Application Conversion to Applets:

It is easy to convert a graphical Java application (that is, an application that uses the AWT and that you can start with the java program launcher) into an applet that you can embed in a web page.

Here are the specific steps for converting an application to an applet.

1. Make an HTML page with the appropriate tag to load the applet code.
2. Supply a subclass of the JApplet class. Make this class public. Otherwise, the applet cannot be loaded.
3. Eliminate the main method in the application. Do not construct a frame window for the application. Your application will be displayed inside the browser.
4. Move any initialization code from the frame window constructor to the init method of the applet. You don't need to explicitly construct the applet object.the browser instantiates it for you and calls the init method.
5. Remove the call to setSize; for applets, sizing is done with the width and height parameters in the HTML file.
6. Remove the call to setDefaultCloseOperation. An applet cannot be closed; it terminates when the browser exits.
7. If the application calls setTitle, eliminate the call to the method. Applets cannot have title bars. (You can, of course, title the web page itself, using the HTML title tag.)
8. Don't call setVisible(true). The applet is displayed automatically.

The Applet CLASS:

Every applet is an extension of the java.applet.Applet class. The base Applet class provides methods that a derived Applet class may call to obtain information and services from the browser context.

These include methods that do the following:

• Get applet parameters
• Get the network location of the HTML file that contains the applet
• Get the network location of the applet class directory
• Print a status message in the browser
• Fetch an image
• Fetch an audio clip
• Play an audio clip
• Resize the applet

Additionally, the Applet class provides an interface by which the viewer or browser obtains information about the applet and controls the applet's execution. The viewer may:

• request information about the author, version and copyright of the applet
• request a description of the parameters the applet recognizes
• initialize the applet
• destroy the applet
• start the applet's execution
• stop the applet's execution

Life Cycle of an Applet:

Four methods in the Applet class give you the framework on which you build any serious applet:

• init: This method is intended for whatever initialization is needed for your applet. It is called after the param tags inside the applet tag have been processed.
• start: This method is automatically called after the browser calls the init method. It is also called whenever the user returns to the page containing the applet after having gone off to other pages.
• stop: This method is automatically called when the user moves off the page on which the applet sits. It can, therefore, be called repeatedly in the same applet.
• destroy: This method is only called when the browser shuts down normally. Because applets are meant to live on an HTML page, you should not normally leave resources behind after a user leaves the page that contains the applet.
• paint: Invoked immediately after the start() method, and also any time the applet needs to repaint itself in the browser. The paint() method is actually inherited from the java.awt.

Java - Applets Basics

An applet is a Java program that runs in a Web browser. An applet can be a fully functional Java application because it has the entire Java API at its disposal.

There are some important differences between an applet and a standalone Java application, including the following:

• An applet is a Java class that extends the java.applet.Applet class.
• A main() method is not invoked on an applet, and an applet class will not define main().
• Applets are designed to be embedded within an HTML page.
• When a user views an HTML page that contains an applet, the code for the applet is downloaded to the user's machine.
• A JVM is required to view an applet. The JVM can be either a plug-in of the Web browser or a separate runtime environment.
• The JVM on the user's machine creates an instance of the applet class and invokes various methods during the applet's lifetime.
• Applets have strict security rules that are enforced by the Web browser. The security of an applet is often referred to as sandbox security, comparing the applet to a child playing in a sandbox with various rules that must be followed.
• Other classes that the applet needs can be downloaded in a single Java Archive (JAR) file.

Socket Server Example:

