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JX for .NET 2.0 – Technology preview

Introduction
This technology preview of JX for .NET (JX) is intended to demonstrate how simply and transparently JX enables to integrate .NET and Java technologies.

A key differentiator between JX and other solutions on the market, is the fine level of integration that JX offers to interoperate with Java.

With JX, .NET and Java run side by side within the same process which is different from Web services or CORBA technologies that operate at the inter-process level.

JX enables interoperability at the intra-process level.

Consequently, JX supports advanced integration scenarios that leverage Java technology investments and significanlty reduce integration costs.

Most importantly, JX guarantee out of the box Java enterprise quality of service (QoS) when accessing Enterprise Java Beans (EJB) or the Java Message Service (JMS), a feature which is instrumental in enterprise computing environments and extremely difficult to achieve, if not even impossible, with other interoperability alternatives.

JX also offers excellent performances that are similar as in a native Java to Java interoperability scenario.

How does JX work
With JX, they are only 3 steps to access Java from .NET.

Step 1 - Select
In JX code generator (JX Generator) select any Java class you want to access from .NET.

JX Generator automatically displays the list of available Java classes including your Java classes.

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Step 2 - Generate
Using JX Generator, generate .NET proxy classes corresponding to the selected Java classes.

JX generated .NET classes match the original Java classes constructor by constructor, method by method and field by field. There might be minor differences due to programming language capabilities, but in general the .NET and Java are the same.

Step 3 - Access
You are now ready to access Java from .NET.
You can invoke any Java class constructor, method or field from .NET.

JX Demo
In this demo, a .NET 2.0 client, written in C# and using JX generated proxy classes, displays the Java system properties in a WinForm.

The resulting output is shown below.
 
Figure 1 “JX for .NET” showing Java system properties from .NET 2.0 C# client

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Here we have .NET code that, using JX generated classes, access several Java classes - java.lang.System, java.util.Properties, java.util.Enumeration, java.lang.String and java.lang.Object.

Below are two code extracts. One is written in .NET 2.0 C# the other one in Java 5.0. Can you tell the difference?
 
Source code extract 1: 
java.util.Properties properties = java.lang.System.getProperties();

java.util.Enumeration propertyNames = properties.propertyNames();
 
while (propertyNames.hasMoreElements()) {

    String propertyName = (String)propertyNames.nextElement();

    String propertyValue = java.lang.System.getProperty(propertyName);

    … // Output property name, value.

}
 
Source code extract 2: 
java.util.Properties properties = java.lang.System.getProperties();

java.util.Enumeration propertyNames = properties.propertyNames();

while (propertyNames.hasMoreElements()) {

    String propertyName = (String)propertyNames.nextElement();

    String propertyValue = java.lang.System.getProperty(propertyName);

    … // Output property name, value.

}
 
As you can see, both source codes look the same, demonstrating JX transparent interoperability capabilities.

But actually, the source code extract 1 is written in .NET 2.0 C# and the
source code extract 2 is written in Java 5.0.

Worth mentioning is the sophisticated level of integration visible in the cast operation. The propertyNames.nextElement() method returns a java.lang.Object but needs to be cast as a .NET String in this context.

Conclusion
Through this technology preview of JX for .NET, we have seen how JX can transparently and cost efficiently integrate .NET with Java.

JX leverage Java technology investments and allows advanced integration scenarios to access Java either locally or remotely - Enterprise Java Beans (EJB), Java Message Service (JMS) - while also guaranteeing Java enterprise quality of service (QoS).

Download JX for .NET technology preview
Download JX for .NET Technology Preview today and see for yourself how easily .NET and Java can run side by side.

Requirements
Visual Studio 2005 (.NET 2.0).

Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 1.3 and above
Freely available at http://java.sun.com/javase/downloads/index.jsp.

Support
Free support is available for any questions or issues you might have with JX for .NET Technology Preview by contacting J4SOFT at support@j4soft.com.

What's next
If you are interested in having access to early releases of JX for .NET contact send us an email at info@j4soft.com with the subject "JX for .NET - early releases access request".