Scripting the techexplorer Hypermedia Browser

The term scripting means to control the actions of one software application from another application. In the web browser context, this refers to the interaction of plug-ins, ActiveX controls, JavaScript programs, Java applets, and other software programs.

Note that with version 3.0 of techexplorer the scripting interfaces are acessible from both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.

The techexplorer Add-in architecture and Java API serve as the "glue" for developing interactive scientific and technical documents. By using techexplorer, such documents are able to leverage Internet programming languages, as well as specialized applications from the large collection of scientific processors and renderers.

In the sections that follow, we discuss how you can control the techexplorer plug-in from Java applets, JavaScript programs and C++ programs.

• Begin with an overview of the basic HTML Elements and concepts needed for cross web browser scripting development using techexplorer.
• Get started quickly by writing a JavaScript LaTeX editor that makes use of web browser objects, HTML forms and the techexplorerPlugin class.
• Use JavaScript to automatically size the width and height of embedded windows. You can use this technique to ensure that inline techexplorer equations embedded in HTML remain "scroll bar free"!
• Configure and use your Java development environment to create, compile and run a Java applet version of the LaTeX editor.
• Create the The GraphIT application, a techexplorer enhanced course module for understanding equations. This example makes use of inter-applet communication and techexplorer-to-Java connectivity.
• Explore the Event Monitor applet that provides a dynamic textual representation of events triggered by techexplorer instances, as well as a mechanism for toggling such events. This example expands on the concepts covered through the development of the GraphIT application.
• Learn how to use Java threads to create a MathAnimation.
• Learn about the techexplorer implementation of the W3C Document Object Model application programming interface. Java applications and C++ add-ins can now programatically manipulate the techexplorer document tree!
• Input mathematics in your web browser via the expression editor!
• Put together a Spring Mass course module that uses the Document Object Model API to connect a spring mass simulation Java applet to a techexplorer document.
• Look "under the hood" of the Expression Selector and learn how to program a Java application that uses techexplorer events and the Document Object Model.
• Use the techexplorer Add-in conduit application to bridge Java and external C/C++ applications.
• Jump start your techexplorer Java development by making use of the Example/API link matrix.
• Browse the annotated techexplorer Core Java API Specification.