Java Launch4j For Mac

Embed a JRE in a Windows executable? (8)

For mac & pc. Open source software similar to Launch4j. Inno Setup Available for: windows mac linux unix java. Inno Setup is a feature-rich open source installer for Windows. If the screen prompts you to enter a password, please enter your Mac's user password to continue. When you type the password, it won't be displayed on screen, but the system would accept it. So just type your password and press ENTER/RETURN key. Then wait for the command to finish. Run: brew install launch4j; Done! You can now use launch4j.

Suppose I want to distribute a Java application.

Suppose I want to distribute it as a single executable. I could easily build a .jar with both the application and all its external dependencies in a single file (with some Ant hacking).

Now suppose I want to distribute it as an .exe file on Windows. That's easy enough, given the nice tools out there (such as Launch4j and the likes).

But suppose now that I also don't want to depend on the end user having the right JRE (or any JRE at all for that matter) installed. I want to distribute a JRE with my app, and my app should run on this JRE. It's easy enough to create a Windows installer executable, and embed a folder with all necessary JRE files in it. But then I'm distributing an installer and not a single-file app.

Is there a way to embed both the application, and a JRE, into an .exe file acting as the application launcher (and not as an installer)?

Is there a way to embed both the application, and a JRE, into an .exe file acting as the application launcher (and not as an installer)?

If a commercial tool is ok for you, install4j solves this problem very smoothly (see its 'Features' page). It can generate both application launchers and installers.

I'd hate to repeat myself too much, so check e.g. this earlier answer where I plugged it (as installer builder, but it doesn't make much difference here).

Summary / bottom line: install4j can create native .exe launchers that absolutely do not depend on a pre-installed JRE (or any other specific libs), and it offers flexible options for bundling (and detecting) JREs. Inconsolata font.

About the App

• App name: launch4j
• App description: Cross-platform Java executable wrapper
• App website: http://launch4j.sourceforge.net/

Install the App

1. Press Command+Space and type Terminal and press enter/return key.
2. Run in Terminal app:
   ruby -e '$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)' < /dev/null 2> /dev/null
   and press enter/return key.
   If the screen prompts you to enter a password, please enter your Mac's user password to continue. When you type the password, it won't be displayed on screen, but the system would accept it. So just type your password and press ENTER/RETURN key. Then wait for the command to finish.
3. Run:
   brew install launch4j

Done! You can now use launch4j.