formal copper
hey everyone! I'm rather new to this server so I'm still trying to understand how to ask questions:
I'm trying to create a standalone executable of my java program, but I can't get the JDK-22 bundled with the executable. I exported the jar file from eclipse and I'm using launch4j to create the executable
the executable runs fine on my machine, but I have the appropriate version of java on my machine
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formal copper
I suppose my real question is, what am I doing wrong with launch4j? I'm trying to follow the instructions to the letter but it always ends up wrong somehow
formal copper
does anybody know how to use launch4j or better yet create an executable out of a jar file?
or is there a better way to make an executable of a java program? one that can run on a computer that doesn't have java installed on it?
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formal copper
Are you lost? confused? do you simply want your java program to run on someone else's computer but have no idea how to do it? Do you have no idea how to use Launch4j or jSmooth when it seems everyone else does??
do you cry at night about your beautiful yet useless java program and your opposable toes? Do you ever wish God was real so you could beg Him from deliverance from this java themed suffering?
well the good news is is that He is real and has blessed me with the divine and supernatural knowledge to help you, yes you, solve nearly all the problems in YOUR life (you should see a doctor about your opposable toes)
1- Gatsby, how do I make an executable file??
It's pretty straightforward! after making something in your favorite java IDE, go to the export button and click export to jar. then, download an application such as Jsmooth to create an executable file. Jsmooth is nice, and Launch4j works as well, but I wouldn't reccomend Launch4j because in the moment I needed him most, he turned his back on me, betraying me, and I swore in my wrath that I would spill his blood under the light of the hot sun if it was the last thing I do.
2- Gatsby Gatsby, It won't run on my buddy's computer! 😭
the java executable file needs something called a JRE to run properly, which stands for a java runtime environment. It's somewhere on your computer if you already installed java, but neither of us will know where, so go to the java adoptium site, and search for the version of java your program uses. install the JRE, and then put it in a folder with your executable file. You'll know if its a JRE file because it will have two folders inside it called "Bin" and "Lib" when you send your application to a friend, you'll send the file with the JRE and the .exe file
3-Gatsby!!!!! It still says I need Java to run the program!!!!
Of course it is! This is for a very specific reason: the new computer has no idea where to find the JRE file
Imagine that your long-lost father calls you up one day, says he would like to meet, and asks you where a good cafe is that you might reunite and finally meet one another. so you tell him, "go down the street, turn left, pass the gas station, and then turn right"
you race down the street to the cafe, only to find your father is not there. you wait for hours, but he never shows up, and you leave, abandoned by your father once again.
what went wrong? your instructions were so clear. Well, remember that the directions you gave were RELATIVE, as in, RELATIVE to your house. your father, who started from the airport, followed the directions and ended up lost and confused.
In launch4j and jsmooth, when you select the option to bundle a JRE with your executable it does not mean two things. The first thing that it does not mean is that everything it needs will be taken out of the JRE and placed inside the executable somewhere, making one nice tidy program. That JRE folder NEEDS to go where the EXE file goes.
The second thing it does not mean is that the EXE file will ALWAYS KNOW WHERE THE JRE FILE IS. Oh sure, it tells you in Jsmooth and launch4j to give the path to the JRE folder, but what this means is it needs a RELATIVE PATH.
If you just copy and paste the path exactly how it is to the JRE folder, not only will your executable not work, but you will never see your father again.
In order for it to work, you merely need to put the relative path. the executable will simply assume it is searching from whatever path it already is, so if your executable and your JRE folder are in the same folder together, then the relative path is simply the name of the JRE folder! put that into the path to JRE option in launch4j or jsmooth, export it, then put the whole thing together and send it to a friend!
I have no idea why it took me so long to figure that out, I swear in every stack overflow post and youtube tutorial it didn't explain this absolutely crucial principle, but here we are.
4- Oh Gatsby! Your explanation was so excellent I could give you a kiss!
I'm glad you read it and I hope it helps someone like me who has no idea what they are doing in java. Unless you are a women within my age group, I shall refrain from the kiss, however please do check out my game, Karim and the Sixty Thieves, steam link in my description. It was, in the end, the source of all this confusion, and let me know if you have any further questions