Release Notes for JExpress 6.x

Fixed a bug that prevented installers from working with JRE 1.3.x
Created new diagnostic logs files, if any found, on startup
Managed repainting the screen more effectively
Several small bug fixes

Added a progress bar to StatusPanel class.
Uninstaller still works if you move the program to a different install directory.
No longer pass command line argument to uninstaller.
Require uninstaller be run from the install directory.
Note to existing customers:
- Deprecated UiUtilities class. Use UiLayoutUtilities and UiPopups. Existing customers whose custom classes use UiUtilities must update their custom classes to use the new classes.
- Deprecated WindowsOS class. Use WinCmdFile, WindowsCommands, WindowsDirs, WindowsMenus, WindowsRegistry, WindowsServices, and WindowsUtilities. Existing customers whose custom classes use WindowsOS should update their custom classes to use the new classes.
Create a uniquely named menu item for mulitple component installers that use Updates-on-Demand.
Corrected bad jump points in the manual
Fixed status message when building a project in JExpress Developer
Wait to copy a new JExpressUpdater.jar until the very end of the update process

Increase the file handles on Mac, Solaris, and other versions of Unix when installing a program and launching a Java app
Include the product name in the installer's title bar
Popup a dialog box while preparing the wizard for the installer
Fixed bug that limited the number of class files that could be found
No longer load a 2nd copy of the English resources unnecessarily
Stopped distributing JExpress Basic

Improved look and feel by using icons in the buttons in the Installer, Updater, Uninstaller, Developer
Support javax.net style arguments for a proxy server
Fixed bug that prevented updates from working on Mac if original update created on PC

Increased speed of multiple installers substantially (e.g., installer created with 6.9 - 6.9.4 took 11:39 minutes; same installer created with 6.9.5 took 40 seconds)
Only extract files needed when running multi-type installers
Provided context sensitive help for JExpress Developer/Builder on Mac OS X
Added support for variables in the localization files.
Fixed a bug that prevented the Updater from being installed for multi-type installers.
Do not save jex project when building installer unattended
Pop up warning if jex project cannot be saved
Give better error message if creating a multi-installer and trying to find classes
Warn that JRE 1.4 or later must be used to create/run multi-type installers
Disable the Browse button when launching JExpress Developer/Builder

Added methods to UiPopups to pass the parent container to popup dialogs.
Added methods to UiLayoutUtilities to let the focus be set in a combo box or to a button.
Set the cursor to the end of a text field, including inside an editable JComboBox, when the focus set to that field
Worked around a bug in jvm 1.4.1 or earlier that incorrectly set the focus to the button in a JComboBox instead of the associate text field
Extended the time stamp in the logs
When a readme file is unable to display, the Next button is still made active
Set the default button on the Wizard depending which is enabled when instantiated; preferred order: Next, Previous, Cancel
Added method to UnixCommands to get the autostart directory from KDE
Fixed a bug when opening an image file that opened it in the current directory
Added support to Windows to get a list from a registry key
Changed the uninstaller log's name to juninstall.log
If unable to display the readme, automatically skip the panel
When a user browses for the install directory, append the default subdirectory name
Fixed a bug when setting permissions on a file in unix
Open terminal window on KDE if java app requires console
Include an example to autostart a menu item on Windows, Mac, ans KDE

Allow Pure Java installer to be named something other than install.jar
Handle installing Pure Java installer from a different directory than the directory where the installer resides
Fix WinCmds.exe from being erased when autoupdater runs on some Windows machines
When finding classes, if the Build directory contains a "found class", don't overwrite it
If the Updater is created on one OS and installed on a different one, handle the File.separator chars properly
Resolve the installer from locking up if the native language version of the readme or license file didn't exist
Significantly improve finding data files in the installer's distribution files

Change the algorithm for extracting files in multi-installers
Extract subdirectories in multiple install type installers on Windows
Extract icons from multiple install type installers
Don't pass the update directory on the command line for the Updater

