B4J Question How to handle multiple B4JPackager11 .exe modules to minimize disk usage

What OS? JavaFX involved?

Technically, you don’t have to bundle your apps via the packager. See https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/how-to-run-b4j-jar-application-on-linux.117711/post-737116.

OliverA said:

What OS? JavaFX involved?

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Windows 10, yes

OliverA said:

Technically, you don’t have to bundle your apps via the packager. See https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/threads/how-to-run-b4j-jar-application-on-linux.117711/post-737116.

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Yes I realise I could install a JRE - and have done so previously - I'm trying to stick solely with OpenJDK 11

Don't use the packager for this use case.

1. Copy OpenJDK 11, downloaded from this site.
2. Find release_java_modules.txt in B4J installation folder and copy it together with the jar.
3. Run the jar with:

This is how I run Jars produced by OpenJDK 11 or 14. For convenience I have set an environmental variable, OpenJdkPath, that points to the OpenJDK folder, in my case C:\jdk-14.0.1. This code is Basic4ppc and compiles to an exe. I put a copy of the exe in the same folder as the jar and rename it to whatever the jar is called and just run the exe.

Erel said:

Don't use the packager for this use case.

1. Copy OpenJDK 11, downloaded from this site.
2. Find release_java_modules.txt in B4J installation folder and copy it together with the jar.
3. Run the jar with:

B4X:

C:\java\jdk-11.0.1\bin\java.exe @release_java_modules.txt -p C:\java\jdk-11.0.1\javafx\lib -jar result.jar

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Erel, this is not a good solution.

Windows Task Manager shows the same name for all processes generated in this way i.e. "OpenJDK Platform binary".

In my production environment I use a small Windows management tool called "Restart On Crash" which monitors all designated running processes and restarts them in the (very rare) event they fall over - this relies on each process having a unique name - which is what the B4JPackager11 .exe files supply.

Prior to OpenJDK 11 I have used a third party tool called winrun4j to provide this ".exe transformation".

EDIT

Actually Windows Task Manager shows the name of all processes (created by either Erel's solution or via the B4JPackager11 .exe process) as "> OpenJDK Platform binary" with the window title exposed when you click the ">"

agraham said:

This is how I run Jars produced by OpenJDK 11 or 14. For convenience I have set an environmental variable, OpenJdkPath, that points to the OpenJDK folder, in my case C:\jdk-14.0.1. This code is Basic4ppc and compiles to an exe. I put a copy of the exe in the same folder as the jar and rename it to whatever the jar is called and just run the exe.

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agraham, thanks for your interest in my issue.

As noted in the previous post to Erel I have been using a third party tool called winrun4j to provide this ".exe transformation" which sounds similar to what you are doing - I am going to explore your solution some more and get back to you - I might be a couple of days...

JackKirk said:

I am going to explore your solution some more and get back to you

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agraham, unfortunately your solution has the same shortcoming as Erel's - the Restart On Crash tool can not distinguish between multiple running processes.

I have found a way to do this but am not happy with it:

field PC = AWS EC2 instance and headless/legless field PC

1. upload C:\java\jdk-11.0.1 from development PC to each field PC - a one time expense so this is OK
2. on development PC, for each production B4J module, just create its release jar - don't do the B4JPackager11 stuff - end up with MYB4JPGM.jar
3. upload each MYB4JPGM.jar to appropriate field PCs (say to D:\MYB4JPGM\MYB4JPGM.jar) - small so no problem
4. upload C:\Program Files (x86)\Anywhere Software\B4J\release_java_modules.txt from development PC to appropriate field PCs (say to D:\MYB4JPGM\release_java_modules.txt)
4. on each field PC, copy C:\java\jdk-11.0.1\java.exe to C:\java\jdk-11.0.1\MYB4JPGM.exe
5. on each field PC, launch MYB4JPGM with this launch command:

C:\java\jdk-11.0.1\bin\MYB4JPGM.exe @D:\MYB4JPGM\release_java_modules.txt -p C:\java\jdk-11.0.1\javafx\lib -jar D:\MYB4JPGM\MYB4JPGM.jar

this results in the Restart On Crash tool being able to see MYB4JPGM (actually the renamed/copied java.exe)

The thing I don't like about it is all the various MYB4JPGM.exe accumulating in C:\java\jdk-11.0.1\

I'd much prefer to have them in D:\MYB4JPGM with the like named jar - but I can not for the life of me work out how to modify the launch command to something like:

D:\MYB4JPGM\MYB4JPGM.exe @D:\MYB4JPGM\release_java_modules.txt -p C:\java\jdk-11.0.1\javafx\lib -jar D:\MYB4JPGM\MYB4JPGM.jar

I need a parameter to tell java.exe/MYB4JPGM.exe to look in C:\java\jdk-11.0.1\bin for all its bits.

