Problem using AJAX with a Java Applet

Question

I currently have a Java Applet which contains a method callfromjs(). Javascript calls this method from the applet so that I don't have to deal with the clunky applet GUI, and then I can create the responses on the DOM easily from javascript.

The problem is that the browser hangs while first loading the applet. To get around this, I figured I could use AJAX. The AJAX calls a PHP file which contains callfromjs(). The problem is that the request returns because it's PHP, and it doesn't wait for callfromjs() to retrieve the content.

On to my questions:

1. Is there a better way to handle this?
2. If this method seems ok, how can I force the request not to return until the javascript is finished calling the method from the applet?

Answer 1

I'm not sure I understand what's going on here. Are you looking to generate content via an applet without having the applet perform the GUI work itself ? And are you stuck since the applet takes a long time to load ?

So why not dispense with the applet, extract the important stuff and make it available as a servlet ? Interact with it via (say) DWR, which allows AJAX calls to a Java backend (via exposing Java objects automatically as Javascript object). That means your client GUI will be fast/responsive and you have no applet reliance.

Answer 2

So the problem is a LiveConnect call into the applet hangs whilst the applet is initialised?

The obvious solution would be for the JavaScript to initially ignore the applet. When the applet is initialised it can then call into the JavaScript to enable.