Calling .jsx functions from .js files using HTML Widget

Question

Hi there,
I'm using the HTML Widget in a panel to load an html file along with some javascript files. Is there a way to call .jsx Adobe functions from a .js file? I've successfully been able to call an alert() of a .jsx file from the html but have not been able to do anything further than that.
For example:
.js file:
var x = foo('bar');
alert(x);
.jsx file:
function foo(x) {
    alert('This works');
    var dir = $.fileName;
    alert('This doesn't work because of $.fileName');
    return 'Directory: ' + dir;}
So, ultimately I would like to have an HTML Widget in my panel, press a link that will call fiddle with the open document and layer, then return some values back to the HTML Widget's js file.
Thanks

Answer 1

To the client browser, JSP is just HTML. Adding JS makes it DHTML, which provides the kind of applet/web page interaction you were referring to in the first post. Note that the applet and JS are both being run 'client side', whereas the JSP is generated 'server side'.
A JSP environment can in some cases replace the JS (e.g. submit a form with values to the server, and use JSP to write the resulting applet page). This can be handy in the event that the end user does not have JS enabled, in that you can offer a 'pure HTML' solution. OTOH though, it is slower (requires a round trip to the server to do what the user asked for) and most users prefer the quicker 'click and see' philosophy of the Java/JS combo.
So, my advice to you is that JSP adds very little value, here.