Webster+

*WEBSTER/DESKTOP

Display Webster+ Page

Usage

Webster+ provides the ability to create true Web-based applications utilizing many of the tools and accessories found in the NOMADS development environment. This makes it easier and faster to develop Web applications, and the Webster+ Desktop application (*webster/desktop) provides a means to seamlessly integrate the new Web-based programs into an existing Windows desktop package.

Using *webster/desktop, the system can run a Webster+-based Web page in a Windows container that allows it to look like a Windows application. This allows you to work on developing a Web-based solution, phasing the new application into your existing Windows solution over time without it looking out of place.

(The *webster/desktop utility was added in PxPlus 2022 Update 1.)

Calling Sequence

1.	Display Page:	CALL "webster/desktop", ERR=*stmtref, page$, values$, host$, template$
2.	Run/Display Program:	CALL "webster/desktop;Run",ERR=*stmtref, program$, values$, host$, template$

Where:

	page$	Name of the page to be displayed.
	program$	Name of the program to be run/displayed.
	values$	A semi-colon delimited list of variables and associated values to be passed to the page/program on the generated URL. Variable name and value are separated by an equals sign.
	host$	Name of the host. This should be in the form of http://server.domain or https://server.domain. If omitted, the default name of http://127.0.0.1:8088 is used (this can be changed by running *webster/desktop;Setup).
	template$	Name of the template to use. The default is desktop (this can be changed by running webster/desktop;Setup).

Description

Once called, this utility will create a window into which the specified Webster+ page will be displayed using the built-in PxPlus Chromium Browser Object. The window will, on initial display, be centered on the screen and occupy approximately three-quarters of the width and height of the display. The user can move/resize the page as desired with the new position and dimensions being preserved on the file webdesk.inf and used on any subsequent invocation of the same page/program by the same user/workstation.

The *webster/desktop program can be added to the PxPlus IDE or used in a Windows short cut.

When defined as a task in the PxPlus IDE, the Panel/Program parameter should be *webster/desktop (or *webster/desktop;Run) with the following parameters:

	Parameter 1:	Page/program
	Parameter 2:	Values (if any)
	Parameter 3:	Host name with the http/https suffix included
	Parameter 4:	Template file to use

When defining a Windows short cut, the values following -arg would coincide with the above parameter list.

Setting *webster/desktop Defaults

The Webster+ Desktop utility uses the file webdesk.inf to maintain both the system defaults for host and template, along with the size/position for pages the user has previously used.

To define the default host address and template to use, either of the following methods can be used:

Location	Method
From the PxPlus IDE Main Launcher	Expand the Web Deployment category and select Webster+ Desktop Configuration.
From the PxPlus Command window	Enter: *RUN "webster/desktop;Setup"** on a Windows system.

The Webster+ Desktop Configuration window is displayed:

This window consists of the following:

Host:name	Enter the name of the host. This should be in the form of http://server.domain or https://server.domain. If omitted, the default name of http://127.0.0.1:8088 is used.
Template	Enter the name of the template to use. The default is *desktop.html.
Save	Saves the settings entered so that the next time the Webster+ Desktop Configuration window is invoked, it will default to the saved settings.
Cancel	Closes the Webster+ Desktop Configuration window and does not save any changes.

Running Non-Webster+ URLs (*webdesk)

As part of the *webster/desktop utility, you can call *webdesk to display any URL inside the Windows container. The URL can be passed as the first and only parameter being a string value containing the URL to display.

Example:

call "*webdesk","http://www.pvxplus.com"

Like *webster/desktop, the first invocation will be in a centered window, approximately three-quarters of the width and height of the screen. The user may resize/position this window as desired, and the system will use this new size/position when the window is next displayed.