To run the Presentation Client as an applet in a browser, you need to create an HTML page containing the necessary tags for each system that is accessed. You can either create your own HTML page or use the templates provided with the Component Enabler installation. The templates are called home_page.html and home_page2.html and can be found in the main Component Enabler directory.
The file home-page2.html expands on home_page.html by including logic to hide the intermediate browser window on Start Up, and closing the window when the Presentation Client Applet terminates. You have to modify the chosen home page template with site specific details appropriate for your Web Server.
Note: To use the sample home_page.html on a Macintosh with Internet Explorer, you have to copy the file startIEMac.html to the same Web Server directory.
The sample home page contains a mixture of HTML and Javascript required to generate the appropriate HTML tags that initiate the Presentation Client for specific browser and operating system combinations. The handling of embedded objects such as Java applets in an HTML page varies with different browsers. It is advisable to perform a runtime check on the browser and operating system that are being used to access the page for the Presentation Client. It is recommended that the following tags be used to initiate the Presentation Client applet for the corresponding browser and operating system combination:
| Browser and Operating System | HTML Tag |
|---|---|
| Internet Explorer on Windows | <OBJECT> |
| Internet Explorer on Macintosh OS X | <APPLET> |
Each of these tags include information to start the applet, also parameters for the configuration file name and predefined system name. Refer to Using the Agile Business Suite Presentation Client for more information on configuration parameters.
The <OBJECT> and <EMBED> tags are used for Internet Explorer, as they provide the ability to load the required version of the Java plug-in. Although some browsers have inbuilt Java runtime support, it is preferable to specify and use a minimum level of the Java plugin. In some cases, the browser's virtual machine is not at the level required by the Presentation Client.
Note: The Presentation Client requires the Java libraries to support the necessary graphical controls. This is available with the Java Runtime Environment version 6.0 and above.
By using the <OBJECT> and <EMBED> tags, a specific or minimum required version of the Java plug-in can be specified, and downloaded to the client workstation if required. This ensures that the Presentation Client always has the appropriate runtime environment installed. The <APPLET> tag continues to be used with Internet Explorer on Macintosh OS X.
Note: In theory, Internet Explorer on the Macintosh should provide support for the <OBJECT> tag. However, this is not necessarily the case. As the required version of the Java Runtime Environment is delivered with the Macintosh OS X software, the <APPLET> tag can be used successfully to run the Presentation Client.