Distribution of the javaHelp extension (jhall.jar) with application.

Question

Hello,
I have been looking into a work around with regard to the fact that jhall.jar is not included in the JRE. As it has to be included in jre/lib/ext, it therefore needs to be shipped with the application.
I have been looking at Java Web Start - I can't really make out exactly what it does - if anyone has deployed the javahelp extension with their app, please would you tell me how to go about it? Is Java Web Start the best way? If so, how does it work in simple steps?
I really need a solution to this - any help would be greatly appreciated......:
Thanks in advance,
Clodagh

Answer 1

Hello Clodagh,
there are several ways of distributing jhall.jar. An alternative of placing it in jre/lib/ext is to put it in the directory where the application is located, that is using jhall.jar.
Although others might do it differently, I am using Web Start to distribute jhall.jar. I you have Web Start installed you cann see a working example at http://www.lightdev.com/template.php4?id=3 (click on the link that says 'Read the tutorial online' or use the following link directly http://www.lightdev.com/shtm_hlp.jnlp)
The help set that is viewed with this link remains on the server. Web Start only instally a tiny reader application in Java (4 KB) and the JavaHelp extension (jhall.jar) in the same directory on the client. It then starts the reader with the help set (on the server) as a parameter.
To set up something similar, you need to create two .jnlp files, one for the reader app and for jhall.jar. The .jnlp file for the reader app refers to the one for jhall.jar. When it is started by Web Start, above mentioned parts are installed and started, i.e. the help set is displayed in the typical viewer of JavaHelp.
HTH
Ulrich