How do I make my java application open a console/terminal window?

Question

Is there any way I can make an executable .jar that will open up the command line when double clicked?

I\'m making a text-based adventure game. As of right now it is

Answer 1

You can use this program. This program creates a console for JAR programs (when JAR programs are run by double clicking on them).

import java.io.*;
import javax.swing.*;
import javax.swing.event.*;
import java.awt.*;
import java.awt.event.*;
import java.util.*;
import javax.swing.text.*;
import javax.swing.border.*;

class InitComponents {

    public static JFrame setupJFrameAndGet(String title, int width, int height) {
        JFrame tmpJF = new JFrame(title);
        tmpJF.setSize(width, height);
        tmpJF.setLocationRelativeTo(null);
        tmpJF.setLayout(null);
        tmpJF.setDefaultCloseOperation(JFrame.EXIT_ON_CLOSE);
        return tmpJF;
    } // end of setupJFrameAndGet

    public static JTextArea setupJTextAreaAndGet(String text, int rows, int columns, boolean setEditableFlag, boolean setLineWrapFlag, boolean setWrapStyleWordFlag, boolean setBoundsFlag, int xpos, int ypos, int width, int height) {
        JTextArea tmpJTA = new JTextArea(text, rows, columns);
        tmpJTA.setEditable(setEditableFlag);
        tmpJTA.setLineWrap(setLineWrapFlag);
        tmpJTA.setWrapStyleWord(setWrapStyleWordFlag);
        if (setBoundsFlag == true) {
            tmpJTA.setBounds(xpos, ypos, width, height);
        }
        return tmpJTA;
    } // end of setupJTextAreaAndGet

    public static JScrollPane setupScrollableJTextAreaAndGet(JTextArea jta, int xpos, int ypos, int width, int height) {
        JScrollPane tmpJSP = new JScrollPane(jta);
        tmpJSP.setBounds(xpos, ypos, width, height);
        return tmpJSP;
    } // end of setupScrollableJTextAreaAndGet

    public static JMenuBar setupJMenuBarAndGet() {
        JMenuBar tmpJMB = new JMenuBar();
        return tmpJMB;
    } // end of setupJMenuBarAndGet

    public static JMenu setupJMenuAndGet(String text) {
        JMenu tmpJM = new JMenu(text);
        return tmpJM;
    } // end of setupJMenuAndGet

    public static JMenuItem setupJMenuItemAndGet(String text) {
        JMenuItem tmpJMI = new JMenuItem(text);
        return tmpJMI;
    } // end of setupJMenuItemAndGet

}// end of InitComponents

public class ConsoleForJARPrograms implements KeyListener, ActionListener {

    Dimension screenSize = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getScreenSize();
    int screenWidth = screenSize.width;
    int screenHeight = screenSize.height;

    String title = null;
    String text = null;

    JFrame jf = null;
    JTextArea jta = null;
    JScrollPane jsp = null;
    JMenuBar jmb = null;
    JMenu jm = null;
    JMenuItem jmi = null;

    int initialCaretPosition = 0;
    int currentCaretPosition = 0;
    boolean inputAvailable = false;

    // key codes
    int BACKSPACE = 8;
    int ENTER = 10;
    int PG_UP = 33; // do nothing for this key pressed
    int PG_DN = 34; // do nothing for this key pressed
    int END = 35;
    int HOME = 36;
    int LEFT_ARROW = 37;
    int UP_ARROW = 38; // do nothing for this key pressed
    //int RIGHT_ARROW = 39; // handled by JTextArea
    int DOWN_ARROW = 40; // do nothing for this key pressed

    int CTRL = 128;
    int A = 65; // disable ctrl-a
    int H = 72; // handle ctrl-h
    //int DELETE = 127; // handled by JTextArea

    public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent ae) {
        int cCurrPos = jta.getCaretPosition();
        jta.selectAll();
        jta.copy();
        jta.select(cCurrPos, cCurrPos);
    } // end of actionPerformed

