(this note taken from the comments at the beginning of _waimodule.c)
Python Extension Class interface to Netscape Enterprise WAI API
(excerpted from Netscape's documentation, "Chapter 1. Understanding WAI")
"""
The Web Application Interface (WAI) is one of the programming
interfaces that allow you to extend the functionality of Netscape web
servers.
WAI is a CORBA-based programming interface that defines object
interfaces to the HTTP request/response data and server
information. Using WAI, you can write a web application in C, C++, or
Java that accepts an HTTP request from a client, processes it, and
returns a response to the client. You can also write your own server
plug-ins for processing HTTP requests.
..
WAI includes wrapper classes (classes that implement the interfaces)
for C++ and Java and a C interface. You can use C, C++, or Java to
write your own applications that access HTTP request objects through
the defined interface.
..
You can also write server plug-ins in C or C++ that use the functions
and classes defined in WAI.
"""
Anywhere you see "C" in the above sentences, this module lets you add
"Python" to the list. ;)
v0.1 : Dave Mitchell (
[email protected]) 9/30/97
This module implements Netscape's Java WAI interface as documented at
http://developer.netscape.com/library/documentation/enterprise/wai/javaapi.htm
To learn more about what WAI is and how it works, try looking at:
http://developer.netscape.com/library/documentation/enterprise/wai/index.htm
To compile this:
1) edit Setup.in to reflect the proper locations the various enterprise
libraries, include files, and the ExtensionClass.h header file.
2) edit Makefile.pre.in "NSDIR" variable to point to the directory
where enterprise-3.0 is installed
3) you must have ExtensionClass.so in your pythonpath to run the
module.
4) type "make -f Makefile.pre.in boot"
5) "make all"
6) If all goes well, you'll now have new copy of python in the current
directory, with a builtin "_wai" module. Due to linking errors I was unable
to build a working shared waimodule object file.
7) Enable WAI applications in your netsite (it's in the Programs menu
of the admin server - If you're using enterprise server 3.0, you'll need
to have "osagent" running when you enable WAI or use WAI services)
To create a new web application service in Python, you have to do a
couple of things:
1) import wai - this is a python layer that provides error tracebacks
2) derive your own class from wai.WebApplicationService, and provide
a Run() method which takes as an argument a HTTPServiceRequest object. This
HSR object contains methods with which you can query and set request and
response headers, as well as getting cgi environment data, and of course,
outputting the response to the client.
3) call the WAS object's RegisterService() method, with the argument
being the "host:port" of the enterprise 3.0 server you are registering
with.
4) Access your wai application via the url "/iiop/<servicename>" where
<servicename> was the argument given to the WebApplicationService constructor.
5) happy trails! try "./python waihello.py waihello <server>:<port>"
and go to the url "/iiop/waihello" for an example.
Please do let me know if you do anything cool with this!
yours,
Dave Mitchell
[email protected]
