Processing and a web server

r000li

in Integration and Hardware • 2 years ago

I am new to processing and I am in a dilema if I want to use Java or processing for my project. I have no experience using Processing but it looks quite easy and similar to arduino. And it can be used to create applications that look very nice - which is quite hard to do in Java. But before I decide I need some advice.

I am building a smart home application using arduino boards and I need to make a computer "control application". Of course I want to be able to control my home from a distance using a website. What I want is an embedded web server for my application. Then I can simply connect to it with any web browser and use it like any web site. In Java I can get this using Jetty. Can I do something simillar using Processing?

EDIT: Since Processing can use Java libraries - Can I use jetty with my processing application? That way I could create a nice looking application fast and also have all that I want.

Replies(7)

PhiLho

Re: Processing and a web server

2 years ago

If I understood you correctly, you want to make a Web-based application, with a server-side program generating Web pages to control stuff.
Processing isn't really a match for these requirements: it is a visual tool, perfect to make graphics and dynamic interactive stuff on the client side, but not really to work on server side.
Remember that Processing is made in Java, you code, actually, in Java (with some shortcuts).
So you better look at JEE (ex. J2EE) to see how to generate HTML from a Web server. There are many frameworks for that (perhaps too much, no easy to choose), from simple servlets with or without JSP, to sophisticated frameworks like Wickets, Tapestry or even Vaadin or ZK..

r000li

Re: Processing and a web server

2 years ago

What I want is quite simple. I need a control application for my arduino project - simple and good looking user interface (that is why I started looking at processing) that I can run on my computer. In addition to that I also want some basic parts of this interface to be accessible from internet. Processing is great for first part of the problem but I didn't find if it can do the second part. I know that this can be done if I embedd jetty into my Java application. What I am asking is if I can use jetty server inside processing sketch. If standard jar files can be added to processing sketch then it would proabably work.

r000li

Re: Processing and a web server

2 years ago

I will answer my own question - I added all of the jetty classes with Sketch -> add file and used the server like normaly in Java. And to my big suprise - it works. I can now display dynamic web pages using processing which is cool!

If anyone is interested in code - this is just a test and is fulll of garbage:

import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
import javax.servlet.ServletException;

void startServer() throws Exception
{
            //Ustvarimo nov server na portu 8080
        Server server = new Server(8080);

        //Ustvarimo nov Context Handler - skrbi za serviranje java servletov (ContextHandler skrbi za serviranje glede na URL)
        ServletContextHandler context = new ServletContextHandler(ServletContextHandler.SESSIONS);
        context.setContextPath("/"); //nastavimo pot kje naj i≈°ƒçe datoteke na /
        context.addServlet(new ServletHolder(new NewEmpty()),"/NewEmpty"); //Handlerju dodamo nov servlet, ki se nahaja na /NewEmpty

        //Ustvarimo nov resource handler, ki skrbi za serviranje datotek
        ResourceHandler resource_handler = new ResourceHandler();
        resource_handler.setDirectoriesListed(true); //Poka≈æemo direktorije ali pa prikaz izklopimo
        resource_handler.setWelcomeFiles(new String[]{ "newhtml.html" }); //Nastavimo datoteko za default prikaz
        resource_handler.setResourceBase(sketchPath(".")); //Nastavimo resource base - namesto, tako nam ni
                                     //potrebno pisati celotne poti do datotek - privzeto: resource_handler.setResourceBase(".");

        //Ustvarimo nov seznam handlerjev - poskrbi da se handlerji izvjajajo eden za drugim
        HandlerList handlers = new HandlerList();
        handlers.setHandlers(new Handler[] {resource_handler,context, new DefaultHandler() }); //dodamo resource handler,
                                         //context (servlet) handler in default handler - ta v primeru napake poskrbi za prikaz napake
        server.setHandler(handlers); //Serverju dodamo seznam handlerjev

        server.start(); //Za≈æenemo server
}

Makio135

Re: Processing and a web server

2 years ago

wanted to try this but : Cannot find a class or type "NewEmpty"

PhiLho

Re: Processing and a web server

2 years ago

I suppose you have to make your own, following the servlet structure.

r000li

Re: Processing and a web server

2 years ago

Yes NewEmpty is just a test class that does something. Something about this is written in jetty documentation and in Java servlet tutorials.

But here is my NewEmpty class:

import java.io.*;
import javax.servlet.*;
import javax.servlet.http.*;
//import java.util.*;

public class NewEmpty extends HttpServlet {

    @Override
    public void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {

        response.setContentType("text/html");
        PrintWriter out = response.getWriter();
        String title = "Reading Three Request Parameters";
        if (request.getParameter("itemNum") == null) {
            out.println("<h1>Prislo je do hude napake!!!!!</h1>");
        } else {
            out.println("<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC \"-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN\">" + "\n"
                    + "<HTML>\n"
                    + "<HEAD><TITLE>Neka Stran</TITLE></HEAD>\n"
                    + "<BODY>\n"
                    + "<H1 ALIGN=CENTER>" + title + "</H1>\n"
                    + "<UL>\n"
                    + " <LI>param1: "
                    + request.getParameter("itemNum") + "\n"
                    + " <LI>param2: "
                    + request.getParameter("quantity") + "\n"
                    + " <LI>param3: "
                    + request.getParameter("cardType") + "\n"
                    + "</UL>\n"
                    + "</BODY></HTML>");
/*
        String url = response.encodeURL("newhtxl.html");
        response.sendRedirect(url);
*/

        }
    }

@Override
public void doPost(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response) throws ServletException, IOException {
    doGet(request, response);
}

Makio135

Re: Processing and a web server

2 years ago

Thanks, that's what i was thinking but not sure.
Found this from Marius Watz: http://workshop.evolutionzone.com/2007/08/30/jdic-embedding-a-web-browser-in-java/
very helpful.

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