JavaFX with external libraries

Question

Hi,
I would like to get some help about compiling a JavaFX code with external libraries. I've searched around a lot, but cant find the solution.
Basically I have a JavaFX application, that uses images (they are under the src/ folder as they suggest it) and uses external .jar files, AND these jar files uses other external files (not jars). I want to run the application in desktop mode first, so now I am interested in a solution that makes it work on PC.
I am using Netbeans to develop and run (works everything fine when running from IDE), and using javafxpackager to compile, when I want to run without the IDE.
When I compile with Netbeans, the generated jar and jnlp files can run ONLY from the dist/ folder, if I copy it somewhere else in my winchester, it does not start.
I have find something about "signing jars", so I have to make the jars signed to be able to run them AND to be able to link to the image files that the application uses.
So I have 2 problems/questions with this situation:
- I have to use external jars and those jars uses external files, but when I start the app, it seems its __DIR__ variable is not set correctly, but I've read that I have to make the application "signed" to solve this problem, but
- if I make the JavaFX signed, it requires that all other jars have to be signed? (it sounds logical of course)
So, my final question is, do I have to make the application (and all other jars) signed, to be able to use external jars and files or not (if I want to run as a desktop application)?
And if I have to make them signed, then will the relative linking work correctly?
So whats the best way to make it work (using external files and jars)?
Thanks for any help, and sorry for the long post (and for my bad english) :)
Cheers
kojak

Answer 1

kojak wrote:
When I compile with Netbeans, the generated jar and jnlp files can run ONLY from the dist/ folder, if I copy it somewhere else in my winchester, it does not start.Unfortunately JNLP requires the base location to be stored in the JNLP file. While that supposedly makes JNLP distributed stuff more secured, it also make them cumbersome and time-consuming to use.
Futhermore, JNLP files generated by NetBeans reference a local web server that only runs when NetBeans is on.
That explains why you just simply cannot move the app to the location you want. I you move them, you have to open them (any text editor) and modify the codebase field (possibly the homepage's href too).
If you want to use only 1 single JNLP, all your JARs references in that JNLP need to be signed with the very same certificate (certificate A).
Unfortunately, this is not good most of the time as some external lib (generally the ones coming from Sun/Oracle) are already signed and you cannot resign them.
The other option is that you can make your main JNLP reference other sub-JNLP that are placed at the same location. Each of these sub-JNLP can reference 1 or more JARs that are signed with a different certificate (1st JNLP used certificate B, 2nd JNLP used certificate C, etc.).
An example adapted from my own main JNLP:
<resources>
    <java version="1.6+"/>
    <jar href="http://<intranet web server>/<my main JAR file>" download="eager" main="true"/>
    <extension href="http://dl.javafx.com/1.3/javafx-rt.jnlp" name="JavaFX 1.3.x Runtime"/>
    <extension href="http://<intranet web server>/l2fprod-7.3.jnlp" name="l2fprod-7.3"/>
    <extension href="http://<intranet web server>/JFXtras-0.7.jnlp" name="JFXtras-0.7"/>
    ...and JFXtras-0.7.jnlp:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<jnlp spec="1.0+" codebase="http://<intranet web server>" href="JFXtras-0.7.jnlp">
    <information>
        <title>JFXtras-0.7</title>
        <vendor>JFXtras</vendor>
        <homepage href="http://code.google.com/p/jfxtras/"/>
        <description>Additionnal controls for JavaFX</description>
        <offline-allowed/>
    </information>
    <security>
       <all-permissions/>
    </security>
    <resources>
       <jar href="lib/JFXtras-Common-0.7rc2.1.jar" main="false" download="eager" size="1309380"/>
       <jar href="lib/JFXtras-Controls-0.7rc2.jar" main="false" download="eager" size="1453233"/>
       <extension name="MigLayout-3.7" href="MigLayout-3.7.jnlp"/>
       <extension name="SwingWorker-1.2" href="SwingWorker-1.2.jnlp"/>
    </resources>
    <component-desc/>
</jnlp>Both JARs files in that particular JNLP can be signed with a different certificate from the one of the main jar, same wit the JARs listed in the 2 sub-JNLPs that are referenced here.
Note: of course, currently, JARs provided by JFXtras are note signed, so I end having to sign them myself anyway, but you get the idea.
Unfortunately NetBeans does not generate such setup so you'll have to find a tool or develop something that does that for you.
Perhaps you should try to post your question in the web start forum Java Web Start & JNLP as well but be prepared to face the all knowledgeable and always helpful but not very user-friendly and definitely not patient with new comers Andrew Thompson.
Note that I've never used external files so I do not know if signing the JAR would fix that particular issue (I do not think so).
Overall I do not like Java Web Start, as said before, it's cumbersome, time-consuming to use, poorly documented, with basically very little to no packaging/helper tool, prone to failure if you make the slightest mistake in the JNLP(s) definition (having a nebulous documentation of its feature does not help) and they've introduced a stream of bugs and errors with each sub-release of Java 6 for the past year and the half that makes programmer's life a hell and JWS a joke compared to other deployment technologies used by competitors.