Any suggestions?

JackKirk said:

Any suggestions?

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Use the simple solution I posted above.

You can use Java built-in jps tool to monitor the Java processes.

Erel,

Erel said:

Use the simple solution I posted above.

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If you look closely at my last post I heavily plagiarise your suggestions in post #5

Erel said:

You can use Java built-in jps tool to monitor the Java processes.

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I use the Restart On Crash (ROC) tool in a fully automated way with a monitoring and reporting mechanism on top of it. I have been using it for years in a number of projects - it is exceedingly stable and reliable. To do what you are suggesting it would appear I would have to discard it and write something similar to it and pass output from jps to it - I am loathe to do this.

It also seems a large effort when the alternative is to find a way to simply get the jar processes to divulge their "exe names" to ROC.

Is there a parameter on the java command that allows you to tell it to look in a particular folder for its "bits" - I have googled myself silly trying to find one.

PS while researching the jps tool I came across https://docs.oracle.com/javase/9/tools/jps.htm#JSWOR733 which states " This command is experimental and unsupported. "

JackKirk said:

PS while researching the jps tool I came across https://docs.oracle.com/javase/9/tools/jps.htm#JSWOR733 which states " This command is experimental and unsupported. "

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jps is available for at least 10 years now. You can safely use it.

JackKirk said:

Is there a parameter on the java command that allows you to tell it to look in a particular folder for its "bits" - I have googled myself silly trying to find one.

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Is there a non-trivial answer for this?

I don't know what is "bits".

There are two relevant paths and both of them are explicitly set in post #5.

Erel said:

I don't know what is "bits".

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I want to be able to run

D:\MYB4JPGM\MYB4JPGM.exe

where MYB4JPGM.exe is a renamed copy of C:\java\jdk-11.0.1\bin\java.exe

leaving all the remaining bits of java in C:\java\jdk-11.0.1

B4JPackager11 creates an executable that does it. You can see the source code here: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/t...lest-way-to-distribute-ui-apps.99835/#content

JackKirk said:

I want to be able to run

D:\MYB4JPGM\MYB4JPGM.exe

where MYB4JPGM.exe is a renamed copy of C:\java\jdk-11.0.1\bin\java.exe

leaving all the remaining bits of java in C:\java\jdk-11.0.1

Click to expand...

I've tried environment variables/registry settings and can't seem to get it going with manually installing a JDK. But, when using Amazon's Corretto installer for non-JavaFX applications or BellSoft's Liberica Full JRE (since technically don't need a JDK to execute .jar's) for JavaFX applications, something gets installed that allows you to accomplish what you are looking for. Since the installers work and my manual approach did not, I'm confident that I'm missing something, I just don't know what. At least there is a work around to your problem (as long as you have the ability to run installers on your headless field PC's).

Links:
Amazon Corretto: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/corretto/latest/corretto-11-ug/downloads-list.html
BellSoft's Liberica: https://bell-sw.com/pages/downloads/#/java-11-lts

@OliverA you could always look at my solution here;


It is based on Erels Packager code but modified to look for Java without putting it in the path.

It checks the current folder for a "runtime" folder (private JRE) and if that doesnt exist it looks for C:\Java (public JRE). The code is on GitHub.

This is what I use to avoid having multiple copies of the JDK.

Erel said:

B4JPackager11 creates an executable that does it. You can see the source code here: https://www.b4x.com/android/forum/t...lest-way-to-distribute-ui-apps.99835/#content

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Erel, I assume you are referring to code in the BuildRunner Sub - if so it escapes me.

tchart said:

you could always look at my solution here;

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tchart, I think I am looking for a much simpler solution that does not involve B4JPackager11 or hybrids.