I am developing one desktop application in javaFX. I am using in memory database hsqldb. I want to make this application to run on any windows machine by just double click or by installing.
I have gone through the launch4j library, using which I can make .exe file of my jar.
But if I create the .exe file, then I can open this application by just double clicking on it. anyone can copy and paste and open it.
I am confused with install word here.
What extra things will happens, if I want to make my application installable. Because I want to give an expiry date my application.
The answer to your question lies on the description of launch4j on their site.
The executable can be configured to search for a certain JRE version
or use a bundled one, and it's possible to set runtime options, like
the initial/max heap size
Not every machine you distribute the jar to may have a JRE. A bundled JRE will help the launcher run your jar if a JRE cannot be found on the target machine.
If you want to force updates on your jar, consider running a plugin mechanism or forcing the user to download a new version. It sounds to me like a web application might suffice instead ?
Related
We currently ship a java(jar) installer of our application. Taking into acount the changes to jdk11 we want our users to have the same easy install experience. So, what we are looking for, is to have just one file that can be run even if there is no java installed, it should just start our old java installer.
Probably, this means that we jave to bundle the jre and have a script that runs the jar, but the problem is how to run the batch file natively ? We need this to work on Windows and Mac. Most tools we are looking into require java to run the wrapped jar.
You have to build 2 different scripts/installers, one for each platform. Even looking at very popular software like Chrome, the platform choice is still there (even though you're usually directed to the correct choice based on the information your browser provides them with)
Depending on how much time you can put in this task, the quickest (and dirtiest) solution would be having an archive for each platform that contains the script .bat for Windows and .sh for OS X together with the jre (also different per platform), ask the user to unarchive and run the script which will run your jar with the packed jre. Otherwise, you'll need to create an MSI/exe for windows and a dmg (or other installer type) for MacOs.
I have done the dmg before with a bundled jre and can try to look for the details if you need them (I no longer have access to the code but can probably find the details). It was a free solution but it did require an OS X computer to create the dmg.
One option that I used before and works very well is install4j but the price is not small.
LE: Self contained packaging - although I haven't used this before, it seems like the best current option for your problem.
And an open source option - packr.
that Self Contained packaging doesn't really help, same for packr, same for launch4j. Because all those just generate a application image with a lot of files and directories.
Problem is before that, as an installer you want 1 big exe (or dmg for mac) that does it all, single click
We are already at the stage like SCP or Packr. Because that is easy or current installer.exe and jre\ sub dir and a batch/sh file besides it. Problem is how to get from that directory structure to a single exe that runs.
So what we should have is something that can zip that in a self extracting archive, when clicking on that it should auto extract to the temp dir of the OS, then run directly a command on it (like a batch file or directly in that extracted dir: .\jre\bin\javaw.exe -jar installler.jar)
But nobody seems to have made such a thing, the closest that we have is eclipse with Oomph:
[1] https://git.eclipse.org/c/oomph/org.eclipse.oomph.git/tree/plugins/org.eclipse.oomph.extractor/src/extractor.c
[2] https://git.eclipse.org/c/oomph/org.eclipse.oomph.git/tree/plugins/org.eclipse.oomph.extractor.lib/src/org/eclipse/oomph/extractor/lib/BINExtractor.java
problem is a bit that is doing the extracting through java and still wants a vm first.
Recently I developed a jar file with JavaFX. Now my problem is how to convert it into an executable so it can install and run on other systems which do not have any JDK installed.
Also, when the client system starts from shutdown or hibernate I'd like the executable to run automatically.
I searched a lot on Google and I found content on the internet, but I did not find how I can achieve this.
how I can convert it into exec with the install so it can install into other systems which do not have any JDK on that system
You always need the JRE to run the jar file, there's no way around that. However, since the assumption that almost all systems would have the JRE installed is no longer correct, the normal thing these days is to bundle the entire JRE with the installer and use launch4j to create an exe file.
and another thing I want is that when client system start from shutdown or hibernate exec should run automatically.