    public void keyTyped(KeyEvent ke) {
    } // end of keyTyped

    public void keyReleased(KeyEvent ke) {
    } // end of keyReleased

    public void keyPressed(KeyEvent ke) {
        int keyCode = ke.getKeyCode();
        if ((keyCode == PG_UP) || (keyCode == PG_DN) || (keyCode == UP_ARROW) || (keyCode == DOWN_ARROW) || ((keyCode == A) && (ke.getModifiersEx() == CTRL))) {
            ke.consume();
        } else if ((keyCode == LEFT_ARROW) || (keyCode == BACKSPACE) || ((keyCode == H) && (ke.getModifiersEx() == CTRL))) {
            synchronized(this) {
                if (jta.getCaretPosition() <= initialCaretPosition) {
                    ke.consume();
                }
            } // end of synchronized block
        } else if (keyCode == HOME) {
            synchronized(this) {
                jta.setCaretPosition(initialCaretPosition);
                ke.consume();
            } // end of synchronized block
        } else if (keyCode == END) {
            synchronized(this) {
                jta.setCaretPosition(jta.getDocument().getLength());
                ke.consume();
            } // end of synchronized block
        } else if (keyCode == ENTER) {
            jta.setCaretPosition(jta.getDocument().getLength());
            synchronized(this) {
                currentCaretPosition = jta.getCaretPosition();

                // If character at initial caret position is newline then it means that the user has
                // pressed enter without enetring any other character. Also, the code gets called here
                // as soon as enter is pressed which means that the caret position (jta.getCaretPosition())
                // of the document will be incremented by 1 by the system after this code returns.
                // This means that if at initial caret position, the character is newline, then we must ignore
                // this enter and increment initial caret position by 1 and do not set inputAvailable to true.
                try {
                    String charAtInitialCaretPosition = jta.getText(initialCaretPosition, 1);
                    if ((charAtInitialCaretPosition.equals("\n")) == true) {
                        initialCaretPosition++;
                    }
                } catch (Exception e) {
                }
                /*
                debug: start
                try {
                    System.out.println("keyPressed (1): initial = " + initialCaretPosition + ", current = " + currentCaretPosition + ", System current = " + jta.getDocument().getLength());
                    String initialString = jta.getText(initialCaretPosition, 1);
                    String currentString = jta.getText(currentCaretPosition, 1);
                    System.out.println("char at initial = " + initialString + ", char at current = " + currentString);
                    if ((initialString.equals("\n")) == true) {
                        System.out.println("char at initial is newline");
                    }
                    if ((currentString.equals("\n")) == true) {
                        System.out.println("char at current is newline");
                    }
                } catch (Exception e) {
                }
                debug:end
                */

                if ((currentCaretPosition - initialCaretPosition) > 0) {
                    inputAvailable = true;
                    notifyAll();
                }
            } // end of synchronized block
        } // end of if else if
    } // end of keyPressed

    String getInputFromJTextArea(JTextArea jta) {
        int len = 0;
        String inputFromUser = "";
        while (true) {
            synchronized(this) {
                if (inputAvailable == true) {
                    len = currentCaretPosition - initialCaretPosition;

                    try {
                        inputFromUser = jta.getText(initialCaretPosition, len);
                        initialCaretPosition = currentCaretPosition;
                    } catch (Exception e) {
                        inputFromUser = "";
                        return inputFromUser;
                    } // end of outer try catch

                    /*
                    The following lines of code are not needed now.
                    if ((len == 1) && (inputFromUser.equals("\n")) == true) {
                        try {
                            wait();
                            continue;
                        } catch (Exception e) {
                        } // end of try catch
                    } else if (Character.compare(inputFromUser.charAt(0), '\n') == 0) { // matched
                        // remove first character from inputFromUser
                        inputFromUser = inputFromUser.substring(1);
                    }
                    */
                    inputAvailable = false;
                    return inputFromUser;
                } else {
                    try {
                        wait();
                        continue;
                    } catch (Exception e) {
                    } // end of try catch
                } // end of if else inputAvailable
            } // end of synchronized block
        } // end of while true
    } // end of getInoutFromJtextArea

    void outputToJTextArea(JTextArea jta, String text) {
        jta.append(text);
        jta.setCaretPosition(jta.getDocument().getLength());
        synchronized(this) {
            initialCaretPosition = jta.getCaretPosition();
        }
    } // end of outputToJTextArea

    void begin() {
        while (true) {
            outputToJTextArea(jta, "Enter some input (press enter after inputting): ");
            String input = getInputFromJTextArea(jta);
            outputToJTextArea(jta, "User input was: " + input + "\n\n");
        }
    } // end of begin

    void configureJTextAreaForInputOutput(JTextArea jta) {
        jta.addKeyListener(this);

