Logo Questions Linux Laravel Mysql Ubuntu Git Menu
 

Proper usage of Java -D command-line parameters

People also ask

How are command line arguments used in Java?

A command-line argument is an information that directly follows the program's name on the command line when it is executed. To access the command-line arguments inside a Java program is quite easy. They are stored as strings in the String array passed to main( ).

What is an example of a parameter in Java?

When a parameter is passed to the method, it is called an argument. So, from the example above: fname is a parameter, while Liam , Jenny and Anja are arguments.

What is CMD parameter?

A command line argument (or parameter) is any value passed into a batch script: C:> MyScript.cmd January 1234 "Some value" Arguments can also be passed to a subroutine with CALL: CALL :my_sub 2468. You can get the value of any argument using a % followed by it's numerical position on the command line.


I suspect the problem is that you've put the "-D" after the -jar. Try this:

java -Dtest="true" -jar myApplication.jar

From the command line help:

java [-options] -jar jarfile [args...]

In other words, the way you've got it at the moment will treat -Dtest="true" as one of the arguments to pass to main instead of as a JVM argument.

(You should probably also drop the quotes, but it may well work anyway - it probably depends on your shell.)


That should be:

java -Dtest="true" -jar myApplication.jar

Then the following will return the value:

System.getProperty("test");

The value could be null, though, so guard against an exception using a Boolean:

boolean b = Boolean.parseBoolean( System.getProperty( "test" ) );

Note that the getBoolean method delegates the system property value, simplifying the code to:

if( Boolean.getBoolean( "test" ) ) {
   // ...
}

You're giving parameters to your program instead to Java. Use

java -Dtest="true" -jar myApplication.jar 

instead.

Consider using

"true".equalsIgnoreCase(System.getProperty("test"))

to avoid the NPE. But do not use "Yoda conditions" always without thinking, sometimes throwing the NPE is the right behavior and sometimes something like

System.getProperty("test") == null || System.getProperty("test").equalsIgnoreCase("true")

is right (providing default true). A shorter possibility is

!"false".equalsIgnoreCase(System.getProperty("test"))

but not using double negation doesn't make it less hard to misunderstand.