executable jar files : Java Glossary

Executing Jar Files

One of the most useful associations to set up is to make *.jar files executable with java.exe (see below for details how). Then you can just type the name of the jar on the command line to start it executing. For Java version 1.4 or later, after you have built the Main-Class entry, and set up an association of the *.jar extension to C:\Program Files\java\jre7\bin\java.exe, all you need to do to run the jar is:

converter.jar

java.exe -jar converter.jar

For Java version 1.1, you need a little more, something like this:

To run the jar in an Applet, see Applet for some sample HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) or see

on doing it.

Making Jar Files Double Clickable

1. Click Start ⇒ Disk Explorer ⇒ View ⇒ Options ⇒ File Types ⇒ Executable Jar file ⇒ edit.
2. If there is no Executable Jar file entry click new to create one and fill in the Description of type to jar - Java executable.
3. Change the name of the entry from Executable Jar file to something that will sort where you expect it like jar - Java executable.
4. Change the content type to the proper MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) type application/java-archive. See MIME for details.
5. Set default extension for Content type to *.jar.
6. Click open ⇒ edit .
7. If there is no open, Click new and set the action to open.
8. Set the application to perform to: "C:\Program Files\java\jre7\bin\javaw.exe" -jar "%1". You can browse or adjust as necessary to account for where you put your javaw.exe. javaw.exe will hide the console output. To see the console output, associate java.exe instead. I always associate with java.exe myself. Without the console output, if anything goes wrong, you have no clue what the problem is.
9. Uncheck DDE.
10. Click OK.
11. Click new and set the action to execute.
12. Set the application to perform to: "C:\Program Files\java\jre7\bin\javaw.exe" -jar "%1". You can browse or adjust as necessary to account for where you put your javaw.exe
13. Uncheck DDE.
14. Click OK.
15. Click new and set the action to edit.
16. Set the application to perform to: "C:\Program Files\WinZip\winzip32.exe" "%1". You can browse or adjust as necessary to account for where you put your WinZip program.
17. Uncheck DDE.
18. Click OK.
19. Click execute ⇒ set default.
20. Click always show extension.
21. click change icon. Choose a nice icon. Perhaps some friendly artist could provide me with an jar.ico file I could share with everyone.
22. click close, close.
23. Write a letter to Microsoft asking them to automate this bubblegum. Tell them to end the warring between apps. Allow more than one app to register per function. The ones you use most often should bubble to the top. Tell them that whether apps are properly installed or uninstalled, this information should be self-healing.