executable jar files : Java Glossary

2008-05-19 by Roedy Green ©1996-2008 Canadian Mind Products
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executable jar files

Executing Jar Files

One of the most useful associations to set up is to make *.jar files executable with java.exe (see below for details how). Then you can just type the name of the jar on the command line to start it executing. For JDK 1.4+, after you have built the Main-Class entry, and set up an association of the *.jar extension to C:\Program Files\java\jre1.6.0_07\bin\java.exe, all you need to do to run the jar is:

converter.jar

java.exe -jar converter.jar

Watch out. Java install sometimes sets the association back to javaw.exe, no console! For JDK 1.1, you need a little more, something like this:

To run the jar in an Applet, see Applet for some sample HTML or see

Sun’s tutorial on Sun’s basic documentation

on doing it.

Making Jar Files Double Clickable

In W98/Me/NT/W2K, you can set up the extension *.jar so that when you double click on a jar file in the disk explorer it will start executing the main-class of the jar. In XP/W2K3/Vista, you need to buy an associations editor utility such as Creative Element Power Tools.

Click Start ⇒ Disk Explorer ⇒ View ⇒ Options ⇒ File Types ⇒ Executable Jar file ⇒ edit.
If there is no Executable Jar file entry click new to create one and fill in the Description of type to jar - Java executable.
Change the name of the entry from Executable Jar file to something that will sort where you expect it like jar - Java executable.
Change the content type to the proper MIME type application/java-archive. See MIME for details.
Set default extension for Content type to .jar.
Click open ⇒ edit .
If there is no open, Click new and set the action to open.
Set the application to perform to: "C:\Program Files\java\jre1.6.0_07\bin\javaw.exe" -jar "%1". You can browse or adjust as necessary to account for where you put your javaw.exe. javaw.exe will hide the console output. To see the console output, associate java.exe instead. I always associate with java.exe myself. Without the console output, if anything goes wrong, you have no clue what the problem is.
Uncheck DDE.
Click OK.
Click new and set the action to execute.
Set the application to perform to: "C:\Program Files\java\jre1.6.0_07\bin\javaw.exe" -jar "%1". You can browse or adjust as necessary to account for where you put your javaw.exe
Uncheck DDE.
Click OK.
Click new and set the action to edit.
Set the application to perform to: "C:\Program Files\WinZip\winzip32.exe" "%1". You can browse or adjust as necessary to account for where you put your WinZip program.
Uncheck DDE.
Click OK.
Click execute ⇒ set default.
Click always show extension.
click change icon. Choose a nice icon. Perhaps some friendly artist could provide me with an jar.ico file I could share with everyone.
click close, close.
Write a letter to Microsoft asking them to automate this bubblegum. Tell them to end the warring between apps. Allow more than one app to register per function. The ones you use most often should bubble to the top. Tell them that whether apps are properly installed or uninstalled, this information should be self-healing.

double click
double clickable
executable
jar
Main-Class

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