I have a very simple batch file that lauches a Java app (Saxon) with the simple command ‘java net.sf.Saxon.transform...‘
This app requires java version 1.5.
This batch file will be used by 400+ users who each may or may not have some versions of the JRE installed on their machines.
I had thought that simply installing the most recent version of the JRE would solve the problem, but no: in some cases in our preliminary tests, although the most recent version of the JRE is installed (1.6.0_13), the command ‘java‘ calls an old Java version (1.3.1…).
What would be the simplest (but most robust) way to do the following from the batch file:
- check which is the most recent JRE installed
- if most recent version is >= 1.5, then use this JRE from the batch command
- if not, tell the user to go download the most recent JRE
This should work even if there is no installed version of the JRE at all on the machine.
I have read a little about Java Webstart but am not sure it’s the simplest tool for the job. I couldn’t figure if it has to be installed, if it can run without any installed version of Java at all, etc.
What other tools are there for this?
I’ve never used it, but someone suggested Launch4j in another question.