// File Name GreetingServer.java

import java.net.*;
import java.io.*;

public class GreetingServer extends Thread
{
   private ServerSocket serverSocket;
   
   public GreetingServer(int port) throws IOException
   {
      serverSocket = new ServerSocket(port);
      serverSocket.setSoTimeout(10000);
   }

   public void run()
   {
      while(true)
      {
         try
         {
            System.out.println("Waiting for client on port " +
            serverSocket.getLocalPort() + "...");
            Socket server = serverSocket.accept();
            System.out.println("Just connected to "
                  + server.getRemoteSocketAddress());
            DataInputStream in =
                  new DataInputStream(server.getInputStream());
            System.out.println(in.readUTF());
            DataOutputStream out =
                 new DataOutputStream(server.getOutputStream());
            out.writeUTF("Thank you for connecting to "
              + server.getLocalSocketAddress() + "\nGoodbye!");
            server.close();
         }catch(SocketTimeoutException s)
         {
            System.out.println("Socket timed out!");
            break;
         }catch(IOException e)
         {
            e.printStackTrace();
            break;
         }
      }
   }
   public static void main(String [] args)
   {
      int port = Integer.parseInt(args[0]);
      try
      {
         Thread t = new GreetingServer(port);
         t.start();
      }catch(IOException e)
      {
         e.printStackTrace();
      }
   }
}

==============

Compile client and server and then start server as follows:

$ java GreetingServer 6066
Waiting for client on port 6066...

Check client program as follows:

$ java GreetingClient localhost 6066
Connecting to localhost on port 6066
Just connected to localhost/127.0.0.1:6066
Server says Thank you for connecting to /127.0.0.1:6066
Goodbye!

Socket Client Example:

// File Name GreetingClient.java

import java.net.*;
import java.io.*;

public class GreetingClient
{
   public static void main(String [] args)
   {
      String serverName = args[0];
      int port = Integer.parseInt(args[1]);
      try
      {
         System.out.println("Connecting to " + serverName
                             + " on port " + port);
         Socket client = new Socket(serverName, port);
         System.out.println("Just connected to "
                      + client.getRemoteSocketAddress());
         OutputStream outToServer = client.getOutputStream();
         DataOutputStream out =
                       new DataOutputStream(outToServer);

         out.writeUTF("Hello from "
                      + client.getLocalSocketAddress());
         InputStream inFromServer = client.getInputStream();
         DataInputStream in =
                        new DataInputStream(inFromServer);
         System.out.println("Server says " + in.readUTF());
         client.close();
      }catch(IOException e)
      {
         e.printStackTrace();
      }
   }
}

Socket Programming:

Sockets provide the communication mechanism between two computers using TCP. A client program creates a socket on its end of the communication and attempts to connect that socket to a server.

When the connection is made, the server creates a socket object on its end of the communication. The client and server can now communicate by writing to and reading from the socket.

The java.net.Socket class represents a socket, and the java.net.ServerSocket class provides a mechanism for the server program to listen for clients and establish connections with them.

The following steps occur when establishing a TCP connection between two computers using sockets:

1. The server instantiates a ServerSocket object, denoting which port number communication is to occur on.
2. The server invokes the accept() method of the ServerSocket class. This method waits until a client connects to the server on the given port.
3. After the server is waiting, a client instantiates a Socket object, specifying the server name and port number to connect to.
4. The constructor of the Socket class attempts to connect the client to the specified server and port number. If communication is established, the client now has a Socket object capable of communicating with the server.
5. On the server side, the accept() method returns a reference to a new socket on the server that is connected to the client's socket.

After the connections are established, communication can occur using I/O streams. Each socket has both an OutputStream and an InputStream. The client's OutputStream is connected to the server's InputStream, and the client's InputStream is connected to the server's OutputStream.

TCP is a twoway communication protocol, so data can be sent across both streams at the same time. There are following usefull classes providing complete set of methods to implement sockets.

ServerSocket Class Methods:

The java.net.ServerSocket class is used by server applications to obtain a port and listen for client requests

The ServerSocket class has four constructors:

SN	Methods with Description
1	public ServerSocket(int port) throws IOException Attempts to create a server socket bound to the specified port. An exception occurs if the port is already bound by another application.
2	public ServerSocket(int port, int backlog) throws IOException Similar to the previous constructor, the backlog parameter specifies how many incoming clients to store in a wait queue.
3	public ServerSocket(int port, int backlog, InetAddress address) throws IOException Similar to the previous constructor, the InetAddress parameter specifies the local IP address to bind to. The InetAddress is used for servers that may have multiple IP addresses, allowing the server to specify which of its IP addresses to accept client requests on
4	public ServerSocket() throws IOException Creates an unbound server socket. When using this constructor, use the bind() method when you are ready to bind the server socket

If the ServerSocket constructor does not throw an exception, it means that your application has successfully bound to the specified port and is ready for client requests.

