Replacement of applet which takes print from barcode printer

Question

We are using Applet to take print from bar code printer.Since ,newer versions has stopped supporting applets i need to replace Applet with some other way to print. need help how to proceed.

For print content, we use Free Marker Template language, In Java we process FTL content with the tokens and we flush the output to a browser as a normal text.

From applet code, we generate print button in the browser and printer drop down to take the print.

Below is the print content. ^Q38,3 ^W75 ^H15 ^P1 ^S4 ^AT ^C1 ^R0 ~Q+0 ^O0 ^D0 ^E12 ~R200 ^L Dy2-me-dd Th:m:s BA,63,146,3,7,100,0,0,${sample_no} AC,25,38,1,1,0,0,NAME: AC,130,38,1,1,0,0,[#if patient.visit_type != 'in']${(patient.full_name)!}[#else]${(patient.patient_name)!}[/#if] AC,25,81,1,1,0,0,AGE: AC,126,81,1,1,0,0,${patient.age}/[#if patient.visit_type != 'in']${patient.agein}[#else]Y[/#if] AC,218,81,1,1,0,0,SEX: AC,298,81,1,1,0,0,${patient.patient_gender} AE,168,253,1,1,0,0,${sample_no} E

Applet Code:

public class PrintApplet extends JApplet implements ActionListener {

    private String printText;
    private byte[] printBytes;
    private Properties props;

    private static String PRINTER_KEY1 = "hms_user_printer1";
    private static String PRINTER_KEY2 = "hms_user_printer2";
    private static String TOTAL_PRINTERS_KEY = "total_printers";
    private static String AUTO_CLOSE = "auto_close";

    @Override
    public void init() {
        props = loadProperties();

        JSObject win = JSObject.getWindow(this);
        JSObject doc = (JSObject) win.getMember("document");
        JSObject textarea = (JSObject) doc.call("getElementById",new Object[] { "printData" });
        printText = (String) textarea.getMember("value");
        printText = printText.replace("\n", "\r\n"); // some printers need// \r, others treat \n// as \r\n
        printBytes = unescape(printText.getBytes());

        try {
            java.awt.EventQueue.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
                public void run() {
                    setLookAndFeel();
                    initComponents();
                }
            });
        } catch (Exception ex) {
            ex.printStackTrace();
        }
    }

    /* Method for printer2*/
    public void actionPerformedOnPrinterOne() {

        // get number of printers entered by user
        String numberOfPrinters = props.getProperty(TOTAL_PRINTERS_KEY);

        if (numberOfPrinters == null || numberOfPrinters.equals("")) {
            //  ask user number of  printers
            numberOfPrinters = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(this, "Please enter the number of printers" +
                    " (Note: supported for only two printers, enter in numeric)");

            if (numberOfPrinters == null || numberOfPrinters.equals("")) {
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(this, "You did not specify the number of printers. " +
                        "To enter the number of printers please click Print again");
                return;
            }

            numberOfPrinters = numberOfPrinters.trim();
            if (!numberOfPrinters.equals("1") && !numberOfPrinters.equals("2")) {
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(this, "Please specify only 1 or 2" +
                        "To enter the number of printers please click Print again");
                return;
            }

            props.setProperty(TOTAL_PRINTERS_KEY, numberOfPrinters);
            saveProperties(props);
        }

        doPrint(PRINTER_KEY1);
    }

    /* Method for printer2*/
    public void actionPerformedOnPrinterTwo() {
        doPrint(PRINTER_KEY2);
    }

    public void doPrint(String printerKey) {

        String printer = props.getProperty(printerKey);

        if (printer == null || printer.equals("")) {
            // ask the user for the printer
            printer = JOptionPane.showInputDialog(this,
                    "Please enter the name of the printer (for eg: LPT1)");

            printer = printer.trim();

            if (printer == null || printer.equals("")) {
                JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(this,
                        "You did not specify the printer, to enter the printer please click on Print again",
                        "Printer name",
                        JOptionPane.INFORMATION_MESSAGE);
                return;
            }

            props.setProperty(printerKey, printer);
            saveProperties(props);
        }

        FileOutputStream os = null;
        try {
            os = new FileOutputStream(printer);
            os.write(printBytes);
            os.flush();
            String autoClose = props.getProperty(AUTO_CLOSE);
            if ((autoClose != null) && autoClose.equals("Y")) {
                JSObject win = JSObject.getWindow(this);
                if (win != null) {
                    System.out.println("Going to close containing window");
                    win.call("close", new Object[] { null });
                }
            }

        } catch (Exception e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
            JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(this, "Failed to print :" + e.getMessage(), "Print Failure",
                    JOptionPane.ERROR_MESSAGE);
        } finally {
            if (os != null) {
                try { os.close(); } catch (Exception e) { /*ignore*/ }
            }
        }
    }

    /* Action performer*/
    public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae) {
        if (ae.getActionCommand().equals("Printer-1")) {
            actionPerformedOnPrinterOne();
        } else {
            actionPerformedOnPrinterTwo();
        }
    }

