want to mess with a bunch of HTML tags, you should give this one a try.
HTMLPad
URL: http://www.intermania.com/~imania
HTMLPad is a simple shareware HTML editor. It looks a lot like Notepad, but is geared toward editing HTML files.
INP
URL: http://inp.harbinger.net/products/index.htm
INP is a great tool to create a corporate Web page quickly. You answer a questionnaire, which is industry-specific, and INP generates an eight-page Web site as a result. It comes with a bunch of predefined graphics you can use on your Web site, including backgrounds and icons.
WebThing
URL: http://www.arachnoid.com/lutusp/webthing.htm
WebThing is a highly regarded HTML utility. It covers text and tables, and outlines into HTML instantly.
