General Questions
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What is J/Link? |
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J/Link is a toolkit that integrates Mathematica and
Java. It lets you call Java from Mathematica in a completely
transparent way, and it lets you use and control
the Mathematica kernel from a Java program. J/Link is
also the recommended and supported way to
make Mathematica-based functionality available over the
web. For Mathematica users, J/Link makes the whole
universe of existing and future Java classes an automatic extension to
the Mathematica environment. For Java
programmers, J/Link turns Mathematica into a scripting
shell that lets you experiment with, build, and test Java classes a
line at a time. It also makes Java the ideal language for writing
programs that use the computational services of Mathematica.
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How does it work? |
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The underlying glue that makes J/Link work is MathLink,
Wolfram Research's protocol for sending data and commands back and
forth between Mathematica and other programs. At its
core, J/Link is a MathLink developer kit for Java,
although it goes far beyond this. In fact, J/Link's best
feature is that for a large class of uses, it hides MathLink
completely, so users and programmers do not need to know anything
about it. This class corresponds to the so-called
"installable" or "template" MathLink
programs, which plug into Mathematica and extend its
functionality. For all types of MathLink
programs, J/Link provides a higher-level layer of functionality
than the traditional C-MathLink programming interface
does. This makes Java the easiest and most convenient language for
writing programs that interact with Mathematica.
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In simple terms, what can J/Link do? |
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- J/Link allows you to use Mathematica remotely to do
the following:
- Call Java methods from Mathematica
- Write Java programs that use the services of Mathematica
- Write applets that use Mathematica kernels on the
client or server
- J/Link allows you to use Java functions inside
your Mathematica program to do the following:
- Create alternative front ends for Mathematica
- Create dialog boxes and other pop-up user-interface elements for
Mathematica programs
- Create and manipulate ActiveX and other COM objects from
Mathematica (Microsoft Windows only
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| Q: |
How much does J/Link cost? |
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J/Link is free!
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Can J/Link work across the World Wide Web? |
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Yes; since Java was implemented to work across the World Wide
Web, J/Link can as well.
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Software and Installation Questions
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Do I need any additional software? |
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While it is possible to hook up Mathematica to the web directly
using MathLink and C code, there are a number of tools
that make this process much easier. J/Link is a free Wolfram Research API
that allows you to call Mathematica from Java, load Java classes
into Mathematica, or create and run Java code from Mathematica
code. There are also tools to connect Mathematica and Perl,
Python, or TCL/TK. We also provide tools that help you to set up
your Mathematica-enabled web site and to make sure that you do
not violate the license agreement you signed.
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Do I need a compiler to run a J/Link program? |
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No; however, you must have a Java runtime that is Version 1.1 or
later. On the Macintosh, you must have the Macintosh Runtime for Java
(MRJ) 2.1 or later.
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Do I need anything else to run my J/Link program? |
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Yes; J/Link requires Mathematica 4.0 or later and is
compatible with all platforms on which Mathematica and Java are
available. Virtually all features of J/Link will work fine
in Mathematica 3.0, but this is not an officially supported
configuration. You do not need to have Mathematica installed on
your machine to use J/Link (you can use a remote
Mathematica kernel), but you do need to have
the MathLink files installed. The MathLink files are
part of the Mathematica distribution, so if you are
running Mathematica on a machine, then MathLink is
installed there. Contact Wolfram Research for specific information
about obtaining the MathLink files if you do not have them for
the platform on which you intend to run J/Link programs.
Microsoft Windows 95/98/NT users require the MathLink files
that are included with Mathematica 4 or later. Users with
Mathematica 3.0 can obtain these files here.
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Do I need a special compiler to compile my Java programs that use J/Link? |
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No; however, to write your own Java programs that use J/Link,
you will need a Java compiler such as the one in Sun Microsystems'
Java Development Kit (JDK), available free for Solaris and
Windows. Commercial and freeware Java compilers are available from
many vendors. To use the "installable Java" component
of J/Link, where you call existing Java classes
from Mathematica, you need only a Java runtime, not the
compiler and development kit.
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