Getting Processing to export as a executable Jar

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jp1001010..

Getting Processing to export as a executable Jar

in General Discussion • Other • 1 year ago

I have been working with processing for a while now and I wanted to export to a .jar so I don't have to pass around multiple versions of my stuff for Mac/Linux/Windows

It is clunky to have to.

Thanks

Replies(5)

kooogy

Re: Getting Processing to export as a executable Jar

1 year ago

there's an Export Application option in the File menu. is that not what you want?

jp1001010..

Re: Getting Processing to export as a executable Jar

1 year ago

Not really. I mean it does a similar thing but it doesn't export a .jar

From Export Application we get a

.exe

.app

and a linux thing.

But no real .jar

Why do we need the wrappers which loses us being multi-platform?

PhiLho

Re: Getting Processing to export as a executable Jar

1 year ago

It is a real jar. I don't know what is a fake jar, anyway...

Example: I exported a sketch named Hearts with Processing 1.5.1. I got an application.windows folder (I don't need the other modes). Inside, there is Hearts.exe, which I can ignore now. And two folders: source, with textual files, and lib. In the later, I have a Hearts.jar, a core.jar (Processing itself) and a text file with command line arguments in it. You can have more files if you used libraries, files, etc.
If I open a command line in the lib folder, I just type java -cp Hearts.jar;core.jar Hearts and I have my sketch launched. This line can work almost on any system (on Linux, you have to replace the semi-colon with a colon). Here, you have a portable application (as long as Java is installed on the system, and the java exe is on the path).

Bonus: with your favorite archive manager, unzip both jars. Yes, they are just plain zip files. Start with core.jar, then Hearts.jar (or whatever you named it). You will probably be asked if you want to overwrite MANIFEST.MF. Say yes.
You end with some .class files (or only one for a simple sketch), a META-INF folder and a processing one. Select them, then zip them back.
I use 7-Zip, I can select the jar in the Windows Explorer and in the context menu, I can choose 7-Zip > Extract Here twice, then on the said files, 7-Zip > Add to "lib.zip".
I renamed the resulting file to ProcessingHearts.jar, for example.

I can then run it with: java -jar ProcessingHearts.jar
Only one jar, the same command line to launch it on all systems, all is nice!

jp1001010..

Re: Re: Getting Processing to export as a executable Jar

1 year ago

Thanks that's brilliant.

Really solves the problem... though I'm not sure if it works with some libraries.

Yay now making multiplatform stuff.

hondaman9..

Re: Getting Processing to export as a executable Jar

1 year ago

Hi PhiLho, would this "workaround" resolve my inability to make a working stand-alone application in Linux (Ubuntu 10.04 with P1.2.1 or P2.0a5)? I tried your suggested command line running of the jars and what that did was provide a console readout of the program launch sequence that enabled me to track down the issues blocking my app. Things like the definition text file that G4P gui controls need, and other dependencies, that were not packaged by the export script.

That being said, however, when I finally get all the parts together after much digging through the console error messages I do get my app to work but in a weird way. It should be in present mode but instead only a 100x100 top left corner shows. It runs fine from the IDE and the Windows executable package works (when created in Win7), but for some strange reason it's like it's ignoring the screen size definition in setup() and giving the default 100x100 screen.

I was hoping that going through error reporting with this jar workaround would help me determine why the exported package wasn't working and finally get it to function, but now the weird screen behavior has thwarted me. Is this 100x100 anything to do with the direct running of the jars? Did I miss a component or something? Does this make sense?

Thanks in advance

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