I think you need to read up more on client/server relationships

In a nutshell:

The server will be listening on a port on the computer it's running on. You specify which port with a number in the cofe (there are standard ports used for certain purposes, so you should avoid those). The client should be written to check the port number the server is listening to. If the server is up and running when the client probes the port, the communication process begins.

If memory serves correctly, there was an article at
http://www.javacoffeebreak.com that explains java client/server stuff. Also, if you want to run the server from your personal page, you need to check with your host to make sure you have permission to run programs in your space. If you're using Yahoo/Geocities or Xoom or some such, then you probably don't.

Edited by - Aldacron on 2/11/00 10:03:11 PM

Edited by - Aldacron on 2/11/00 10:03:58 PM

Really, you need to research this. Coding a server in Java is a cakewalk compared to C/C++, but it''s not something you can learn from a message board

To answer your question, you''re program will not automatically do anything! You need to start it first When the server is running it will listen to the port. That''s what a server does. A basic java server that does nothing would consist of 3 (at least 2) classes. The main function will be in MyServer. Of the other 2, one we''ll call MyPortListener, the other we''ll call MyConnection. (You could also put main in the MyPortListener if you wanted).

The program flow would be something like this:

In main you create a new MyPortListener. MyPortListener should implement Runnable (or extend Thread). When MyPortListener''s thread is started, it listens to the specified port. If a client requests a connection, MyPortListener creates a new MyConnection and then continues listening.

Now, obviously there would be more to it than that. Each connection would need to be handled in a seperate thread and you woul;d want classes to manage the flow of information between the server and each connection, but the outline above is the core of every server on the web. Listening to ports and creating connections.

And, yes, the port should be hardcoded into the source. It''s up to you which port number you use (as long as it''s not one of the standardized ports) and makes need not change even if the domain does. As far as the clients go, the actual URL to connect to should not be hardcoded (in most cases). It''s better to give the user an option. All depends on what you use it for. The port should be hardcoded in the client, but again, depends on what you use it for.

For a high-score server like you want, I would hardcode everything, including the URL. However, if you want to allow other people to run your high score server, hardcode the port in the server AND the client and let the user choose the URL.