javax.comm Run Problem

Hi
I am using javax.comm package to write an application that sends and receives data using the serial port. My operating system is windows XP. When I run the code from NetBeans6.8 everything works perfectly but when I package it (Build it) and run it from the run prompt like this:
java -jar "C:\RS232InternetPC\dist\RS232InternetPC.jar"

The application fails to find any serial port although the same application works just fine when I run it from the NetBeans6.8. How can I solve this issue?
Any ideas comments are highly appreciated.
Best Regards.
Anderson.

Do you have all the parts where they need be? Does this version use the comm.jar file? Is it on the classpath?
Is there a .dll needed?
Do you get any error messages?

Dear Norm
I have placed the following three files as shown below:

comm.jar
win32com.dll
javax.comm.properties

comm.jar should be placed in:

%JAVA_HOME%/lib

%JAVA_HOME%/jre/lib/ext


win32com.dll should be placed in:

%JAVA_HOME%/bin

%JAVA_HOME%/jre/bin

%windir%System32


javax.comm.properties should be placed in:

%JAVA_HOME%/lib

%JAVA_HOME%/jre/lib

I am not getting any Error Messages.
The application works just fine when I run it from netbeans but when I run it from the command prompt it doesn't recognize any port (no serials nor parallels).
Regards.

I also have read online that I should set the system security manager to null --> System.setSecurityManager(null);
I tried it but I still have the same problem

Does your code ignore any caught exceptions? I assume all catch blocks have printStackTrace calls in them.
My serial port program gives me this when I run it on this PC that does not have a serial port:
Open port error SerialComm.SerialConnectionException
on port: COM1
openGPS() returned ex: WayPointApps.GPSDevices.SerialCommException: openGPS: open port error, SerialComm.SerialConnectionException

I have no idea where this message comes from. I haven't looked at the code in years.

I have all the files (dll, jar and properties) in one folder and have the manifest Class-path set to:

Class-Path: comm.jar DocumentViewerWParser.jar

I will double check and keep you informed about it.
Thank you for your time.
Regards.

Dear Norm
For test purposes I made a very simple program that just counts the available ports
When I run it from NetBeans it runs perfectly but when I run it from command line it doens't read the available ports. Bythe way how can I/We catch any thrown exception in the code below ?

Code:

---

import java.util.Enumeration;
import javax.comm.CommPortIdentifier;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.setSecurityManager(null);
        Enumeration port_list = CommPortIdentifier.getPortIdentifiers();
            while (port_list.hasMoreElements())
            {
                CommPortIdentifier port_id = (CommPortIdentifier)port_list.nextElement();
                if (port_id.getPortType() == CommPortIdentifier.PORT_SERIAL)
                    {
                    System.out.println("Serial port:"+ port_id.getName()+" ");
                    }
                else if (port_id.getPortType() == CommPortIdentifier.PORT_PARALLEL)
                    {
                    System.out.println("Parallel port:" + port_id.getName());
                    }
                else{
                  System.out.println("Other port:" + port_id.getName());
                    }
            }
    }
}

---

Quote:

---

CommPortIdentifier.getPortIdentifiers();

---

Sorry, my serial port code is as of 1998. I don't have that class.

No idea why it works in the IDE and not in a jar. Usually the problem is in the configuration of the jar file.
What is in the jar file's manifest file? You can open a jar file with a zip utility.

Dear Norm
I have attached the needed files (comm.jar, win32com.dll, javax.comm.properties) in this post.I opened the JAR's META-INF Folder and I got the contents of the MANIFEST.MF which are:

Code:

---

Manifest-Version: 1.0
Ant-Version: Apache Ant 1.7.1
Created-By: 17.0-b17 (Sun Microsystems Inc.)
Main-Class: javaapplication6.Main
Class-Path: lib/comm.jar
X-COMMENT: Main-Class will be added automatically by build

---

Regards.

Is the comm.jar file in the lib folder and the lib folder in the same folder as your jar file?

Yes I have checked that.
The comm.jar is in the lib folder and the JavaApplication6.jar (my application) are in the same folder.

Your jar file should NOT be in the same folder with the comm.jar file. It needs to be in the folder that has the lib folder in it.

They are not in the same folder I meant that the jar file and the lib folder are in the same folder and the lib folder has the comm.jar file inside it.
Regards.

