Lotus BeanMachine for Java, release 1.1

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I integrate Lotus Notes and BeanMachine?

For information on using BeanMachine with Notes Designer for Domino, see Using BeanMachine for Java with Notes Designer for Domino for a full explanation. For information on how to import applets into Notes or link to applets on the Internet, see Integrating Java applets into Notes.

Why can't I get the URL links to work when I test my applet?

You can't test URL links with the appletviewer as your test browser. BeanMachine defaults to appletviewer since it is shipped as part of the product. To test URL links you must change the Browser or viewer preference in BeanMachine to use a real browser such as Netscape Navigator. To change this setting select Options | Preferences on the BeanMachine menu and then click the Find... button next to Browser or viewer. Then find and select the browser .EXE program in the file dialog and press OK.

What are the new features in BeanMachine 1.1?

  • Full JDK 1.1 support including support for importing true JavaBeans
  • Multiple performance improvements
  • New Headline part
  • New Teletype part
  • Support for relative URLs as properties
  • Image part now supports animated GIFs
  • Publish now generates .jar (Java Archive) files (similar to .zip files) to simplify and speed the download process
  • Publish can optionally generate NetObjects Fusion components (NFX) to streamline the use of BeanMachine applets in Fusion
  • Usability enhancements in the wizards and parts
  • Nearly 1,000 ready-made image files to be freely used in your applets
  • BeanMachine 1.1 is available for Microsoft Windows 95 and Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
  • Multiple languages now supported: Spanish, German, French, Portugese, Italian, English, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese!
What is the JDK?

The Java Development Kit (JDK) that is released by Sun allows developers to create Java applications and applets. BeanMachine 1.1 creates applets using JDK 1.1.4 that conform to the Java 1.1 Core API. BeanMachine 1.0 creates JDK 1.0.2 applets. JDK 1.0.2 is the version of Java currently supported by most web browsers.

Which browsers support the JDK 1.1 applets that are built by the 1.1 release of BeanMachine?

As of October 1997, Netscape 4.03 with the JDK 1.1 Preview Release Patch and Internet Explorer 4.0 will support JDK 1.1 applets. Also the Lotus Notes 4.6 Personal Web Browser and Sun's HotJava Browser 1.0 support JDK 1.1.

Netscape's JDK 1.1 Preview Release Patch can be obtained from: http://developer.netscape.com/software/index.html

Earlier browsers, such as Netscape Navigator 4.0 or Internet Explorer 3.x will not run applets created with JDK 1.1.

How do I get Netscape 4.0x to run correctly as my test browser with BeanMachine?

To get Navigator to work as your browser in BeanMachine, you have to edit your \Netscape\Users\userid\prefs.js where userid is your id.

Add the following line to the end of your file:

user_pref("signed.applets.low_security_for_local_classes", true);

How do I get Internet Explorer 4.0 to run correctly as my test browser with BeanMachine?

IE 4.0 can be used as the test browser but there are some limitations. Any media files (images, audio, etc) must be placed in the BeanMachine11\bin folder or a subdirectory created under the bin folder (BeanMachine11\bin\media for example). The media files must be placed there in order to load correctly in the browser when you hit the BeanMachine Run button.

There is also one option that must be changed in IE 4.0 from the default setting. On the IE 4.0 menu select View | Internet Options, select the Advanced tab, and make sure "Browse in a new process" is checked.

When should I use BeanMachine 1.0 over 1.1?

If you are going to being developing applets that will be viewed by users that only have JDK 1.0.2 capable browsers, you should use BeanMachine 1.0 until JDK 1.1 becomes more fully entrenched. If on the other hand you are developing for an intranet that uses a JDK 1.1 browser (Lotus Notes 4.6 for example), you should be able to start using BeanMachine 1.1 applets now.

Can my BeanMachine 1.0 .APP files be correctly loaded by BeanMachine 1.1?

For most .APP files, BeanMachine 1.1 will be able to correctly load them. If you have created an applet that has a custom method (script) written in the Java window, there may be some problems that will require that the method be modified. You will not, however, be able to load saved BeanMachine 1.1 .APP files with BeanMachine 1.0.

Why should I care about JavaBeans?

JavaBeans is a component architecture created by JavaSoft to define software components that among other things easily integrate with development tools. What this means is that if you obtain a bean from another developer, you should be able to easily import the bean and add it to BeanMachine's palette for use in creating your applets.

Do all JavaBeans work with BeanMachine 1.1?

Most beans should work properly in BeanMachine. It boils down to how well written a bean is in terms of meeting the JavaBeans specification. The best thing to do after importing a new bean into BeanMachine is to test how well it will work before trying to use it. To do this create a new applet and place only the new bean in the applet. Open the log window and then try publishing the applet. If there are any warning messages, chances are this bean will not be very useable with BeanMachine.

I thought BeanMachine was written entirely in Java. Why doesn't it run on all platforms?

Even though BeanMachine itself is coded in Java, there are slight variations in the JDK on the various platforms that prevent BeanMachine from working perfectly on all platforms today. In addition, BeanMachine requires a platform-specific JDK to compile applets which involves installation issues that must be dealt with for each platform.

My BeanMachine 1.0 database applet doesn't display the database bean properly when I open it in BeanMachine 1.1. What's wrong?

For the database bean to show up properly in a migrated applet, you must take the following steps:
  1. Open the BeanMachine 1.0 applet.
  2. Select the database bean in the Composer window.
  3. Select the Property tab in the Details window.
  4. Select the presentation style property and then click on the button that matches the style you want.
  5. In the Form dialog window select OK.
Your database bean will now display properly in the Composer. Be certain to save your applet after making any other changes or you will need to repeat the steps listed above.

Have the restrictions on the Database part been removed in BeanMachine 1.1?

BeanMachine includes a database part on the palette that lets you access DB/2 or any ODBC data source. However, there are still two notable restrictions in using this part:
  • Due to Java security restrictions, applets that use ODBC will not run in a browser. You can run applets that use DB/2 (Version 5) in a browser, but you must publish the applet to the same server where the database is located.
  • Java's current database implementation only supports English language characters.

I am trying to use a text source file with the Headline part, but it's not working. What's wrong?

To use a text file with this part, the text file has to have the following format:

"Text to display goes here" http://corresponding.link.goes.here
"More text to display" http://another.link

where the text that will be shown to the user must be enclosed in double quotes. The corresponding URL must be on the same line after the display text.

If you do not wish to have any URL links, the syntax of the file should look like:

"headline 1"
"headline 2"

where the URL links are simply omitted.

I can't get the URL address I've entered into the URL Link or Headline part to work. What's wrong?

The URL address needs to be complete if it is an absolute address. If you entered "www.lotus.com" as the address, this will not work. Instead the entry should be "http://www.lotus.com".

For more information, see the BeanMachine 1.0 FAQ.