Handle pathnames longer than 100 characters
Allow a custom class to run at the beginning the Updater and change the host url
Save the command line parameters passed to the Updater in the properties file
No longer use the program directory passed on the command line to the Updater
Fixed a rarely seen bug when installing multiple install types
If unable to create a Mac .app directory, then erase any partial directory created
If no image included with the Updater, use a default image
Include JExpressCustomClass in the trial copy distribution
Do not pop up an error box if the JRE cannot change the registry

Note to existing customers: You must re-install JExpress because the JExpress Updater has changed. If your customers use the Updater, then they will need to re-install your app before they can use the new Updater.
Updates the JExpress Updater
Includes empty directories in distribution files
Creates smaller installers
- We've seen 10-40% reduction in size, depending on the distribution files
- You'll usually get better compression if you don't distribute your files in JARs, but instead just include the class files
Installs and uninstalls faster
Builds installers faster
No longer includes swingall.jar in JExpress distributions
Moved the META-INF subdirectory to the JExpress subdirectory
Shows Next button if custom classes follow selecting the install directory
Gives more user feedback while verifying multiple install types are configured properly
Includes all settings for the Updater inside JExpressUpdater.jar, except user changeable settings
Searches classes for any that contain main() when entering Java menu item or the main class on the Classes panel
Only changes registry entries for the JRE, if the entry doesn't already exist
Fixed building a new project after it is saved for the first time
Does not wait for a Windows Java app to finish when launched from an EXE
If user cancels an autoupdate, stops the update, but still launches the app
Uninstall Uninstall.exe on Windows machines
Extract the icon file if the menu item's start directory is a subdirectory of the installation directory
Do not display exception errors on stderr when properly trapped with a catch
Remove any existing link before creating a new link; some variants of unix would ignore the new link otherwise

If unable to start installer's wizard from a native installer, then try installing JVM and relaunching the wizard
Create an EXE to uninstall the app during Windows installations in the application's directory
No longer create an uninstall.bat (unless unable to create the uninstall EXE)
No longer remove menus for 1 component when another component is uninstalled
Disabled first dialog box after user selects action in JExpress Developer
Change the locale to English/US if no known resource bundle is found on startup
Adjusted WinDesktop.java to work on more variants of Windows
No longer report directory where JVM was installed on final panel
Remove an old KDE or Gnome menu before adding one with the same name
Set the cursor to the specified text field via the API
Added StatusPanel class to the API
Support [$UserHomeDir] in the menu's command line arguments and JVM extra parameter switches
Create a folder where icons are added for Mac "menus"
Sped up installing files on Mac OS
Stop opening a console window when a custom class gets the Windows path through the API
Fixed native installers that did not search for the JVM, and did not install the JVM in a predefined directory
Renamed underlying EXE for the Windows Java app launchers from startapp.exe to JavaApp.exe
Store the menu icons in the JExpress subdirectory instead of the application's directory
Parse the JVM extra switches so the installer handles different JVM quirks in escaping characters
Warn user if they use command line arguments for a menu item that contains potential errors"
Warn user if they use JVM extra parameters that contains potential errors"

Fixed menus not being created on a few XP Pro/2000 machines
Improved the Spanish translation for the installer

If unable to find a class, report which class, or one of its dependencies, is missing from the classpath
Move the JExpress Developer's menu to the top of the screen when running on Mac OS X
If a directory name contains an extenion that matches the "excluded" list on the Files panel, then don't include any files from that directory tree
Handle passing JVM extra parameters, on unix, that include forward slashes
Update the Windows registry with the JVM's final installation directory when installed in a subdirectory of the app
Fixed a null pointer exception that could occur when the uninstaller ran
Wrap error messages in the Messages panel
Delete any existing menus that have the same name to insure a clean installation

Native Mac installers now work on the newer versions of OS X by creating a tar.gz file instead of a zip file
Store the uninstaller diagnostic logs in the user's home directory instead of the JVM's home directory.
Change several informational panels in the installer to use 2 lines to display status messages.
Do not activate the Next button after the files are installed
Include the version number and the product name on the Final panel of the installer