You can't do this at the Java level, so it depends what OS you're running on. On windows you could use sc.exe to create a windows service from the executable, or you could just put it in the relevant user's startup folder.
I want to use QT Jambi for GUI (Java project). The GUI needs to have animations (similar to Iphone apps). That is why, I do not want to use Java Swing.
My question is, after I develop the application, is there any automatic mechanism which would create a setup file which could be used to install my application in any computer (may be separate "setup" files for separate OS). In other words, I would like my users to download just one file: setup.exe. This should install the app in their computer.
I know there is one such app for .jar files (I forgot the name). But QT is a C++ library and I do not like bothering the users, asking them to download QT just to use my app.
I presume you are tagetting win32 only on the desktop and looking for free/open tools. With no response to this questio so far I thought I'd provide some info towards this point even if it is not the answer you really want.
I have been looking over the QtJambi ecosphere for the past couple of years and I'm not aware of such a tool to provide you with a process to follow that results in an EXE. There are all kinds of caveats.
The task:
Ensure the JRE5+ is installed on target system.
Ensure QtJambi files and perform things like extraction of native JAR.
Ensure QtJambi pre-reqs are installed on the target system (such as MSVCxxxx runtimes).
Finally install your application and fixup the startup configuration to make use of information above.
Setup desktop fo reasy access (Program Group, Desktop Icon, Menu items, Shortcuts)
You will find that NSIS http://nsis.sourceforge.net/ can be a tool to get some parts of the process and maybe provide a framework to write modules for NSIS that do other parts of the work. But I have found NSIS somewhat lacking when you step outside of a simple unzip of data and setup of desktop install process.
Another solution for you would be to simply provide everything that works in one ZIP file, this would include a copy of the Java JRE embedded, a copy of QtJambi embedded, the rest of your JAR and then write a toplevel *.BAT file to setup %PATH% and other arguments to run your supplied java.exe against your application. Obviously now the JRE is not likely to get updated so at some point will be considered insecure.
NSIS isn't the only such windows installer that exist.
Maybe there is a fully automatic one click install wrapper with custom parts to help setting up QtJambi, but I doubt it at this time.
Good question, and one good attempt at an answer.
I've gone down a slightly different route: embed the Qt Jambi libraries, but not a JRE. I have some basic sh/bat launch scripts which configure the resources required and am using IzPack for the installer (though NSIS might be a good alternative).
Problem: how to find the JRE
Solution: the IzPack installer needs a JRE to run, so guarantees the availability of one. It can update a variable in scripts during installation.
Solution (Windows): use the registry
Last resort: use the path
The ideal would be to integrate all three into a batch file. Anyone done this?
Problem: Qt & Qt Jambi libraries
Solution: distribute with your application and link from the shell/batch file.
The problem with this is how to make sure your libraries get used when binary-incompatible Qt libraries are already installed on the system. On Linux, extracting the libraries and exporting LD_LIBRARY_PATH seems to work. On Windows I haven't solved this and on the Mac I haven't tried.
Problem: most appropriate Qt libraries
32-bit Qt libraries probably won't work with a 64-bit JRE; this is a problem I haven't yet had to deal with. Probably the best solution would be to include both 32-bit and 64-bit Qt libraries and select between them from a script at run-time (or possibly install-time).
Another issue is related to themes: Qt has support for using native themes, but only from the platforms it's compiled on. Thus, compiling Qt on an old Windows version and using the libraries on a modern version of Windows seems to work but results in ugly Windows-98-esque widgets. The easiest solution seems to be to launch with -style Plastique (or cleanlooks) to get nicer-looking widgets.
This is still awhile down the road for me but for my Project Implementation class we have to create a program and then distribute it. I have written an application in Java and from the specification I have made in the previous class (Project Design) my application will need to be platform-independent.
For mac and linux the user can just run the jar file from the terminal, but for windows I would like to have the Application installed to the path user chooses (default: C:\Program Files(x86)\NameOfApplication), Create a desktop shortcut (if the user wishes to have one), install under the start menu (if the user wants it to) and then also show up in the add\remove programs list.
