How to make Java program installable?

Question

How can I make a java program installable?

I have an application saved in my Eclipse workspace.

I can export it as a .jar file.

This is for a "real-world" application.

How can I export to be a ".exe" file or ".dmg" so that it can be installed on another machine?

Since Java is platform-independent I think it is a matter of exporting for a specific operating system.

I've googled a lot and read so many different stories, so I would prefer an answer from an experienced person.

Answer 1

As of Java 8, jdk is now capable of generating it's own Installables for Windows, OSX, and Linux. However, on Windows it depends on either Inno Setup 5 or later or WiX 3.0 or later.

https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/guides/deploy/self-contained-packaging.html#A1324980

The easiest way to produce a self-contained application is to modify the deployment task. <fx:deploy width="${javafx.run.width}" height="${javafx.run.height}" nativeBundles="all" outdir="${basedir}/${dist.dir}" outfile="${application.title}"> <fx:application name="${application.title}" mainClass="${javafx.main.class}"/> <fx:resources> <fx:fileset dir="${basedir}/${dist.dir}" includes="*.jar"/> </fx:resources> <fx:info title="${application.title}" vendor="${application.vendor}"/> </fx:deploy>

Answer 2

I guess what you are looking for is not only to make the program runnable (as lobster1234 proposed) but to make it actually installable. We have recently used IzPack. It actually looks nice.

There are also some decent tutorials on the details here and here

Answer 3

Jar files are usually the way to go, since the JVM can directly execute the packaged files through the java -jar <jarfile> command. Java WebStart is good if you want to distribute your app from a web site, etc. However, some OS don't have that "feature" installed, even if the JVM is there. Another solution is to have at least 3 scripts to launch your app (batch for Windows, shell script for Linux, and whatever Mac needs -- sorry, don't have a Mac -- ).

Don't create native executable files (i.e. exe for Windows), they are redundant since you already have a JVM for that.