How could I directly trigger a very simple on localhost and a known port listening server from my internet browser client?

[Marc]

How could I directly trigger a very simple on localhost and a known port
listening server from my internet browser client? Local host means the
little server would be running on the client machine, where my browser
resides. Browser would be IE, O.S. Windows 2000 or XP, and it's for an
intranet application. The goal of the little server on the localhost client
side would be to trigger a scanner, with the TWAIN library. Also this server
is just some local windows executable listening on a known port, it's not
THE server that provides javascript and html to the client. THE big Server
runs on Linux far far away.

Excuse me for my lack of knowledge, but since some cracks, (for which a
little candle will burn in my local church today, it's Sunday you know, and
it's a sin even to work today, as if I did not sin enough the past week
anyway), well again since some posters have explained me that the <object>
tag and related "classid" attribute do not necessarily have to point to an
'original' active x object, this I had this idea:

Could I then somehow use the object tag and the class id attribute to
trigger a very simple locally running server from my Internet Explorer
browser? This local server I then would register in the windows registry,
just like the JRE is registered with the magic number
classid="clsid: 8AD9C840-044E-11D1-B3E9-00805F499D93" .

And if this is not a good idea, how can I call this localhost sever on the
client side, since I cannot do windows socket programming or something from
html or even javascript? Or should I use a button which, as action, launches
a new browser, on say localhost:12345 ? Disadvantage would be that then I got
a new window that is of no other use then just kicking this local server,
hence that's not very pretty either.

For your interest, it's programming for an intranet, so some obliged
clientside properties are accepted in the system. I should call TWAIN and
kick a scanner from the browser. The little server running at the client
side, would be the alternative for a JTWAIN applet, I tried earlier.

[VK]

Marc wrote:

For your interest, it's programming for an intranet, so some obliged
clientside properties are accepted in the system. I should call TWAIN and
kick a scanner from the browser. The little server running at the client
side, would be the alternative for a JTWAIN applet, I tried earlier.

You did not specify the required browser coverage (IE-only, IE/FF etc.)

Also it is not clear if you want just trig the scanning process from
the web page or you want to get the scan results (image/recognized
text) back to your page.

Overall rule is "if you do something, do it good, right and scalable".
So I would just install free lightweight Abyss Web Server
<http://abyss.sourcefor ge.net/> and let it run on http://127.0.0.0 or
any other LAN IP of your choice. It takes memory less than Notepad.

Then from your web application you can:
<span onclick="
document.images['image01'].src =
http://127.0.0.0/cgi-bin/your_twain_...foo&param2=bar
">Get scan results</span>

Simplier solution - better it is ;-)

[Marc]

"VK" <sc**********@y ahoo.com> schreef

You did not specify the required browser coverage (IE-only, IE/FF etc.)
The best would be IE and FF, but I would settle for IE.
Also it is not clear if you want just trig the scanning process from
the web page or you want to get the scan results (image/recognized
text) back to your page.
The image should be sent to the 'big' Linux server. If the image is there,
another page sent from that Linux server should display the image.
Overall rule is "if you do something, do it good, right and scalable".
So I would just install free lightweight Abyss Web Server
<http://abyss.sourcefor ge.net/> and let it run on http://127.0.0.0 or
any other LAN IP of your choice. It takes memory less than Notepad.
Well the little sever I made is actually nothing either, but this is
interesting nevertheless.

Then from your web application you can:
<span onclick="
document.images['image01'].src =
http://127.0.0.0/cgi-bin/your_twain_...foo&param2=bar
">Get scan results</span>

Should this not be something like:

http://127.0.0.0:12345/ et cetera. Where 12345 is the listening address.

The little server would be not really a port 80 http internet cgi server,
it's nothing more then a socket listener that calls TWAIN when it is
triggered. And I do not want to use that little server to create (much) html
output like the Linux server would do. This servlet would just scan, and
send to the Linux server, and the Linux sends the html to the browser.
Eh..., I think, I have to think about it a bit myself also.

FYI: The whole reason behind this is that the teamlead would like to cut the
licence cost, since I already got it more or less working with the applet
and JTWAIN. Latter has to be paid for a licence to use.

But thanks a lot.

