Holy SPANK!! I got a connection...

[ryan headley]

Well good news, I am halfway there. I can connect to my server and read from a file there. Here is the code I used:

import java.net.*;
import java.io.*;
class ConnectionTest {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            URL yahoo = new URL("http://members.home.com/rch-tech/count");
            URLConnection yahooConnection = yahoo.openConnection();
            DataInputStream dis = new DataInputStream(yahooConnection.getInputStream());
            String inputLine;
            while ((inputLine = dis.readLine()) != null) {
                System.out.println(inputLine);
            }
            dis.close();
        } catch (MalformedURLException me) {
            System.out.println("MalformedURLException: " + me);
        } catch (IOException ioe) {
            System.out.println("IOException: " + ioe);
        }
    }
}

I run this and get the correct data back from the file.
However what I need to do is update the file after the applet starts to keep track of how many times it has been run.
I found this code (both snippets) on the net as a tutorial and adapted it to my environment.
The code below is what allows you to connect to a server and write data. However I get a FileNotFoundException when running this part:

import java.io.*;
import java.net.*;
public class ReverseTest 
{
    public static void main(String[] args) 
{
       try{
    String s = "5";
            String update = URLEncoder.encode(s);
        URL url = new URL("http://members.home.com/rch-tech/count");
        URLConnection connection = url.openConnection();
System.out.println("connection opened");
connection.setDoOutput(true);
                PrintStream outStream = new PrintStream(connection.getOutputStream());
                outStream.println(update);
                outStream.close();

DataInputStream inStream = new DataInputStream(connection.getInputStream());
            String inputLine;
            while ((inputLine = inStream.readLine()) != null) {
                System.out.println(inputLine);
            }
            inStream.close();
                }
        catch (MalformedURLException me) {System.err.println("MalformedURLException: " + me);} 
catch (IOException ioe) {System.err.println("IOException: " + ioe);}
    }
}

Any clues...also the whole InputStream section of code, I don't understand what its there for.
Thanx
Ryan Headley
[This message has been edited by ryan headley (edited January 31, 2001).]

[Nathan Pruett]

Ryan,
Read this document ( http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/networking/urls/readingWriting.html ) on the Sun website about reading and writing to URLs... Basically you can read a file (which is what http is made for), but you cannot write a file... you can only write to the URL for some kind of server-side program like a cgi-script to interpret... If you ask why you cannot do this, think on this : If you could write files directly to the server you could overwrite (or erase) any webpage...
The only way you can write anything to the server is to write a program that runs on the server and have your program call it... either with CGI or via Sockets...
Anyway, HTH,
-Nate

[ryan headley]

Thanx for your input. At least you answered. I'd had asked questions similar to this already and was lead to believe it was possible, (with things like signed applets etc.)
I guess I'll just hang it up for now. I don't think my ISP supports jsp or servlets, or if they do, they don't have information on setting up a page with it.
Guess I'll wait to get DSL and my own .com and mess with it that way.
Thanx again.

[Randall Twede]

First, of all your classes are not Applets. To be an Applet, your class must extend Applet, and have a method public void init().
Second, maybe you can use signed Applets but I dont know much about them(except that the client can choose not to accept). I think you have to pay to have it signed.
[This message has been edited by Randall Twede (edited February 04, 2001).]

[ryan headley]

yeah, that code that I posted, was after I had converted it from an applet to an app.
Sorry about that.