Creating a Java Product Installation

The following article uses options that are available starting with the Professional edition and project type.

This tutorial will present in detail how to achieve this goal. In order to replicate it on your own machine, you need to have a Sun JDK installed (the latest version is recommended).

1. Create project
2. Enter Product Details
3. Add Installation Files
4. Define Java Products
5. Create program shortcut
6. Build
7. Run, test and remove
8. Video tutorial
9. See also

1. Create project

First you must download and unzip the Java Product Example. It contains all the files necessary to finish this tutorial, including a sample Advanced Installer project.

Let's say that we want to create a Windows Installer package for the included Java Product example. Start Advanced Installer and choose “Java” > “Java Application” as the project type.

A good idea is to save and name the project at this point. Use the “Save” menu item under the “File” menu or the Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut and let's name it JavaProductExample.aip.

2. Enter Product Details

Note that these details are completely fictive.

3. Add Installation Files

Go to the Files and Folders page by clicking on “Files and Folders” on the left side page menu.

Click on the [ Add File ] toolbar button. Browse to where your downloaded the example folder, then select DemoJar.jar file and click [ OK ].

4. Define Java Products

Go to the Java Products page by clicking on “Java Products” on the left pane.

Create a new Java Product by clicking on the [ New Product ] toolbar button. Let's call it Java Product Example.

In the "Settings" tab, click on the [ Add JAR(s)... ] button and select the DemoJar.jar file and click OK.

Edit the Main class to: DemoMainClass

Go to "Virtual Machine" tab and set the JVM parameters:

Initial heap size - 64 MegaBytes
Maximum heap size - 256 MegaBytes

Specify the JRE version min and max to whatever version you have installed on your machine.

You can set the parameters by clicking on [...] button from the JVM Parameters field this way accessing the Edit Java Virtual Machine Parameters Dialog.

Back in the "Settings" tab select GUI Application. Optionally set a splash screen for your java product.

Now a new file has appeared in the Files and Folders Page: Java Product Example.exe.

5. Create program shortcut

Go to the Files and Folders page by clicking on “Files and Folders” on the left pane.

Select the Java Product Example.exe file and click on the [ New Shortcut ] toolbar button. Set the description to: Java Product Example Application. Find yourself a nice icon on your computer. Click OK.

6. Build

Click on the [ Build ] toolbar button.

7. Run, test and remove

Click on the [ Run ] toolbar button to run and test the MSI you created. After installation you should have a Java Product Example folder in your “Start” menu. Run the application by selecting Java Product Example.

To remove the installed package, simply Run it again and select Remove.