[VK]

<not a script issue>

Marc wrote:

The best would be IE and FF, but I would settle for IE.
A very nice way to say "our organization is IE-only so we do not care
about others". Appreciate it. :-)

Then from your web application you can:
<span onclick="
document.images['image01'].src =
http://127.0.0.0/cgi-bin/your_twain_...foo&param2=bar
">Get scan results</span>

Should this not be something like:

http://127.0.0.0:12345/ et cetera. Where 12345 is the listening address.

It all depends on what are you dealing with. If you just need to trig
an executable then it really doesn't matter what port are you calling
to: 80 or 12344 or 64000. Just give something HTTP-compliant back, at
the very least "204 No Content"
The little server would be not really a port 80 http internet cgi server,
it's nothing more then a socket listener that calls TWAIN when it is
triggered. And I do not want to use that little server to create (much) html
output like the Linux server would do. This servlet would just scan, and
send to the Linux server, and the Linux sends the html to the browser.
Eh..., I think, I have to think about it a bit myself also.

Really :-)
The logic (lesser extra circumastances I'm not aware of) should be just
opposite: web page > Linux server [ > TWAIN call if needed > ] > HTTP
response back to the web page.

</not a script issue>

[marc]

VK:

A very nice way to say "our organization is IE-only so we do not care
about others". Appreciate it. :-)

No, no, no, we use both mozilla firefox and internet explorer. The case
is, that this browser client would be a special client anyway, the one
ordernador in the intranet that has the scanner near it, and the twain
dll installed. So if one of the client properties would be, obliged IE
use, it would be excepted.

But the posibility that the software still would be browser
independant, could be appreciated. I mean, if we really loved Bill, we
probably would not use Linux for the server OS.

[Jasen Betts]

On 2005-12-18, Marc <no*****@for.me > wrote:

The little server would be not really a port 80 http internet cgi server,
it's nothing more then a socket listener that calls TWAIN when it is
triggered. And I do not want to use that little server to create (much) html
output like the Linux server would do. This servlet would just scan, and
send to the Linux server, and the Linux sends the html to the browser.
how are you sending the image back? "printing" it to a "printter" on the
linux server?
Eh..., I think, I have to think about it a bit myself also.

FYI: The whole reason behind this is that the teamlead would like to cut the
licence cost, since I already got it more or less working with the applet
and JTWAIN. Latter has to be paid for a licence to use.

if there's a windows version of SANE the linux box could access the scanner
directly.

--

Bye.
Jasen

[Jasen Betts]

On 2005-12-18, Marc <no*****@for.me > wrote:

How could I directly trigger a very simple on localhost and a known port
listening server from my internet browser client? Local host means the
little server would be running on the client machine, where my browser
resides. Browser would be IE, O.S. Windows 2000 or XP, and it's for an
intranet application. The goal of the little server on the localhost client
side would be to trigger a scanner, with the TWAIN library. Also this server
is just some local windows executable listening on a known port, it's not
THE server that provides javascript and html to the client. THE big Server
runs on Linux far far away.
you want to trigger a twain library (which will open the scanner dialog?)
Excuse me for my lack of knowledge, but since some cracks, (for which a
little candle will burn in my local church today, it's Sunday you know, and
it's a sin even to work today, as if I did not sin enough the past week
anyway), well again since some posters have explained me that the <object>
tag and related "classid" attribute do not necessarily have to point to an
'original' active x object, this I had this idea:
you could possibly develop a scanner activex object
Could I then somehow use the object tag and the class id attribute to
trigger a very simple locally running server from my Internet Explorer
browser? This local server I then would register in the windows registry,
just like the JRE is registered with the magic number
classid="clsid: 8AD9C840-044E-11D1-B3E9-00805F499D93" .
what sort of server?
And if this is not a good idea, how can I call this localhost sever on the
client side, since I cannot do windows socket programming or something from
html or even javascript? Or should I use a button which, as action, launches
a new browser, on say localhost:12345 ? Disadvantage would be that then I got
a new window that is of no other use then just kicking this local server,
hence that's not very pretty either.
you can do this to kick a local server

var junk=new Image;
junk.src="http://localhost:12345/"+unique_string ;

For your interest, it's programming for an intranet, so some obliged
clientside properties are accepted in the system. I should call TWAIN and
kick a scanner from the browser. The little server running at the client
side, would be the alternative for a JTWAIN applet, I tried earlier.

what is supposed to happen to the scanned image?

Bye.
Jasen