deploying App

[Hiep Nguyen]

hello !
i have finished an App., just a samples, now i don't know how to deploy it, how an can make an install file as any other Appliactions?
one more thing, in java file how i can know where my App is installed by user?
thank you !!!

[Gaurav Mac Mathur]

Well,I dont think there is any _Short_ way of making a Installer, the best way will be to create a Executable Jar.
If you Insist to make a Installer you can use windows API's in VB or something ( Not sure ) to make user friendly Installer to copy jars and modify classpath kind of things.
Cheers

[Dirk Schreckmann]

how an can make an install file as any other Appliactions?
You might want to take a look at Zero G's InstallAnywhere (http://www.installanywhere.com).
one more thing, in java file how i can know where my App is installed by user?
The following example is a bit of a hack way to determine the location that a Java app is running in. Perhaps someone else would have a different idea.

import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
 
public class Foo
{
  public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException
  {
    System.out.println(new File("").getCanonicalPath());
  }
}

[ July 19, 2003: Message edited by: Dirk Schreckmann ]

[Joel McNary]

I use a .properties file to hold things like "where the app is installed by the user". I use the (free) InnoSetup installer program, and after installation, it runs a little program that modifies that .properties file to record the directory where it was installed.
Granted, this doesn't help if the user moves the application after install, but I document that properties file. I figure that if they're advanced enough to be mucking about moving things after install, they advanced enough to change that little file. It's not foolproof, but (truthfully) my mother can manage to use it, so...