Is there any easy way to do this?
Is it any harder if I did decided to create an installer for mac and linux?
Thanks in Advance.
You can create an installer with NSIS, even for a Java application.
You might also consider distributing your application via Java Web Start.
There are opensource installer generators for java. I have never used one before. Here is a good resource of links
I recommend using Java Web Start.
It has several advantages.
Available for all major desktop platforms
Single distribution for all JWS-enabled platforms
Code-signing and sandboxing
Versioning and incremental updates
Automatic installation of JREs and optional packages
It has one major disadvantage.
Internet connectivity is required if JWS, JRE, and/or an Optional
Package is not present on the system
Have a look here and here
Install4j does what you want, although you have to pay for it. Personally, I am not aware of any free alternatives. You can make installers for Linux and Mac OS as well.
you can use Exe4J, see http://www.ej-technologies.com/products/exe4j/overview.html
You can do most of that using standard JNLP:
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.4.2/docs/guide/jws/developersguide/syntax.html
You make a JNLP file that takes the executable JAR from some local (or remote) location and creates a Desktop icon for it (of your chosing). Only difference is that the actual JAR will be placed in the JDK's jar cache directory (not in a directory of your choice - I don't think the user would care much).
The huge advantage with this is that if you make a JNLP that installs the jar from a remote location, you can remotely upload a new version of the jar to that location, and when the user next accesses the jar locally, your latest version will be downloaded and placed into local cache.
Also I recommend you use a smart "fat JAR" builder, which packages all dependency jars inside the executable jar. Eclipse IDE has a way to export a project in this format (and also adds the necessary class-loader so that all works ok from on fat jar).
If your target OS is windows I highly recommend Advanced Installer. It's very very easy to use and will let you create your own native microsoft installer (.msi) with specific target Java VM and a bunch of useful windows features, even in the free version. Note you can also include a private jre into the package.
http://www.advancedinstaller.com/top-freeware-features.html
If you want a "package one deploy everywhere" solution then IzPack is the way to go, platform independant, free and open source.
http://izpack.org/
Depending on the complexity of your project Java Web Start could be a very good option, it's very simple configure and maintain but it relies on the browser's java plugin and believe me... most users DON'T like being warned about certificates and risks everytime they launch an application.
Is it possible to create a stand alone application in Java (using Swing) and package it into an exe file?
My Idea is, we should be able to double click it and run the application.
If you export a runnable .jar file you will be able to double click and run, but you'll still need the JVM in order to interpret the bytecode.
The best way to deploy a Swing based app. to a client's desktop is using Java Web Start.
JWS offers desktop integration - making a desktop shortcut and menu item, each using an icon if specified. The end use can double-click the desktop shortcut cut to launch the app. ( or single-click the menu item to do the same ;).
Best of all, JWS works for all platforms for which the J2SE is supplied. Windows, Ubuntu, Fedora, Solaris, Mac. OS..
For ensuring the user has the correct minimum JRE needed to run the app., use deployJava.js to write the link to the JNLP launch file.
If you export your project in a .jar file, you will be able to run it when you click on it.
I suppose that you know that you must have the virtual machine installed in the computer that runs the program.(The virtual machine is the thing that allows java to be operative system independent)
And also you must know that if you transform that .jar to an .exe file using some kind of gadget... Then java will not be java anymore, because will not be able to run it in non-windows operative systems.
Remember java slogan
'Write once run everywhere"
See this image here i will explain you how to create a .jar using the eclipse IDE:
1-Select your project in the package explorer
2-Select File>Export from the menu
3-Pick Runnable JAR file from the dialog and
4-Click next and follow the rest of the wizard
You can package your application to JAR file. Application in jar file runs on duoble click.
Here is tutorial. http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/deployment/jar/
You can already do this with a normal .jar file if the user has configured the extension to be executed with the JRE. But you can always use something like Launch4J. Please Note this simply wraps the Jar in a EXE file. The file still needs your Dependencies (.jars) and the JRE enviroment.