Support changing the base directory on the command line for unattended builds
Support changing the build directory on the command line for unattended builds
Save the directory names where each component is stored in the applicationDirectoryTarget property
Reset the chosen install types if the user returns to the dialog box where they select them
Name the Mac launch script so it contains the .command suffix so it can be added to LoginItems
Make the field that shows the location where the JVM was installed scrollable
Include the name of the product on the final panel
When uninstalling an app from a unix script, display a message that the uninstaller is launching
Allow unix script's that start java apps to include a message to the user
Double clicking on a menu's name, edits the item
Double clicking on a filename in the Groups tab, selects/deselects the file
Make the "Finished" button in the Uninstaller the default button when the uninstall is finished
If the JVM is installed, then the display field for the JVM's location is scrollable

Created a CustomUninstaller class to simplify uninstalling custom files, registry entries, etc.
Always create a batch file for the uninstaller on Windows
Include build.xml example in the Samples subdirectory to demonstrate how to use ant with JExpress.
Support passing the version number on the command line when starting an unattended build.
If a unix launch script is created on Mac, then also create a symbollically linked command file so script can be started from GUI
Report critical startup errors during a silent install in the errors.log instead of a pop up window
Programmatically set the installer to silent, see the MakeInstallerSilent.java in the Samples subdirectory

Support silent uninstall
Set the cursor into the first field in an install panel, instead of the "Next" button
Add commands to copyFile, renameFile, and overwriteFile to the uninstaller
Adapt the base path to the developer's classpath and the menu's icon filename
Automatically delete any empty directories during the uninstall
Save the location of the JExpressUninstaller.jar file in the properties file during installation
Catch a null pointer exception error when reporting an error with CustomInstaller.logException()
Don't create an icon on Mac OS X if it's a Java console app; instead create a unix launch script

When initially browsing for a project, use the current project's directory as the default directory
Give the download instructions in the tool tips if a JVM bundle is not installed
In the evaluation, inform users where they can download JVM bundles at the end of the installation

Redesign the first dialog box used in JExpress Developer and JExpress Basic
Build a Mac OS X bundle for non-Java apps, too (JExpress Professional only)
Handle configuring the classpath properly when it contains subdirectories and the installer was created on Windows, but installed on Mac
Support multiple JVMs installed on Mac OS X
Configure the jvmVersion in the Mac Java bundle properly if JRE 1.4.1_01 detected
Support autoupdate of Java console applications on Windows
Don't report an error if the same file is included multiple times in the distribution
Don't report an error if a native installer without the JVM is created and the JVM version doesn't match the required or minimum/maximum settings on the JVM panel
Fixed a bug in native Unix/Mac installers that could prevent the installer from finding all the valid JVMs previously installed
Set the caret at the end of string when UiUtilities.update() is used
Eliminated the screen from flashing during an unattended build

Fixed adding menus to some versions of Windows
Resolved exception error in JExpress Builder when adding menus

Create a native Mac OS X installer (JExpress Professional only)
Build a Mac OS X bundle to Java apps (JExpress Professional only)
Create a Finder style (double-clickable) launch script on Mac OS X
Add a desktop icon to Mac OS X for all menu items (JExpress Professional only)
Added MacOS API
Added support for creating menus for all users on Windows, if admin (JExpress Professional only)
Only create gnome menu items if gnome installed
Improved error messages if disk full during installation of JVM
Correctly report if files initially extracted from native installers
Use Mac OS X's native look and feel, unless cross platform style selected
Default Mac OS X's installation directory to /Applications, if write/create access allowed
Support icons for menus in KDE and Gnome
Speed up installation on Mac
Automatically remove the Java command check mark in the Menus dialog, if the executable file has a .bat, .exe, .bin, or .sh extension
Warn JExpress Developer users who enter a JAR file in the Menu's executable filename
Inform JExpress Basic users that JAR extensions are not permitted in the Menu's executable filename
JExpress Basic and Builder do not support command line arguments for menu items. Use JExpress Developer if your app requires command line arguments to be passed to it.
Allow a custom class to the Auto-Updater to force the application to start.
Add quotes around a filename with spaces when issuing a Unix chmod or symbolic link.
Uninstaller on Unix and Mac machines is now called uninstall; it no longer includes the product's name as part of the filename.
Support spaces in the Updater's URL
Correctly parse the Unix command when updating launch scripts for the Updater

Release Notes for 6.x Versions