Creating Java Applications Using NetRexx

Title     Creating Java Applications Using NetRexx 
Author    Peter Heuchert 
          Frederik Haesbrouck 
          Norio Furukawa 
          Ueli Wahli 
Publisher IBM ITSO 
          IBM DOC: SG24-2216-00
Edition   First Edition, September 1997 
Price     ? 
ISBN      ?
Language  English
Type      Book
Source    ?

This is an IBM Redbook about NetRexx. Here is a short description of the 
book (stolen from the web site, see below): 

"NetRexx is a new human-oriented language that makes writing and using 
Java classes quicker and easier than writing in Java. NetRexx combines the 
ease of use and flexibility of Rexx with the robust structure and 
portability of Java. 

This redbook covers all aspects of NetRexx, from simple scripting programs 
to applications and applets using such advanced features as graphical user 
interfaces with animation, access to relational databases, communication 
over TCP/IP sockets, client/server programming using remote method 
invocation (RMI), Common Gateway Interface (CGI) programming, and 
JavaBeans. The sample programs are freely available on the Internet. 

This redbook applies to NetRexx Version 1.0 and 1.1, and the Java 
Development Kit (JDK) Version 1.1.1. The sample programs were tested on 
Windows 95, Windows NT, and OS/2 WARP; they should also run on other 
platforms that support JDK 1.1. 

Chapter 1. "Introduction" 

explains the purpose of NetRexx, the installation of the product and the 
sample programs, and the NetRexx documentation. 

Chapter 2. "Starting with NetRexx" 

describes a simple NetRexx program and shows how to compile and run it. It 
also covers the file types used by NetRexx. 

Chapter 3. "The NetRexx Compiler" 

explains in detail how NetRexx programs are translated into Java programs. 
It covers all compile options and explains how to invoke the compiler from 
a NetRexx or Java program. 

Chapter 4. "The NetRexx Language" 

contains a comprehensive introduction to the NetRexx language. 

Chapter 5. "Using NetRexx As a Scripting Language" 

explains how NetRexx is used to write simple, straightforward programs 
without explicitly coding Java classes. Included are subroutines and 
functions, handling of parameters, and invocation of non-Java programs. 

Chapter 6. "Creating and Using NetRexx Classes" 

introduces object-oriented programming with NetRexx. Classes, methods, 
inheritance, interfaces, class libraries, and packages are explained in 
detail. 

Chapter 7. "Creating Graphical User Interfaces" 

shows how NetRexx creates applications and applets with elaborate GUIs. 
Many sample programs are provided to illustrate certain aspects of GUI 
programming, such as layout managers, menus, dialogs, event handling, 
images, and keyboard input. A package of useful classes is developed to 
simplify GUI programming and solve common GUI problems. 

Chapter 8. "Threads" 

introduces threads for parallel processing, including starting, stopping, 
and synchronization. 

Chapter 9. "Handling Files" 

explains the different ways NetRexx can handle flat files, including 
line-mode, byte-oriented, and data-oriented input/output. It also covers 
serialization, that is, the storage and retrieval of objects in files. 

Chapter 10. "Database Connectivity with JDBC" 

shows how NetRexx programs access relational databases by using the Java 
Database Connectivity API. Sample programs are developed to access the DB2 
sample database. 

Chapter 11. "Network Programming" 

shows how to write network applications with sockets, universal resource 
locators (URLs), and RMI. It concludes with a client/server implementation 
of the JDBC application. 

Chapter 12. "Using NetRexx for CGI Programs" 

discusses how NetRexx can be used to write CGI programs for a Web server. 
The sample programs access DB2 to create HTML pages. 

Chapter 13. "Creating JavaBeans With NetRexx" 

introduces JavaBeans and shows how to create simple beans with NetRexx for 
use with VisualAge for Java. 

Chapter 14. "Why NetRexx?" 

summarizes the advantages of using NetRexx over Java. 

Appendix A. "Redbook Package Reference" 

describes the classes of the redbook package. The redbook package 
simplifies GUI programming by providing solutions for many common 
problems." 

The online version of this redbook is available at 
http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/SG242216/2216ht.htm ; the sample code for this 
redbook is available at ftp://www.redbooks.ibm.com/redbooks/SG242216 .