        // remove all mouse listeners
        for (MouseListener listener : jta.getMouseListeners()) {
            //outputToJTextArea(jta, "\nRemoving mouse listener\n");
            jta.removeMouseListener(listener);
        }

        // remove all mouse motion listeners
        for (MouseMotionListener listener : jta.getMouseMotionListeners()) {
            //outputToJTextArea(jta, "\nRemoving mouse motion listener\n");
            jta.removeMouseMotionListener(listener);
        }

        // remove all mouse wheel listeners
        for (MouseWheelListener listener : jta.getMouseWheelListeners()) {
            //outputToJTextArea(jta, "\nRemoving mouse wheel listener\n");
            jta.removeMouseWheelListener(listener);
        }
    } // end of configureJTextAreaForInputOutput

    void createAndShowGUI() {
        title = "Console";
        jf = InitComponents.setupJFrameAndGet(title, screenWidth - 150, screenHeight - 100);

        jta = InitComponents.setupJTextAreaAndGet("", 1000, 100, true, true, true, false, 0, 0, 0, 0);
        configureJTextAreaForInputOutput(jta);

        jsp = InitComponents.setupScrollableJTextAreaAndGet(jta, 10, 10, screenWidth - 180, screenHeight - 180);
        jsp.setHorizontalScrollBarPolicy(ScrollPaneConstants.HORIZONTAL_SCROLLBAR_AS_NEEDED);
        jsp.setVerticalScrollBarPolicy(ScrollPaneConstants.VERTICAL_SCROLLBAR_ALWAYS);
        jf.add(jsp);
        //jf.setLocation(screenWidth / 5, screenHeight / 6);

        jmb = InitComponents.setupJMenuBarAndGet();
        jm = InitComponents.setupJMenuAndGet("Copy All to Clipboard");
        jm.setBorder(BorderFactory.createLineBorder(Color.green, 2));
        jmi = InitComponents.setupJMenuItemAndGet("Copy All to Clipboard");
        jm.add(jmi);
        jmb.add(jm);
        jmi.addActionListener(this);
        jf.setJMenuBar(jmb);

        jf.setVisible(true);
    } // end of createAndShowGUI

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        ConsoleForJARPrograms cfjp = new ConsoleForJARPrograms();
        cfjp.createAndShowGUI();
        cfjp.begin();
    } // end of main

} // end of ConsoleForJARPrograms

Answer 2

So this is my solution, I used the code from @Brandon Barajas and modified it. It creates a batchfile that starts the program by itself.

public static void main(String[] args){
    Console console = System.console();
    if(console == null && !GraphicsEnvironment.isHeadless()) {
        String filename = YOURMAINCALSS.class.getProtectionDomain().getCodeSource().getLocation().toString().substring(6);
        try {
            File batch = new File("Launcher.bat");
            if(!batch.exists()){
                batch.createNewFile();
                PrintWriter writer = new PrintWriter(batch);
                writer.println("@echo off");
                writer.println("java -jar "+filename);
                writer.println("exit");
                writer.flush();
            }
            Runtime.getRuntime().exec("cmd /c start \"\" "+batch.getPath());
        } catch(IOException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    } else {
        //your program code...
    }
}

If you want you can add a writer.println("pause"); before the "exit" print, to keep the window open after the progam finishes. Then you need to hit ENTER to close the window.

Answer 3

I found another way ... for example for project myproject with a class foo in package bar :

java -cp myproject.jar; bar.foo

Answer 4

As long as the .jar is executed with java.exe, a commandline window will always show up. executing it with javaw.exe would prevent this.

for further reading: http://download.oracle.com/javase/1.4.2/docs/tooldocs/windows/java.html

Answer 5

You could create your own window, using Swing or Awt, using a TextPane, the only problem... is how to input and use like the cmd should do. But you can always do this with alerts and all...

Other way, is running directly from a batch file, showing on the console.

You should consider too, make your game DIRECTLY on batch... is not a bad language to make and is present on every Windows Operating Systems.

(Hope was useful ('cause i'm new), and my english was not THAT BAD...)

Answer 6

I guess the simplest way is to write a simple shortcut for your jar file. e.g. eclipse (like the most ide's) is able to export a jar file with all necessary libraries, etc. so you just need to set the shortcut command like "java -jar filePath/file.jar" (filePath: e.g. ./bin/file.jar)