Hi Terry,

the application is a simple one that looks up user entered strings for possible matches in another database and returns any possible matches with a rank that tells how "good" the match was. Obviously this searching needs to be error tolerant to handle mis-spellings and typos. It is a completely standalone VFP app and rather than try to build error tolerant searching from scratch I have located a few utilities that purport to do it. One being a java application.

I do not know what a SCORM project is so this is probably not one of those :)

What I would like to be able to do is automate the java utility the same (similar) way to automating MS Word or Excel, so that I can call the utility, pass in the string(s) and get the results back for use in my application. The vendor has given me the impression that they only have a java API available and hence must only call it from java.

I have found other utilities that have COM interfaces so am investigating those as well, then based on the best fit will (if the java utility looks like the best) get deeper into it.

Thanks.

>I am not a expert but I have a little project experience. And we are lucky that there are a couple of very experienced Java engineers here, but they usually respond to very specific questions (with code examples). But they're here!
>
>My short answer: Yes, you can.
>
>There are some frameworks availabale (West Wind / ActiveVFP)that can integrate VFP with ASP (and NET). They are double-excellent products built specific for high end VFP poered server applications. This is one avenue.
>
>Are you doing a SCORM project?
>
>My Java API project required I build a JavaScript "API" (a "find object" loop in the content would assure "API" instanciation and then allow script to refrence functions in the "API") to replace a "sample" java class (and activeX) and jsp/Apache implementation. The "legacy" stuff is/was java classes and jsp. The project required only ECMA (JavaScript) and did not allow for server pages. A benfit of doing some projects without a "Server Page" layer may be that the overhead required for state management is shifted from the server to the client.
>
>If this is a "browser" interface, and the "utility" is instanciated in the browser - you can, as I have, use a foxISAPI COM (IIS) to "build" and return script to the browser that will take advantage of the "utility" (and use everything as is!). You may also be able to instanciate the object on the server for your processes. With foxISAPI you would not need a framework. But they (ActiveVFP and West Wind) are good products (and they too, are all over the world!).
>
>If this is a desktop interface (a form) there are other ways to get stuff from a server or server activex controls,also. There is an extensive "library" of MSDOM Document objects that do all sorts of things, and to use them all we have to do is:
>oMyOject=createobject("OneOftheManyMSDOMObjects") (and we can do it right inside our VFP apps!)
>
>Before going further (and putting foot deeper in mouth) - what does the project do? What does the "utility" do? What does the vendor's example instanciation code look like. What is the architecture - or what is planned for it? Do you already have ASP and or a fox web services framework installed? Do you require or need a server page engine?
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>Is it a desktop interface or a browser interface?
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>Does the vendors "utility" require an Apache Server or Sun Java's Object installed?
>
>I think your vendor is correct - Java is everywhere and it is 100% W3C. You will have to sweat - but you will learn a bunch from this and take a whole lot more away from the table. It's not a job, it's an adventure!:-)