diff --git a/js/ref/liveconnect/README.html b/js/ref/liveconnect/README.html index efbe0ec6c06..727381c072c 100644 --- a/js/ref/liveconnect/README.html +++ b/js/ref/liveconnect/README.html @@ -7,20 +7,11 @@ -
-

-WARNING:

- -
-

-This document is a skeleton, still 
-very much under construction.

-

Introduction

This is the README file for the JavaScript LiveConnect implementation.  It consists of build conventions and instructions, source code conventions, -a design walk-through, and a brief file-by-file description of the source. +and a brief file-by-file description of the source.

This document assumes basic familiarity with JSRef, the reference implementation of JavaScript, and with the LiveConnect technology  (LiveConnect allows @@ -39,6 +30,117 @@ Interface (JNI), as specified by JavaSoft.  It then compiles a small that can be used interactively and with test scripts.

Scott Furman, 4/8/98 +

+Compatibility

+Unlike this release, all previous versions of LiveConnect appeared only +as a component of Netscape Navigator, not as a standalone module.  +The variants of LiveConnect that appeared in Navigator versions 3.x and +4.x all behave much the same, modulo bugs.  For brevity we refer to +this classic version of LiveConnect as "LC1" and this most recent release +as "LC2".  The following incompatibilities with LC1 are known: + + +

+New Features

+Several minor features have been added to this release of LiveConnect.  +These features were not available in the versions of LiveConnect that were +integrated with Netscape Naviagtor versions 4.x and earlier. +
  +
+
  • +The Java methods of java.lang.Object are now invokeable methods +of JavaArray objects, matching the behavior +of arrays when accessed from Java.  (Java arrays are a subclass +of java.lang.Object.) For example, Java's getClass() +and hashCode() methods can now be called +on JavaArray objects.  (In prior versions +of LiveConnect, the methods of java.lang.Object were only inherited +by non-array Java objects.)
    • + + +

    Note that this change has caused the string representation of JavaArray +objects to change.  Previously, the JavaArray toString() method always +printed "[object JavaArray]" for all JavaArray's.  +Now, the Java java.lang.Object.toString() +method is called to convert JavaArray objects to strings, just as with +other, non-array Java objects that are accessible via LiveConnect.  +java.lang.Object.toString()is defined in +the Java Language Specification to return the value of the following +expression: + +

    getClass().getName() + '@' + Integer.toHexString(hashCode()) +
      +

  • +A one-character string is now an acceptable match for an argument to a +Java method of type char.  (In earlier +versions of LiveConnect, the only acceptable match for a char +had to be a JavaScript value that was convertible to a number.)  For +example, the following is now possible:
    • + + +

    c = new java.lang.Character("F") +
      +

  • +A JavaClass object is now an acceptable match for an argument to a Java +method of type java.lang.Class.  For example, you can now write:
    • + + +

    java.lang.reflect.Array.newInstance(java.lang.String, +3) + +

    instead of the more verbose: + +

    jls = java.lang.Class.forName("java.lang.String") +
    java.lang.reflect.Array.newInstance(jls, 3) +
     

    +

    Build conventions

    Update your JVM's CLASSPATH to point to the @@ -46,14 +148,17 @@ Update your JVM's CLASSPATH to point to the you do not, LiveConnect will still operate but with the limitation that JS objects may not be passed as arguments of Java methods and it will not be possible to call from Java into JavaScript, i.e. the netscape.javascript.JSObject -class will be inaccessible.  If your CLASSPATH +class will be inaccessible.  Another downside of operating without +these classes is that Java error messages will not include a Java stack +trace, when one is available.  If your CLASSPATH is set improperly, you will see a message like, "initialization error: Can't load class netscape/javascript/JSObject" when starting a LiveConnect debug build. -

    To enable multi-threaded execution, define the JS_THREADSAFE -cpp macro and flesh out the stubs and required headers in jslock.c/.h.  -See the JS API docs for more.  JSRef must also be built with JS_THREADSAFE. +

    By default, LiveConnect is not re-entrant.  To enable multi-threaded +execution, define the JS_THREADSAFE cpp macro +and flesh out the stubs and required headers in jslock.c/.h.  See +the JS API docs for more.  JSRef must also be built with JS_THREADSAFE.