Chapter 12

The Applet Package

by Debasis Samanta

CONTENTS
Introduction
Class Applet
Interface AppletContext
Interface AppletStub
Interface AudioClip

Introduction
The java.applet Package contains classes and interfaces for creating applets. This package also provides several interfaces
that connect an applet to its document and to resource for playing audio. This is in fact a fundamental package for the creation
of applets in Java. The various components in this package is listed below :

Classes
Class Applet

Interfaces
Interface AppletContext
Interface AppletStub
Interface AudioClip

Class Applet
An applet is a small program that is not intended to be run on its own, but to be embedded inside another application. The
Applet class must be the superclass of any applet that is to be embedded in a Web page or viewed by the Java Applet Viewer.
The Applet class provides a standard interface between applets and their environment. The structure of this class is stated as
below :

/
 public class java.applet.Applet
extends java.awt.Panel
{
// Constructors
public Applet();
// The default constructor for an applet.

// Methods
public void destroy();
public AppletContext getAppletContext();
public String getAppletInfo();
public AudioClip getAudioClip(URL url);
public AudioClip getAudioClip(URL url, String name);
public URL getCodeBase();
public URL getDocumentBase();
public Image getImage(URL url);
public Image getImage(URL url, String name);
public String getParameter(String name);
public String[][] getParameterInfo();
public void init();
public boolean isActive();
public void play(URL url);
public void play(URL url, String name);
public void resize(Dimension d);
public void resize(int width, int height);
public final void setStub(AppletStub stub);
public void showStatus(String msg);
public void start();
public void stop();
}

The methods in this class are described in Table 1.1.

Table 1.1

Method Description
destroy() This method is called by the browser or applet viewer to
inform thisapplet that it is being reclaimed and that it should
destroy any resources that it has allocated. The stop
method will always be called before destroy. A subclass of
Applet should override this method if it has any operation
that it wants to perform before it is destroyed. For example,
an applet with threads would use the init
(../../../../../../queued/7/d/6/7d6bab95-3dad-4ee5-afcc-
9f8332a24635/javam1.htm/) method to create the threads
and the destroy method to kill them.

getAppletContext() Determines this applet's context, which allows the applet to

query and affect the environment in which it runs. This
environment of an applet represents the document that
contains the applet.

getAppletInfo() Returns information about this applet. An applet should

override this method to return a String containing
information about the author, version, and copyright of the
applet.

/
getAudioClip(URL url)
getAudioClip(URL url, String
name)
Table 1.1 (Contd.)
getCodeBase()
getDocumentBase()
getImage(URL url)
getImage(URL url, String name)
getParameter(String name)
getParameterInfo()
init()
isActive()
play(URL url)
Returns the AudioClip object
(../../../../../../queued/7/d/6/7d6bab95-3dad-4ee5-afcc-
9f8332a24635/javam4.htm/) specified by the URL argument.
This method always returns immediately, whether or not the
audio clip exists. When this applet attempts to play the
audio clip, the data will be loaded.
Returns the AudioClip object specified by the URL and
name arguments.
Returns : The URL of this applet.
Returns : The URL (../../../../../../queued/7/d/6/7d6bab95-
3dad-4ee5-afcc-9f8332a24635/javaf8.htm/) of the document
that contains this applet.
Returns an Image object that can then be painted on the screen.
The url that is passed as an argument must specify an absolute
URL.162162
Returns an Image object
(../../../../../../queued/7/d/6/7d6bab95-3dad-4ee5-afcc-
9f8332a24635/javai5.htm/) that can then be painted on the
screen. The url argument must specify an absolute URL. The
name argument is a specifier that is relative to the url argument.
This method always returns immediately, whether or not the
image exists. When this applet attempts to draw the image
on the screen, the data will be loaded. The graphics
primitives that draw the image will incrementally paint on the
screen.
Returns the value of the named parameter in the HTML tag.
For example, if this applet is specified as :
<applet code="Clock" width=50 height=50>
<param name= Color value ="blue">
</applet>
A call to getParameter("Color") returns the value
"blue". The name argument is case insensitive.
Returns information about the parameters than are
understood by this applet. An applet should override this
method to return an array of Strings describing these
parameters.
This method is called by the browser or applet viewer to
inform this applet that it has been loaded into the system. It
is always called before the first time that the start method
is called. A subclass of Applet should override this method
if it has initialization to perform. For example, an applet with
threads would use the init method to create the threads
and the destroy method to kill them.
Determines if this applet is active. An applet is marked
active just before its start method
(../../../../../../queued/7/d/6/7d6bab95-3dad-4ee5-afcc-
9f8332a24635/javam1.htm/) is called. It becomes inactive
immediately after its stop (../../../../../../queued/7/d/6/7d6bab95-
3dad-4ee5-afcc-9f8332a24635/javam1.htm/) method is called.
Returns : true if the applet is active; false otherwise.
Plays the audio clip at the specified absolute URL. Nothing
happens if the audio clip cannot be found.
/
 Table 1.1 (Contd.)

