ToonTalk programs can be translated to Java applets

ToonTalk and Java

ToonTalk can produce a Java applet from a ToonTalk program.

The interface to translate something to a Java applet is to pick it up, hit pause, then click on "Save It, Make Java Applet, and Show Web Page". You have metaphorically moved something from ToonTalk and it is now in Windows. If all goes well a browser will be launched and you will see your program running. To try this yourself go to the examples notebook on page 6 and pick up the robot that repeatedly adds 1 on page 2. Hit pause and click on come back later. When the applet appears in your web browser click "Start" and watch the number grow. Only robots, trucks, and pictures will generate a Java applet if held while suspending ToonTalk. A robot will be run with a box like the one it was trained with. When loading up the truck, you may need to press F8 to stop it from driving off. You can put a text pad in the truck to name the applet. If you want your robots to use a special notebook, you'll have to put a copy of the notebook in the truck. To name an applet generated from a picture (typically with robots on the back) just add a text pad to the back of the picture. (Text pads longer than 31 characters are interpreted as a comment - names must be less than 32 characters.)

An applet can query the user for values. If you translate to Java something with a nest in a box (and the bird for that nest isn't also being translated to Java) and you have given the nest a label or have put a label under the hole, then when the Java applet needs a value and finds the nest it will ask the user for the value by printing the label. Similarly if a bird is labeled or in a labeled hole and is given something then the label is printed along with a description of the thing given to the bird. The idea is that birds and nests are being used for communicating to and from the user of a Java applet.

This facility requires a Java-enabled browser such as Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher or Netscape Navigator 4.0 or higher (available from www.netscape.com).

Click here to trouble shoot problems in generating Java applets.

To see and run some sample programs translated from ToonTalk to Java click here.