83 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
83 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
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**Java JAR wrapper for creating Windows native executables
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created by LoRd_MuldeR <<mulder2@gme.de>>**
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# Introduction
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**Launch5j** is a reimagination of “Launch4j”, *with full Unicode support*.
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This is a tool for wrapping Java applications distributed as JARs in lightweight Windows native executables. The executable can be configured to search for a certain JRE version or use a bundled one. The wrapper also provides better user experience through an application icon, a native pre-JRE splash screen, and a Java download page in case the appropriate JRE cannot be found.
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# Usage
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There currently are two different ways to use Launch5j with your application code:
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* ***Use the launcher executable with a separate JAR file***
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Simply put the launcher executable (`launch5j.exe`) and your JAR file into the same directory. Launch5j will automatically detect the path of the JAR file based on the location of the executable file. More specifically, Launch5j detects the full path of the executable file and then replaces the `.exe` file extension with a `.jar` file extension in order to determine the path of the JAR file. Of course, you can rename the `launch5j.exe` executable file to `my_program.exe` or whatever you like.
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* ***Combine the launcher executable and the JAR file (“wrapping”)***
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In order to combine the launcher executable (`launch5j.wrapped.exe`) and the JAR file to a *single* file, you can simply concatenate these files. A simple way to achieve this is by running the following command-line in the terminal:
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copy /B launch5j.wrapped.exe + my_program.jar my_program.exe
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The resulting `my_program.exe` will be fully self-contained and is the only file you'll need to ship.
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**Warning:** Code signing, as with Microsoft®'s `SignTool`, probably does **not** work with the “wrapped” executable file! If code signing is a requirement, then we recommend using a separate JAR file and just sing the launcher executable.
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# Variants
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Launch5j executables come in a number of variants, allowing you to pick the most suitable one:
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* **`wrapped`**
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Expects the JAR file and the executable launcher to be combined to a *single* file; default variant expects a separate JAR file in the same directory as the executable launcher.
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* **`registry`**
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Tries to detect the install path of the JRE from the Windows registry; default variant expects the JRE to be located in a path relative to the executable launcher.
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* **`java11`**
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When detecting JRE from the registry, accepts JRE version 11 or any newer JRE version; default variant accepts JRE version 8 (1.8.0) or any newer JRE version.
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* **`nosplash`**
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Does **not** display a splash screen while the application is launching; default variant *does* display a splash screen while the application is launching.
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* **`nowait`**
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Does **not** keep the launcher executable alive while the application is running and thus won't return a meaningful exit code; default variant keeps the launcher executable alive until the application terminates and forwards the application's exit code.
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# Customizations
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Launch5j comes with a *default* executable icon and a *default* splash screen bitmap. These just server as an example and you probably want to replace them with your own *application-specific* graphics.
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It is **not** necessary (though possible) to re-build the executable files for that purpose. Instead, you can use the excellent **Resource Hacker™** utility to “edit” the pre-compiled executable files as needed:
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<http://www.angusj.com/resourcehacker/>
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# Acknowledgment
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This project is partly inspired by the “Launch4j” project, even though it has been re-written from scratch:
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<https://sourceforge.net/p/launch4j/>
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# License
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This work has been released under the MIT license:
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Copyright 2020 LoRd_MuldeR <mulder2@gmx.de>
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Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of
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this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in
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the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to
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use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of
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the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so,
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subject to the following conditions:
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The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
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copies or substantial portions of the Software.
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THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
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IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS
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FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR
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COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER
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IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN
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CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
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