One thing that is different from my setup is that I have everything in the same folder. That shouldn't make a difference. No other ideas
Try a test by changing to: Class-Path: comm.jar

The folder I run the jar file from contains:

Code:

---


D:\Work\TestFromJar>dir
 Volume in drive D is Work
 Volume Serial Number is 1463-F5AE

 Directory of D:\Work\TestFromJar

05/10/2010  08:00 PM    <DIR>          .
05/10/2010  08:00 PM    <DIR>          ..
11/15/1998  04:00 PM            28,043 comm.jar
12/05/2001  02:34 PM            76,799 DocumentViewerWParser.jar
12/18/2000  01:17 PM              768 FileWptsIcon.jpg
07/28/2004  11:59 AM              412 GPS Device Communicator.lnk
05/04/2011  02:45 PM          345,955 GPSDevComm.jar
09/17/2005  02:21 PM          301,315 GPSDevCommOLD.jar
09/30/2004  11:23 AM              293 GPSDeviceCommunicator.ini
05/10/2010  08:01 PM              421 GPSDeviceCommunicator.log
12/18/2000  01:26 PM            1,069 GPSRteIcon.jpg
12/18/2000  01:13 PM              966 GPSWptsIcon.jpg
11/15/1998  03:59 PM              467 javax.comm.properties
10/28/2005  11:01 AM                32 QuesReGPSpgm.txt
05/07/2004  09:34 AM            1,023 Readme.txt
07/04/2006  09:12 PM    <DIR>          Waypoints
11/15/1998  04:00 PM            27,648 win32com.dll
05/07/2004  09:35 AM              351 _MakeGPSDevComZIP.bat
              15 File(s)        785,562 bytes
              3 Dir(s)  1,370,492,928 bytes free

D:\Work\TestFromJar>

---

Dear Norm
My manifest file is generated by Netbeans IDE and here is how it looks

Code:

---

Manifest-Version: 1.0
Ant-Version: Apache Ant 1.7.1
Created-By: 17.0-b17 (Sun Microsystems Inc.)
Main-Class: javaapplication6.Main
Class-Path: lib/comm.jar
X-COMMENT: Main-Class will be added automatically by build

---

I can see your class path is set to :

Code:

---

Class-Path: comm.jar DocumentViewerWParser.jar

---

as compared to my class path you have two jars while mine has only 1?
I tried to unzip my Jar file---> edit itz content and re-rar it then change the extension to jar file so that I have my new Jar file with the manifest's class path set by me but it gave me an error of "Jar corrupted".
By the way which compiler do you use?

I use the JDK's javac command to compile and the jar command to build my jar files. I create the manifest file with an editor and a batch file to run the jar command with an editor. I don't use any of the IDEs.

Quote:

---

class path you have two jars

---

Yes I have some other code in the second jar file that my GPS code uses.

Did the following code run normally with you (I mean when you build it as a jar and run it from CMD) ?

Code:

---

import java.util.Enumeration;
import javax.comm.CommPortIdentifier;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.setSecurityManager(null);
        Enumeration port_list = CommPortIdentifier.getPortIdentifiers();
            while (port_list.hasMoreElements())
            {
                CommPortIdentifier port_id = (CommPortIdentifier)port_list.nextElement();
                if (port_id.getPortType() == CommPortIdentifier.PORT_SERIAL)
                    {
                    System.out.println("Serial port:"+ port_id.getName()+" ");
                    }
                else if (port_id.getPortType() == CommPortIdentifier.PORT_PARALLEL)
                    {
                    System.out.println("Parallel port:" + port_id.getName());
                    }
                else{
                  System.out.println("Other port:" + port_id.getName());
                    }
            }
    }
}

---

I haven't done anything with your code. If the code works in your IDE, then the problem must be in the way the jar file is being built.

Dear Norm
I am thinking of rebuilding the same project using Eclipse, and if it fails I may build my jar file using the java javac commands. What do you think about that?

Best Regards.
Anderson.

Quote:

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I may build my jar file using the java javac commands.

---

You build a jar with the jar command.
The javac command generates .class files from .java files in a process known as compiling. The java command reads and executes the .class files.

Here is a sample batch file I use to build a jar file:

Code:

---

@Rem create the GetURLText.jar file:
%DEV_DRIVE%
cd %DEV_HOME%\JavaDevelopment\NormsTools\GetURLText
jar -cmf  GetURLText.mnf  %JAVA_RUN%\GetURLText.jar  GetURLText*.class
cd %DEV_HOME%\JavaDevelopment\
jar -uf %JAVA_RUN%\GetURLText.jar NormsTools\IntInputField*.class NormsTools\ErrDialog*.class NormsTools\MyLabel*.class NormsTools\MakeEnterDoAction*.class NormsTools\MessageArea*.class NormsTools\ArrayUtil*.class NormsTools\ChoiceOfYesOrNo*.class NormsTools\ShowMsgBox*.class NormsTools\ShowCounters*.class
cd %DEV_HOME%\JavaDevelopment\Misc_Projects\DownloadFilesProject
jar -uf %JAVA_RUN%\GetURLText.jar DownloadFilesProject.html
@Echo ---- Created %JAVA_RUN%\GetURLText.jar ----
MORE

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