Selecting a web browser for use with the ICON

Which Web Browser or Java Application?

Last updated: October 4, 2005

You connect to an ICON server from your host PC with a Java program. There are two ways to do this, with a web browser that downloads the java program as an applet (called hmi.jar) automatically from the ICON which runs inside your web browser or by running the java application (called iconhmi.jar) which is installed on your host PC.

The applet allows a user to acces an ICON with only a web browser which is ideal for demonstrations. This browser must be capable of running a Java applet which requires installing the Sun Java Runtime Environment (JRE) or Java browser plugin.

The application allows you to connect to and operate an ICON without a web browser. This is your best choice for normal day to day operation. Once installed you can connect without having to wait for the applet to download from the ICON server, especially nice over dialed telephone connections.

Using the Java Application

Copy the iconhmi.jar file to your desktop.
Execute by double clicking as you would execute any other program. (You will need to install the Java run-time environment as described below.)
To create a new connection, enter a Name (Such as "My ICON"), the address of the ICON (Such as 192.168.1.101) and the Port (For example 80).
Click the Add button to save this site. You may add addition ICON sites in the same manner.
To connect to a site, click to select the ICON server to connect to and click the "Connect" button.
Enter your password and encryption key and click the Login button to logon. (The program hmiapplication.jar creates a file called serverlist.txt in the same directory as the application (usually the desktop directory) which stores your connection, password and encryption information. This allows you to quickly select an ICON and login after initial configuration.)

Using Web Browsers

The ICON will work with any modern browser with the Sun Java Plugin.

As an example, you can access an ICON with:

http://192.168.1.100
or
http://192.168.1.98:85

(Of coarse, change your IP and port as appropriate.)

The ICON only uses the web browser for displaying static HTML pages. As the ICON is shipped from the factory, there are only simple HTML help pages. The user can create and save additional HTML pages which can be displayed from the HMI. Therefore the browser must be capable of displaying whatever HTML pages the user created.

Most of the work done in the browser is done by Java (executing the applet hmi.jar which is downloaded from the ICON). Therefore it is imperative that your web browser be configured to execute Java Applets.

The Java Plugin

The Java plugin and run time environment allows all web browsers (and the application) to execute Java the same since it is the same code, written by Sun Microsystems. Currently the best Sun Java plugin to use is Java 1.5.X.

Windows, Unix (Linux) and MAC Operating Systems

Everything works properly under Windows.
Drag and Drop does not work under Unix (Linux) or Mac. Therefore you can't create new HMI objects and position when creating HMI screens under these two OSs at this time. All other operations work fine such as programming and executing HMI display screens at run time.
Use Internet Explorer or the Java application on the MAC.
Use the Java application or a Java enabled wed browser under Unix (Linux).

Accessing Multiple ICONS Simultaneously

You need a separate browser window for each instance of Java. Therefore you can't simply point your browser to the URL of a new ICON since this will kill your connection to the current ICON. Instead you must create a new browser window. To do this simply run another instance of your web browser. Or you may create a new window from within your browser as follows:

Click to select the "File" drop down menu.
Click the first entry which is "New" for Internet Explorer.
Now a new browser window will appear which you can use to access another ICON site.

Internet Explorer has the bad habit of connecting the new window to the currently accessed ICON URL. This will cause the first connection to be lost. (You may then proceed to reconnect your first connection and point the second window to your second ICON but this is inconvenient.) To avoid this problem:

Create the number of needed browser windows from within the currently running instance of the browser before you connect to any ICON sites.
Create new browser windows by running new instances of the browser rather than creating new windows from within the currently executing instance of the browser.