J2Exe is simple application that makes an executable file or windows service for your java application. The output file uses default java which is installed on PC in order to launch your java application. You can start it with specific java version if you put it in bin directory of this java version. Supported versions till this moment are JDK1.1.x, JDK1.2.2, JDK1.3.x, JDK1.4.x and JDK1.5.x of Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Produced executable file (or windows service) might be an application with standard console, without it or with managed console. Applications without standard console are similar to java application started with javaw. Applications with managed console are my idea. They are new type of java applications. If you build executable file (or windows service) with managed console then you can find a menu item in system menu of every frame of your java applications. This menu item will give you the possibility to show and to hide console of your applications. This is useful for testing purpose because you can show standard console and to dump stack traces of all threads. During the rest of the time the console is hidden and your taskbar is free of it.
J2Exe project is distributed as three independent modules:
J2Exe: Generates standard executable file. J2TrayExe: Generates standard executable file with "tray" capability. User can minimize your application into tray area. There are provided 2 additional classes - WinTray.java and WinTrayListener.java. Developer can use them to embed his own menu items with icons into tray popup menu of application and to receive notification events when user clicks one of them. No additional natives are required. J2WinService: Generates standard windows service.