I currently want to try Install4J to package up / install my Swing application. I would like to know if it has a screen during installation where a user can input DB parameters (url, port, user, pass). If so, I would like to know how this will work in the context of a maven build. My Swing project is being handled by Maven and includes profiles to populate a db-config file using filters. When a Maven build is completed, the jar file already has the db-config populated with the appropriate parameters from the filter in it's classpath. All of this is packaged into an executable JAR file (with all dependencies included-- Spring, Hibernate, etc).
Now can Install4J use this big executable JAR file as is, "open" it up and insert/override the db-config file during installation with user-inputted values? Or will Install4J need for me to use the basic jar file, add all jar dependencies (Spring, Hibernate, etc) separately, add the db-config outside of the jar, etc?
1) Building a form that asks for your DB parameters is straight-forward, see here.
2) To modify a JAR file during the installation you can add the following sequence of actions:
"Extract a ZIP file" action
"Modify text files with regular expressions" or "Replace installer variables in text files" action if you put in the template values in the form ${installer:myDbParam}
"Create a ZIP file" action
However, I would consider leaving such a configuration file outside the JAR file, it makes things easier.
Related
Just recently started using Eclipse and ran into an issue with exporting the plugin I'm working on. I tried to search but so far no luck - but if the answer is already here I'd be grateful if someone can point me to it.
I'm writing a n OSGi/Equinox plugin with Eclipse. The plugin is for a 3rd party system, which allows extensions: basically all jars placed in the application's plugin folder are automatically loaded into the application at startup. I have managed to put together my plugin, it's loading fine and it works.
The issue is that I rely on another plugin which is placed beside mine in the plugins folder. For obvious reasons I do not want to package that plugin into my plugin jar file. I have tried to add the dependency as an external archive, but this breaks the export: when I try to export my plugin project ant complains about missing dependencies and types. (If I actually include the other jar file in my plugin everything works, but obviously this is less then ideal.)
So: how do I set up my plugin project dependency, that it's a) an external dependency and b) doesn't need to be specified with a path or a variable - i.e. how do I tell my exporter to "don't worry, it will be there right beside you"?
Edit: Apparently there's an important detail I didn't mention. The external jar file I depend on is not an OSGi plugin, just a regular jar file with some classes in it. To the 3rd party system it seems all the same (all are under the plugins folder, all are loaded into the application), but for Eclipse the distinction seems important.
If you reference the other plug-in as a dependency in your plug-in's MANIFEST.MF the export should work without errors. The plug-in should be listed in the Require-Bundle list in the MANIFEST.MF.
You can do this in the MANIFEST.MF editor by adding to the 'Required Plug-ins' list on the 'Dependencies' tab of the editor.
Note: When referencing other plug-ins you must always use this method. Do not try adding the plug-in jar to the Java build path or anything like that.
If the jar you want to use is not an Eclipse plug-in you must should include it as part of the plug-in and list the jar in the Bundle-Classpath in the MANIFEST.MF. If you cannot do this you can reference an external jar in the Bundle-Classpath using something like:
Bundle-Classpath: .,external:$LIB_LOCATION$/lib.jar
. is the normal entry in for the plug-in code. external:$LIB_LOCATION$/lib.jar looks for lib.jar in a location defined by the environment variable LIB_LOCATION. This method can be difficult to get right.
In the end the solution to my specific problem was to add the external jar file as an Extra Classpath Entry on the build properties tab (this translated to a "jars.extra.classpath = .jar" entry in the build.properties file). I have also added the jar file to the project itself - after adding the extra class path entry that got changed into an external dependency automatically.
With these two changes I was able to successfully export my plugin, which didn't contain the external jar file, but was able to reference it when loaded into the 3rd party system.
I use Eclipse and the Ivy plugin IvyDE.
I currently create a WAR file by using Eclipse's export to WAR functionality. I don't use an ANT build file - I let Eclipse handle that.
When I export to war, all the dependencies in the ivy.xml file get copied to the war file's bin directory. I want to exclude one (or more) of them. How do I do that?
What't the simplest way to accomplish this? If possible, I would like to avoid creating my own ANT build files and continue to use Eclipse's export tool and the IvyDE plugin.
For me the following did the trick:
copy the ivy.xml to e.g. ivy-nodeploy.xml
create/select the configurations you want to include in the deployment assembly in ivy.xml
create/select the configurations you don't want to include in the deployment assembly in ivy-nodeploy.xml
add a new ivy-library to the build path where you change the default ivy-filename to
ivy-nodeploy.xml
That way you still have all ivy managed libraries at compile time in your build path but only libraries configured in ivy.xml get included in the war file.
