javax.comm Run Problem

[mr_anderson]

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.

[Norm]

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?

[mr_anderson]

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.

[mr_anderson]

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

[Norm]

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

[mr_anderson]

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

[mr_anderson]

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 ?

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());
                     }
             }
    }
}

[Norm]

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.

[mr_anderson]

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:

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.

[Norm]

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

[mr_anderson]

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

[Norm]

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.

[mr_anderson]

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.

[Norm]

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:

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>

[mr_anderson]

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

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 :

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?

[Norm]

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.

class path you have two jars

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

[mr_anderson]

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

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());
                     }
             }
    }
}

[Norm]

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.

[mr_anderson]

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.

[Norm]

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:

@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 ---- 
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