• Set runtime classpath
• Runtime classpath
• JVM extra switches
• Parent of "platforms" directory

The following settings may be adjusted for each native platform. Simply select the OS's tab, and then you can change the following settings:

• Search for JVM
• JVM Installation Directory
• Create JVM Distribution
• Valid JVM Versions

If you prefer to manually configure the Runtime classpath, then click on the Manually radio button and enter the Runtime classpath for your Java application. The runtime classpath should always be relative to the installation directory. You should not include absolute pathnames in the runtime classpath.

If you are manually configuring the runtime classpath, then enter the classpath your Java application needs to operate on your customer's machine relative to the installation directory. Use a period to indicate the installation directory and use semi-colons (;) to separate items. JExpress automatically converts semi-colons to the separator for the target machine.

Don't forget to include the period. This lets JExpress set the current directory in your menus or launch scripts when it installs your Java app.

Also be sure to include any JAR files that you specify on the Files panel in the runtime classpath.

If you are confident that your app is only installed on Windows and you are confident that you know the location of a file is always on a particular drive, and you want to specify a drive letter on Windows, then you should specify the drive separator with a | instead of a :. For example, if you want to add c:\program files\mylib.jar to the classpath, then you'd specify it as c|\program files\mylib.jar. We do not recommend that you include a drive letter because it makes the installer Windows specific.

If you need to pass the installation directory, the Java home's directory, or the user's home as part of a JVM switch, then you can use one of the predefined variables. Use [$AppDir]/ to represent the application's installation directory, [$JavaHomeDir]/ for the Java home's directory, and [$UserHomeDir] for the user's home directory. When JExpress installs your application, it will change the variables to the appropriate information without a trailing directory separator. Case and spacing are critical for the variable names.

If your switches require that you include a forward slash (/), then you must escape it (i.e., \/). If your switches require directory pathnames, then you can use a forward slash or a backslash (unescaped) and the installer automatically converts the file separator to the one for the host system.

Important: Please note that the way to a enter forward slash in the command arguments for a menu item is not the same as the method used for the JVM arguments. Sorry for the inconsistency, but to mantaintain backward compatibility, the 2 methods will continue to be supported.

Also, if your native installer needs to start with special JVM switches (e.g., -Xbootclasspath/p:), then you must manually change the jvmExtraParameters property in each of the platform.properties files. The platform properties do not support the variables discussed above. Additionally, you must use the platform specific file and path separators in each file because these files are platform specific.

If you create installers for products that use different JVM settings from one another, then specify a unique directory where JExpress can store the platform settings for this project.

You can control where JExpress searches a user's system for the JVM. Or, if you prefer, you can configure your native installers that include the JVM to always installs the JVM included with your installer without searching. On Windows, JExpress defaults to searching the registry because Sun configured the JRE to use the registry to locate its libraries. On Unix, JExpress defaults to search the user's path plus several standard directories, and their associated subdirectories, for the JRE.

If you want your installer to search for a valid JVM, then select All common places for the most comprehensive search. On non-Windows systems, you can limit the search to the user's path by selecting Only the path.

If you'd prefer to always install the JVM you supply with your native installers without searching your customers' systems, then simply select No for each of the platforms that you create native installers.

If you prefer to have the JVM installed in a particular directory on the target machine, then set the full directory name in this field, using forward slashes to separate the directories. If the directory name that you supply already exists on the target system, then the native installer will overwrite any existing files.

If you want to install the JVM into a subdirectory of your application's installation directory (not recommended), then you can use the variable [$AppDir]/ followed by a subdirectory name (e.g., [$AppDir]/jvm). Initially, the installer will install the JVM into a temporary directory because the installer needs to run the JVM itself and then it will copy the JVM to the application's subdirectory during the installation. The disadvantage of installing the JVM into the application's subdirectory is that when your application is removed the JVM and its subdirectory aren't removed (the uninstaller is a Java app so it uses the JVM to run).

If you want to install the JVM into a subdirectory of the Windows directory, then you can use the variable [$WinDir]/ followed by a subdirectory name (e.g., [$WinDir]/jvm). The installer will determine where the target system's Windows directory is from the registry.

If you want to install the JVM into a subdirectory of the Program Files directory, then you can use the variable [$ProgFilesDir]/ followed by a subdirectory name (e.g., [$ProgFilesDir]/jvm). The installer will determine where the target system's Program Files directory is from the registry.

Important: Please note that the way to a enter the directory separator is with a forward slash regardless what separator character the target system uses.