This invention relates generally to windowed environments, and more particularly to hosting objects in such environments.
Windowed environments (i.e., graphical user interfaces) and object-oriented programming methodologies have become increasingly popular. For example, versions of the Microsoft(copyright) Windows(g operating system provide for a windowed environment in which users navigate within the environment via a pointer. From a programming perspective, programmers utilize objects such as Component Object Model (COM)-type components (e.g., ActiveX controls) to more easily develop software for the operating system. Objects generally implement services that can be accessed by other objects; each object supports one or more interfaces, each of which includes one or more methods. Other objects (i.e., clients) can access the services provided by this object only by invoking the methods in the object""s interfacesxe2x80x94they do not have direct access to the object""s data.
Another windowed environment is provided by the Java programming language. In the case of Java, Java objects are sometimes known as Java components and/or Java beans. A fundamental problem encountered by programmers is that Java objects cannot be directly accessed by COM objects and vice-versa. For example, within a Java windowed environment, a COM object is not amenable for direct utilization therein. The Java windowed environment only works directly with Java objects. Thus, a programmer who has painstakingly created one or more COM objects, such as various ActiveX controls, must rewrite these objects or controls for use with the Java windowed environment. This is disadvantageous, since object development takes time, and may force the programmer to completely redebug the corresponding Java objects, even if the COM objects were already debugged.
Therefore, there is a need for a manner by which COM objects, such as ActiveX controls, can be accessed with and utilized within a Java windowed environment. Such a solution should not force the programmer to rewrite the COM objects as Java objects, and thus should not force the programmer to have to go through the debugging process again with the rewritten Java objects corresponding to the already debugged COM objects.
The above-identified problems, shortcomings and disadvantages with the prior art, as well as other problems, shortcoming and disadvantages, are solved by the present invention, which will be understood by reading and studying the specification and the drawings. In one embodiment of the invention, a computerized system includes a first object and a second object. The first object is of a first type, and requires siting within a windowed environment. The second object is of a second type, and sites the first object within the windowed environment. In a particular embodiment, the first object is a Component Object Model (COM)-type object typically utilized with versions of the Microsoft(copyright) Windows(copyright) operating system, the windowed environment is a Java windowed environment, and the second object is a Java object, such as a Java bean.
Thus, the invention provides for advantages not found in the prior art. For example, in the case of a COM-type (first) object, a programmer does not have to rewrite the object in Java to utilize the object within a Java windowed environment. Rather, a Java (second) object acts as a container, to site the COM-type object within the Java windowed environment. Thus, the first object is utilizable within the Java windowed environment through the second object, without having to be specifically rewritten in the Java programming language as a Java object.
The invention includes computerized systems, methods, computers, and computer-readable media of varying scope. Besides the embodiments, advantages and aspects of the invention described here, the invention also includes other embodiments, advantages and aspects, as will become apparent by reading and studying the drawings and the following description.
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