Here are some of the common methods of the ServerSocket class:

SN	Methods with Description
1	public int getLocalPort() Returns the port that the server socket is listening on. This method is useful if you passed in 0 as the port number in a constructor and let the server find a port for you.
2	public Socket accept() throws IOException Waits for an incoming client. This method blocks until either a client connects to the server on the specified port or the socket times out, assuming that the time-out value has been set using the setSoTimeout() method. Otherwise, this method blocks indefinitely
3	public void setSoTimeout(int timeout) Sets the time-out value for how long the server socket waits for a client during the accept().
4	public void bind(SocketAddress host, int backlog) Binds the socket to the specified server and port in the SocketAddress object. Use this method if you instantiated the ServerSocket using the no-argument constructor.

When the ServerSocket invokes accept(), the method does not return until a client connects. After a client does connect, the ServerSocket creates a new Socket on an unspecified port and returns a reference to this new Socket. A TCP connection now exists between the client and server, and communication can begin.

Socket Class Methods:

The java.net.Socket class represents the socket that both the client and server use to communicate with each other. The client obtains a Socket object by instantiating one, whereas the server obtains a Socket object from the return value of the accept() method.

The Socket class has five constructors that a client uses to connect to a server:

SN	Methods with Description
1	public Socket(String host, int port) throws UnknownHostException, IOException. This method attempts to connect to the specified server at the specified port. If this constructor does not throw an exception, the connection is successful and the client is connected to the server.
2	public Socket(InetAddress host, int port) throws IOException This method is identical to the previous constructor, except that the host is denoted by an InetAddress object.
3	public Socket(String host, int port, InetAddress localAddress, int localPort) throws IOException. Connects to the specified host and port, creating a socket on the local host at the specified address and port.
4	public Socket(InetAddress host, int port, InetAddress localAddress, int localPort) throws IOException. This method is identical to the previous constructor, except that the host is denoted by an InetAddress object instead of a String
5	public Socket() Creates an unconnected socket. Use the connect() method to connect this socket to a server.

When the Socket constructor returns, it does not simply instantiate a Socket object but it actually attempts to connect to the specified server and port.

Some methods of interest in the Socket class are listed here. Notice that both the client and server have a Socket object, so these methods can be invoked by both the client and server.

SN	Methods with Description
1	public void connect(SocketAddress host, int timeout) throws IOException This method connects the socket to the specified host. This method is needed only when you instantiated the Socket using the no-argument constructor.
2	public InetAddress getInetAddress() This method returns the address of the other computer that this socket is connected to.
3	public int getPort() Returns the port the socket is bound to on the remote machine.
4	public int getLocalPort() Returns the port the socket is bound to on the local machine.
5	public SocketAddress getRemoteSocketAddress() Returns the address of the remote socket.
6	public InputStream getInputStream() throws IOException Returns the input stream of the socket. The input stream is connected to the output stream of the remote socket.
7	public OutputStream getOutputStream() throws IOException Returns the output stream of the socket. The output stream is connected to the input stream of the remote socket
8	public void close() throws IOException Closes the socket, which makes this Socket object no longer capable of connecting again to any server

InetAddress Class Methods:

This class represents an Internet Protocol (IP) address. Here are following usefull methods which you would need while doing socket programming:

SN	Methods with Description
1	static InetAddress getByAddress(byte[] addr) Returns an InetAddress object given the raw IP address .
2	static InetAddress getByAddress(String host, byte[] addr) Create an InetAddress based on the provided host name and IP address.
3	static InetAddress getByName(String host) Determines the IP address of a host, given the host's name.
4	String getHostAddress()  Returns the IP address string in textual presentation.
5	String getHostName()  Gets the host name for this IP address.
6	static InetAddress InetAddress getLocalHost() Returns the local host.
7	String toString() Converts this IP address to a String.