Troubles with the type associations
Hello forum,
The type and extension association is really delicious, it's time this happens!
I've been trying it with moderate success, here are a few experiences, I would love advice for better results:
- first the example at http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/technotes/guides/javaws/developersguide/syntax.html#example
is non-well-formed. It's not long to fix but annoying.
I managed to make a first "jakarta commons jelly" web-start-application associated with .jelly files. The application can be found at:
http://klein.activemath.org/jnlpDev/webstartJelly/webstartJelly.jnlp
- on the Mac (10.4 i.e. jdk 1.5), this kind of works:
- the first launch launches the main
- the SingleInstanceListener is called at every double click on a jelly file, great! but the parameters are the original parameters (the javaws command behaves correctly though with -open).
- on Windows (Windows Server 2003, jdk 1.5), the association just doesn't work, the windows-explorer tells me to search for an application (and doesn't propose me Webstarted Jelly as it should). Do I need to restart ?
Any help for these two problems would be greatly welcome.
thanks
paul
# 1
..
> http://klein.activemath.org/jnlpDev/webstartJelly/webstartJelly.jnlp
..hmmm. With 40 separate jar archives in this
application, I cannot say I am keen to try it
(at least not at this time of night, with my
connection bandwidth!).
How big is the application (all up) in bytes?
In any case, I have some examples as
well (much smaller) at..
http://www.physci.org/jws/
Most relevant are..
http://www.physci.org/jws/#fs
..which uses the FileOpenService
and claims a .zzz file extension, and..
http://www.physci.org/jws/#sis
..which deals with the SingleInstanceService
(unfortunately, I chose not to claim any
associations for the SIS example, but
you might download both build files and
copy the association from the file
service example JNLP, into the single
instance example.)
...
> - on Windows (Windows Server 2003, jdk 1.5),
> the association just doesn't work, the
> windows-explorer tells me to search for
> an application (and doesn't propose me
> Webstarted Jelly as it should). Do I need to restart ?
I have never needed to (on Win XP).
How does that PC go with my file
service example?
..also, I only just noticed this, but while
the JNLP from my example has ..
<association
extensions="zzz"
mime-type="text/sleepytime" />
..to claim a file extenstion, the current
version of the launch file linked above -
has no <association> element defined.
# 2
..
> - the SingleInstanceListener is called at every double
> click on a jelly file, great! but the parameters are the
> original parameters (the javaws command behaves
> correctly though with -open).
I suggested in my last post that you try my SIS
example* using the file association defined for
the FOS example. I got a few moments, and
tried it myself.
After double clicking a sleepy1.zzz, and the
app. opening on-screen, I then double clicked
'sleepy2.zzz', then again 'sleepy1.zzz'.
Here is the result (each time/args output
line broken over two lines)Try openning another version of this application
Wed Jan 17 19:07:01 ACT 2007
Got new args: '-open' 'D:\projects\...\sleepy2.zzz'
Wed Jan 17 19:10:39 ACT 2007
Got new args: '-open' 'D:\projects\...\sleepy1.zzz'
So again I can say that here, on Win XP,
both of the services you mentioned are
'working as advertised'.
* The downloadable version is still the
old version without the 'file association'.
# 3
Thanks Andrew,this definitely indicates this server machine was broken wrt javaws... sad!Have you been playing with associations of icons as well ?thanks again!paul
# 4
Andrew,
you have a point about the 14 jars, it makes about 8Mb on the whole.
But now, what this would make working is that any jelly script on your hard disk can be double clicked and executed... almost any... so that's quite powerful!
paul
PS: note that from time to time the JNLP does not have the association, it's the maven default generated one and this one doesn't have these fancy features.... also I need one without for JDK 1.4 compatibility.
# 5
> PS: note that from time to time the JNLP does not have
> the association, it's the maven default generated one
> and this one doesn't have these fancy features....
> also I need one without for JDK 1.4 compatibility.
On that last point, I think you do not need to worry.
Posts around this forum suggest to me that
when a Java Web Start launch client sees an
element in a JNLP that it does not understand -
it simply ignores it.
So a 1.5 client gets the program with file associations,
and the 1.4 client gets it without.
BTW - when was the 'associations' element introduced.
(I though it was before 1.5)
# 6
>> PS: note that from time to time the JNLP does not have
>> the association, it's the maven default generated one
>> and this one doesn't have these fancy features....
>> also I need one without for JDK 1.4 compatibility.
> On that last point, I think you do not need to worry.
Since I could not be bothered looking up the
part of whatever spec. confirms that, I thought
I'd try a quick test and insert this*** element
in a JNLP for a current project.....
<offline-allowed/>
<ocelot pixeglottle='xxx' /> <!-- "***" -->
<association
extensions='sss'
mime-type='text/spacesimscenarios' />
...
The project prompted for the file associations,
came on screen as expected, and JWS never
even mentioned the ocelot element.
And the best part is, if ocelot support
is added to JWS in Java 1.8/1.9/n.n,
my project is covered ( assuming the
pixeglottle attribute is implemented,
..and a value of 'xxx' makes it do
..something useful - OK maybe I'll
take that part out! ;)