    /* Create buttons*/
    private void initComponents() {

        int numPrinters = 1;
        String numPrintersStr = props.getProperty(TOTAL_PRINTERS_KEY);

        if (numPrintersStr != null && !numPrintersStr.equals(""))
            numPrinters = Integer.parseInt(numPrintersStr);

        for (int i=1; i<=numPrinters; i++) {
            javax.swing.JButton printButton;
            printButton = new javax.swing.JButton();
            printButton.setText("Printer-"+i);
            printButton.addActionListener(this);
            setLayout(new GridLayout());
            add(printButton);
        }
    }

    private void setLookAndFeel() {
        try {
            UIManager.setLookAndFeel(UIManager.getSystemLookAndFeelClassName());
        } catch (UnsupportedLookAndFeelException e) {
        } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
        } catch (InstantiationException e) {
        } catch (IllegalAccessException e) {
        }
    }

    private Properties loadProperties() {
        Properties props = new Properties();
        String homedir = System.getProperty("user.home");
        File prefs = new File(homedir, ".insta.pref");
        if (prefs.exists()) {
            FileInputStream fis = null;
            try {
                fis = new FileInputStream(prefs);
                props.load(fis);
            } catch (Exception e) {
            } //ignored
            finally {
                if (fis != null) {
                    try {
                        fis.close();
                    } catch (IOException e) {
                    } //ignored
                }
            }
        }

        return props;
    }

    private void saveProperties(Properties props) {
        String homedir = System.getProperty("user.home");
        File prefs = new File(homedir, ".insta.pref");
        FileOutputStream fos = null;
        try {
            if (!prefs.exists()) {
                prefs.createNewFile();
            }
            fos = new FileOutputStream(prefs);
            props.store(fos, "");
        } catch (Exception e) {
        } //ignored
        finally {
            if (fos != null) {
                try {
                    fos.close();
                } catch (IOException e) {
                } //ignored
            }
        }
    }

    public static enum State {NORMAL, AFTER_SLASH, HEX_HIGH, HEX_LOW }; 
    public static byte[] unescape(byte[] bytes) {
        int dest = 0;
        State state = State.NORMAL;
        byte hexHighVal = 0;

        for (int source = 0; source < bytes.length; source++) {
            byte b = bytes[source];
            if (state == State.HEX_HIGH) {
                // just store the high val and continue
                hexHighVal = b;
                state = State.HEX_LOW;

            } else if (state == State.HEX_LOW) {
                // decode the hex character
                int high = getIntVal(hexHighVal);
                int low = getIntVal(b);
                if (high == -1 || low == -1) {
                    // invalid, copy over original, don't decode
                    bytes[dest++] = '\\';
                    bytes[dest++] = 'x';
                    bytes[dest++] = hexHighVal;
                    bytes[dest++] = b;
                } else {
                    byte val = (byte) (high * 16 + low);
                    bytes[dest++] = val;
                } 
                state = State.NORMAL;

            } else if (state == State.AFTER_SLASH) {
                // handle an escaped value
                state = State.NORMAL;
                if (b == '\\')
                    bytes[dest++] = '\\';
                else if (b == 'e')
                    bytes[dest++] = 0x1B;       // escape char
                else if (b == 'f')
                    bytes[dest++] = 0x0C;       // form feed char
                else if (b == 'b')
                    bytes[dest++] = 0x08;       // backspace char
                else if (b == 't')
                    bytes[dest++] = 0x09;       // tab char
                else if (b == '0')
                    bytes[dest++] = 0x0;        // NULL
                else if (b == 'r')
                    bytes[dest++] = '\r';       // carriage return
                else if (b == 'n')
                    bytes[dest++] = '\n';       // line feed
                else if (b == 'x')
                    state = State.HEX_HIGH;
                else {
                    bytes[dest++] = '\\';       // do not decode, retain original
                    bytes[dest++] = b;
                }

            } else if (b == '\\') {
                state = State.AFTER_SLASH;

            } else {
                // normal character
                bytes[dest++] = b;
            }
        }

        // end of loop, if escape sequence is incomplete, output verbatim
        if (state != State.NORMAL) {
            bytes[dest++] = '\\';
            if (state != State.AFTER_SLASH) {
                // hex high or hex low
                bytes[dest++] = 'x';
                if (state == State.HEX_LOW) {
                    bytes[dest++] = hexHighVal;
                }
            }
        }

        // if last 3 chars are \f\r\n, remove \r\n because we want to end with \f
        if (bytes[dest-1] == '\n' && bytes[dest-2] == '\r' && bytes[dest-3] == 0x0C) {
            dest = dest-2;
        }

        return java.util.Arrays.copyOf(bytes, dest);
    }

    public static int getIntVal(byte b) {
        if (b >= 0x30 && b <= 0x39) {
            // 0 - 9
            return b - 0x30;
        } else if (b >= 0x41 && b <=0x46) {
            // A - F
            return b - 0x41 + 10;
        } else if (b >= 0x61 && b <=0x66) {
            // a - f
            return b - 0x61 + 10;
        } else {
            // invalid char
            return -1;
        }
    }
}