In the last blog posting I introduced a new component called JWebPane that renders HTML content in Java applications. Today I'd like to discuss the details of the practical use of this component. Let me start with typical use cases.

1. HTML Rendering

Since the necessity of employing this component in GUI applications appeared a long time ago, each solution, even simple rendering of web pages, is greatly appreciated. Moreover, in spite of the fact that the importance of interactivity is rising steeply, the correct rendering of up-to-date web content still remains a crucial requirement for an HTML component. It's worth mentioning that JWebPane copes with this task successfully along with the help of WebKit, one of the most advanced web engines.

2. Load event notifications

Let's move on to more interesting items. The load control of web pages and its resources is another highly demanded function required by many users. For this purpose JWebPane provides the following events: page loading start, external resource loading start, loading progress, loading stop or error, page loading finish, and resources loading finish. The exact set of events is not finalized yet, and new event types will appear soon.

3. Navigation

Sometimes using the HTML component is limited to one document, however, the HTML format itself implies tie-up and cross linking of documents. Navigation control, such as Back, Forward, Get URL and other commands, is naturally provided by JWebPane. The navigation function is closely related to transfers from one page to another. This is quite a controversial point: on the one hand, the application should maintain the history, but on the other hand, the component possesses information about which web sites were visited during the current session. That's why JWebPane provides the basic tools for history maintenance as well as the ability to retrieve history from the application.

4. Chrome

I always wondered where did the "chrome" term come from :-) This term is used to specify the HTML component environment, which is usually a browser window. Chrome typically includes support of the following elements: status bar, window title and icon, tooltips, window size, the component itself, and others. JWebPane, as an HTML component, doesn't have built-in support of these controls, however, it provides an API to implement those in the application.

5. What next?

Undoubtedly, the list of the JWebPane features is incomplete. I'm going to tell you more about the coolest ones, for example, how to create new windows or how to work with JavaScript. Additionally, we would like developers that are ready to use JWebPane share their ideas and visions. After all, they indeed define what kind of features should the convenient and handy HTML component have. Don't they?