Subj : Embedding spidermonkey in a C++ application
To   : netscape.public.mozilla.xpcom,netscape.public.mozilla.jseng
From : Thomas Sondergaard
Date : Tue Aug 30 2005 12:15 pm

I've embedded spidermonkey in C++ application using the jsapi, and while 
it works it is a lot of work to write and maintain wrappers and error 
prone too. Phil McLachlan (quoted below) has posted questions here about 
using XPCOM, which I think sound like an interesting option, except it 
is not clear to me whether XPConnect is deprecated and should not be used?

I'd like you seasoned spidermonkeys to help me answer this simple question.

In a C++ application I wish to make a document scriptable. It is not 
exactly a HTML DOM-document, but something similar, ie. it is a 
tree-like structured document with typed nodes that have attributes. The 
  document is implemented as a set of C++ classes, which will need to be 
exposed to the script. What would you recommend

* Using XPCOM/XPConnect
* Write the wrappers by hand using js-api
* Something else, ie roll-your-own swig-like wrapper generator

Best regards,

Thomas Sondergaard

Phil McLachlan wrote:
> "Phil McLachlan" <pmclachlan@.nospam.vizible.com> wrote in message 
> news:dd8m5o$ok62@ripley.netscape.com...
> 
>>We are investigating using XPCOM as a framework for our project.  Our 
>>application will run as a stand-alone executable, and it will be used as a 
>>plug-in within browsers: Mozilla, Safari, and IE.  We require JS scripting 
>>of our application, so packaging Spidermonkey with our application seems 
>>appealing.  In this case, we could use XPConnect to perform the 
>>integration.
>>
>>I've noticed that XPCOM's plug-in API (XPConnect?) has been replaced by 
>>npruntime.  Is this because plug-in writers are moving towards using 
>>ActiveX integration in IE with npruntime wrappers for the other browsers? 
>>I reckon this would eliminate having to package a JS engine with a 
>>plug-in, which is currently the approach used by Macromedia Flash and 
>>Adobe Acrobat Reader. On the other hand, writing the npruntime wrappers 
>>could become labour intensive.  Is there a npruntime to ActiveX bridge? 
>>What is the recommended approach for developing rich environment browser 
>>plug-ins?  It would be nice, if we could also use a JS engine with our 
>>stand-alone executable.
> 
> 
> I guess using XPCOM, XPConnect, and embedded Spidermonkey  is a better 
> option for us, because it allows us to reuse the JS in our stand-alone 
> executable.  However, XPConnect being depricated in favour of npruntime 
> scares me a bit.  Is anyone using npruntime to script their application with 
> embedded Spidermonkey, or is that not the intent?
> 
> 
>>Also, in this context, which is better to use: standalone XPCOM or XPCOM 
>>with the entire Mozilla source tree?  If possible, I imagine the 
>>standalone implementation would be more desirable.  Is XPCOM packaged as a 
>>separate product that you can get frozen stable interfaces and 
>>implementations for? Is there documentation for the various Mozilla XPCOM 
>>libraries?  I read the standalone is not compatible with the one in the 
>>Mozilla tree.  Why is this, and should this be a concern?
>>
>>Assuming standalone XPCOM is the way to go, can someone point me to 
>>directions on how to download it and use it with XPConnect/Spidermonkey?
> 
> 
> Okay, I've found the Gecko SDK, which comes compiled and packaged for the 
> various Mozilla releases.  This seems to work well, as opposed to standalone 
> XPCOM, which seems to have become broken in the Mozilla build in the past 
> due to neglect.
> 
> 
>>Thanks for any advice. 
> 
> 
>

.