play(URL url, String name) Plays the audio clip given the URL and a specifier that's
relative to it. Nothing happens if the audio clip cannot be
found.

resize(Dimension d) Requests that this applet be resized with the specified

resize(int width, int height)
setStub(AppletStub stub)
showStatus(String msg)
dimension.
Requests that this applet be resized with the specified
parameters.
Sets this applet's stub. This is done by automatically by the
system.
Requests that the argument string be displayed in the
"status window." Many browsers and applet viewers provide
such a "status window" where the application can inform
users of its current state.

start() This method is called by the browser or applet viewer to

inform this applet that it should start its execution. It is called
after the init method and each time the applet is revisited
in a Web page. A subclass of Applet should override this
method if it has any operation that it wants to perform each
time the Web page containing it is visited. For example, an
applet with animation might want to use the start method to
resume animation, and the stop method
(../../../../../../queued/7/d/6/7d6bab95-3dad-4ee5-afcc-
9f8332a24635/javam1.htm/) to suspend the animation.

stop() This method is called by the browser or applet viewer to

inform this applet that it should stop its execution. It is called
when the Web page that contains this applet has been
replaced by another page and also just before the applet is
to be destroyed. A subclass of Applet should override this
method if it has any operation that it wants to perform each
time the Web page containing it is no longer visible. For
example, an applet with animation might want to use the
start method to resume animation, and the stop method to suspend
the animation.

Interface AppletContext
This interface corresponds to an applet's environment: the document containing the applet and the other applets in the same
document. The methods in this interface can be used by an applet to obtain information about its environment.

public interface java.applet.AppletContext

{
// Methods
public abstract Applet getApplet(String name);
public abstract Enumeration getApplets();
ublic abstract AudioClip getAudioClip(URL url);
public abstract Image getImage(URL url);
public abstract void showDocument(URL url);
public abstract void showDocument(URL url, String target);

public abstract void showStatus(String status);

}
Methods are stated in the Table 1.2.

Table 1.2
/
 Method Description
getApplet(String name) Finds and returns the applet in the document represented
by this applet context with the given name. The name can
be set in the HTML tag by setting the name attribute.
getApplets() Finds all the applets in the document represented by this
applet context.
Returns : an enumeration of all applets in the document
represented by this applet context.
getAudioClip(URL url) Creates an audio clip.
Returns : The audio clip at the specified URL.
getImage(URL url) Returns an Image object
(../../../../../../queued/7/d/6/7d6bab95-3dad-4ee5-afcc-
9f8332a24635/javai5.htm/) that can then be painted on the
screen. The url argument that is passed as an argument
must specify an absolute URL. This method always returns
immediately, whether or not the image exists. When the
applet attempts to draw the image on the screen, the data
will be loaded. The graphics primitives that draw the image
will incrementally paint on the screen.
showDocument(URL url) Replaces the Web page currently being viewed with the
given URL. This method may be ignored by applet contexts
that are not browsers.
showDocument(URL url, String Requests that the browser or applet viewer show the Web
target) page indicated by the url argument. The target argument
indicates where to display the frame. The target argument is
interpreted as follows :
Argument Function
self: Show the current frame
parent: Show the parent frame
top-most: Show the top most frame
An applet viewer or browser is free to ignore.

Interface AppletStub
When an applet is first created, an applet stub is attached to it using the applet's setStub method. This stub serves as the
interface between the applet and the browser environment or applet viewer environment in which the applet is running.

public interface java.applet.AppletStub

{
// Methods
public abstract void appletResize(int width, int height);
public abstract AppletContext getAppletContext();
public abstract URL getCodeBase();
public abstract URL getDocumentBase();
public abstract String getParameter(String name);
public abstract boolean isActive();
}

Methods are described in Table 1.3

Table 1.3

Method Description
appletResize(int width, int height) Called when the applet wants to be resized.

/
 getAppletContext()
Returnsc : the applet's context.

getCodeBase()
Returns : The URL of the applet.

getDocumentBase()
Returns : the URL of the document containing the applet.

getParameter(String name) Returns the value of the named parameter in the HTML tag.
165
isActive() Determines if the applet is active. An applet is active just
before its start method (../../../../../../queued/7/d/6/7d6bab95-
3dad-4ee5-afcc-9f8332a24635/javam1.htm/) is called. It
becomes inactive immediately after its stop
(../../../../../../queued/7/d/6/7d6bab95-3dad-4ee5-afcc-
9f8332a24635/javam1.htm/) method is called. Returns : true if
the applet is active; false otherwise.

Interface AudioClip
The AudioClip interface is a simple abstraction for playing a sound clip. Multiple AudioClip items can be playing at the same
time, and the resulting sound is mixed together to produce a composite.

public interface java.applet.AudioClip

{
// Methods
public abstract void loop();
public abstract void play();
public abstract void stop();
}

Methods are described in Table 1.4.

Table 1.4
Method Description
loop() Starts playing this audio clip in a loop.

play() Starts playing this audio clip. Each time this method is
called, the clip is restarted from the beginning.
stop() Stops playing this audio clip.

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