The Java Importer allows you to access the rich environment of the Java programming language from your Forms applications. Using the Java Importer, you can automatically generate PL/SQL packages and procedures that will allow you to create and use Java objects directly in your forms applications, all via the PL/SQL language facilities provided by Oracle Oracle Forms and the runtime services provided by Oracle Forms Server.
Beyond simply mapping static methods to PL/SQL functions and procedures, the Java Importer provides support for persistent Java objects, with support for type mapping and array objects.
You can conveniently access the imported Java through the generated PL/SQL using the new ORA_JAVA package and its Built-ins. Internally, the generated PL/SQL packages use the Java Native Interface (JNI) standard.
Imported Java runs in the middle tier. The corresponding generated PL/SQL package calls into the Java class and the Java methods execute in a dedicated Java Virtual Machine (JVM) on the Forms Server. A dedicated JVM is created for each Forms Server application instance that uses the generated PL/SQL package to call the imported Java.
In Oracle Forms, the Java Importer is represented by a dialog that provides you with a way to select or specify the Java classes you wish to make use of in your Forms application. Once you have selected the required Java classes, the Java Importer calls the PL/SQL generator to create a PL/SQL package for each class you have selected. You will use this importer whenever you want to provide access to a Java class to your application. The Java Importer can be run multiple times during a development session as new Java class access requirements are discovered; it is not necessary to identify all the classes needed at once.