Problem with running the app outside NetBeans (loading fxml from jar)

Question

Hello.
this problem occurs only when NOT using NetBeans (becouse NB may use this normal file sctructure, without jars)
here is part of my main class, start method
        //load FXMLs
        FXMLLoader primaryLoader = new FXMLLoader();
        URL primaryLocation = getClass().getResource("PrimaryStage.fxml");
        primaryLoader.setLocation(primaryLocation);
        Parent root = (Parent) primaryLoader.load();
        Scene primaryScene = new Scene(root);
        FXMLLoader secondaryLoader = new FXMLLoader();
        URL secondaryLocation = getClass().getResource("SecondaryStage.fxml");
        secondaryLoader.setLocation(secondaryLocation);
        System.out.println("sec loader = " +secondaryLoader.toString()
                +"\n sec loc from loader = "+secondaryLoader.getLocation()
                +"\n sec loc url = " + secondaryLocation
                +"\n pri loc url = " + primaryLocation);
        Parent secondaryRoot = (Parent) secondaryLoader.load();
        Scene secondaryScene = new Scene(secondaryRoot);and the thing is the 1st url (primaryLocation) is loaded properly, and the secondLocation aint.
those 2 files are both in the same jar, same folder (packege) as main class.
the outcome looks like this
sec loader = javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader@5bde2a20
sec loc from loader = null
sec loc url = null
pri loc url = jar:file:/C:/test_workspace/NetBeans/MZlike/dist/MoreAdvStuff.jar!/moreadvstuff/PrimaryStage.fxml
Exception in Application start method
java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method)
        at sun.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
        at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(Unknown Source)
        at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Unknown Source)
        at com.javafx.main.Main.launchApp(Main.java:486)
        at com.javafx.main.Main.main(Main.java:638)
Caused by: java.lang.RuntimeException: Exception in Application start method
        at com.sun.javafx.application.LauncherImpl.launchApplication1(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.javafx.application.LauncherImpl.access$000(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.javafx.application.LauncherImpl$1.run(Unknown Source)
        at java.lang.Thread.run(Unknown Source)
Caused by: java.lang.IllegalStateException: Location is not set.
        at javafx.fxml.FXMLLoader.load(Unknown Source)
        at moreadvstuff.MoreAdvStuff.start(MoreAdvStuff.java:55)
        at com.sun.javafx.application.LauncherImpl$5.run(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl$4.run(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.javafx.application.PlatformImpl$3.run(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication._runLoop(Native Method)
        at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication.access$100(Unknown Source)
        at com.sun.glass.ui.win.WinApplication$2$1.run(Unknown Source)
        ... 1 morewhere 55 line is
Parent secondaryRoot = (Parent) secondaryLoader.load();any ideas how to fix it? loading the file manually from the jar may be a way, but its a workaround, not a solution
Edited by: Radosław on 2012-05-17 07:55

Answer 1

Hi,
The root cause of the exception appears is here:
sec loc url = nullThis means that the URL returned here by getResource() was null:
        URL secondaryLocation = getClass().getResource("SecondaryStage.fxml");So the only thing you have to do is figure out why this call returned null. Usually it returns null if the resource is not found in the jar/classpath.
Last time it happened to me it was because I had misspelled the file name.
Check that your file is not named SecondaryStage,fxml instead of SecondaryStage.fxml or something like that. Also check that it's actually present in the jar - or in the build/ directory and at the expected place (next to the class that loads it).
Hope this helps,
-- daniel