Right click on your project's ivy.xml, and choose "Add ivy library".
In the main tab are customization settings for the build configs, and it looks as though you can choose the conf you desire (i.e. set it to runtime). I war using Ant, so I've never tried it. I presume this will accomplish what you desire.
This question has been covered here before, but the only solutions I could find were in relation to a project using Ant or Maven. I am using neither. Here is the situation:
I have some application parameters in a properties file. This file is located in my Eclipse project (but in the src folder) and used when I run the application from Eclipse. In addition, I would like the application to also run as an executable jar file, in which case the user can provide the name of a properties file to use in a command line parameters.
The problem now is that the properties file from the project is always packaged into the executable jar and therefore the user is not able to easily modify the properties (yes, I know that (s)he could unzip the jar, but I want to avoid the extra steps).
How can I prevent the properties from being packages into the executable jar file?
Cheers,
Martin
Create a executable jar without properties file in it. Place both jar and properties file in a folder. Now add little code in your main program which should look for a properties file in the same folder and get the complete path of it. And then you can do something like this
System.getProperties().load(new FileInputStream(completepath));
So now your properties will be loaded into system properties with out affecting the actual system properties. You can access your properties by System.getProperty("Propertyname");
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have more questions.
I am using the eclipse option to export a runnable jar from a project that I am editing. ( I have created some additional functionality through a plugin).
The runnable jar file works fine, except that is does not load the plugin I have created.
So ,I assume that I have to inform somehow eclipse to include the files I have created.
In other words,(forgive if I am asking something simple or obvious) how eclipse knows about the dependencies and all that staff ?
Since the project contained already an ant file for building and compiling ,I am wondering if this is what I have to tune.
Eclipse does not use the build.xml file to export jars. The dependencies information is kept in the .project file.
You can add your plugin as follows:
Right-click your project and select properties, then go to "Java Build Path" and select the "Libraries" tab. Add your jar here to get eclipse to recognize it as part of the project. Next go to the "Order and Export" tab. Select your jar-file here so it gets exported with the runnable jar.
When you build the jar file, make sure to select "Package required libraries into generated JAR" rather than "Extract required libraries into generated JAR". Unfortunately, I can't guarantee this will work. It sounds like rapidminer loads plugins by searching the libs directory. I don't know if it will be smart enough to recognize when it's running from a jar file and look inside the jar file it's running from rather than in the working directory.
If not, you'll have to ask your question to someone who knows about rapidminer.
I have written a program in Eclipse IDE which uses BouncyProvider class of BouncyCastle.jar. So to compile my class I added BouncyCastle.jar in my project classpath and it compiles perfectly.
Now I want to export my project as Runnable JAR so when I do that from Eclipse, it by default adds the classes of BouncyCastle.jar also in that runnable jar.
But I want to keep my application jar and BouncyCastle.jar different from each other.
How can I achieve this? Can anybody please help?
It sounds like you want to use the "Export JAR File" wizard instead of the "Export Runnable JAR File" wizard. When exporting a runnable jar file, Eclipse attempts to pack everything needed to run the application into a single archive. On the other hand, the "Export JAR File" wizard gives you more control over what is packaged in the archive. You can still create a runnable jar file, but you must make sure to include BouncyCastle.jar on the classpath when you execute the jar. Here are step-by-step instructions:
Click "File | Export". The Export
dialog pops up.
Expand the "Java" folder and select
"JAR file" (not "Runnable JAR
file"). Click Next. On the JAR file
specification page, choose the
classes you want included in the jar
file, and specify the name of the
JAR file to create. Click Next.
On the JAR Packaging Options page,
select options appropriate for you.
The defaults are probably fine.
Click Next.
On the JAR Manifest Specification,
make sure to select the "Main class" for your jar file. This is
the class that will be executed when
you execute the jar file. If you
leave this blank, the jar file will
not be runnable. Click Finish to
create the jar file.
You should be able to execute the jar file by executing "java -jar myjarfile.jar -classpath BouncyCastle.jar" from a command line.
Unfortunately, looks like you can't actually do that. A JAR can't use another JAR that's stored inside itself.
I'd say, unless you have a really strong reason why you can't unpack your BouncyCastle.jar
(like maybe licensing problems?)
just let it unpack (which you can do by adding BouncyCastle.jar as an external archive in Eclipse:)
Right-click on your project
Build Path...
Add External Archives...
Add your archive
Export as runnable JAR)
and watch your package names for conflicts.
Here's an open Java bug ID I found describing your situation
One-JAR may help - a open source solution to your situation
It looks like this has been added in Eclipse 3.5 Milestone 5. See the News for the latest build and bug 219530