by Matt Warner <http://www.warnertechnology.com>
Summary
A look around Sun’s website might make you think that there are only two platforms on which Java development is recognized, and neither one is a Macintosh. Java development on the Mac OS X Server platform is just as viable as any other, although it takes a little bit of effort to get it setup. This article will help you get setup and take you for a spin around the block by building an application that looks up URLs (HTTP, HTTPS, or FTP) in an XML preference file, grabs the text from web pages, and then stuffs data into either a mySQL or Oracle database.
Introduction
Out of the box, Mac OS X Server’s (from here on abbreviated as MOSXS) Java abilities are geared toward development using Apple’s Project Builder, WebObjects, and Enterprise Objects. These are very powerful, very complex applications, and they’re a little overkill if all you want to do is get a feel for Java, or build an app without an interface. What I will present here is a mixture of just a little command-line compiling in conjunction with the Project Builder’s text editor. Why no GUI? Because the code is intended to run autonomously, in the background, maybe even run by Cron at regular intervals. However, the code can be readily incorporated into your own project where you provide an interface since it returns the data in a string. Unfortunately, MOSXS doesn’t include all the pieces you’ll need for this article, but just about everything is free for the download and relatively easy to install.
For the sake of readability, the tutorial has been broken into parts.
The Files. Software you’ll need to obtain to complete this tutorial. Where to find it, and where to install.
Java Coding Part One: Fetching URLs
Java Coding Part Two: Adding Authentication
Java Coding Part Three: Adding Objects
Java Coding Part Four: XML Preferences
Java Coding Part Five: Databases
Java Coding Part Six: Putting it all together
