Launching Thin Client Applications from a Web Page

Follow the procedure below if you want thin client users to launch your application from a Web page.
  1. Install your COBOL application on your application server host. This machine must also contain the ACUCOBOL-GT runtime, AcuConnect, and the other required software components. Note that your application does not need to reside on the same host as your Web server.
  2. Create a thin client command-line file that contains all the information needed by the ACUCOBOL-GT Thin Client to launch your application. This file should have an .atc or .acutc extension. The format of this file is described in Thin Client Command-line Files.
  3. Place the thin client command-line file on your Web server and create a link to it from an appropriate Web page. Your users click on this link to launch your thin client application.
  4. To ensure that your thin client is recognized across a wide variety of browsers, configure your Web server to generate an HTTP "Content-type" response header field, which is included with the thin client command-line file. This field should contain the MIME type "application/vnd.acucorp.thincommandline". Refer to your Web server documentation for instructions on adding a MIME type.

After you set up your hyperlink, end users who visit your Web page can run the program by clicking on the program's link. The display occurs in an application window outside of the user's browser. Users who start the thin client from an .atc or .acutc file that was downloaded from the Internet are presented with a security dialog asking them to authorize the action.

Note: A Windows XP Service Pack 2 user may receive a File Download dialog before the thin client application can execute. If the user clears the "Always ask before opening this type of file" check box the first time it appears, subsequent requests for this thin client application proceed immediately.

Another way to launch thin client applications from a Web page is the ACUCOBOL-GT Web Thin Client. The Web thin client is an ActiveX control that encapsulates the functionality of the ACUCOBOL-GT Thin Client. It is designed for browsers that support ActiveX controls, particularly Microsoft Internet Explorer. More information about the Web thin client can be found in A Programmer’s Guide to the Internet.

Users can also launch the ACUCOBOL-GT Thin Client by entering the host name of the application server or an Internet IP address on the acuthin.exe command line. See Launching Programs on the Internet for more information.