The executable JAR file contains built-in support for silent (unattended) installation. A normal wizard install guides the user through different graphical dialog boxes and expects some input. However, a silent install does not prompt the user for input. Instead it receives the required setup data from a configuration driver file that provides the information the user would otherwise enter as responses to dialog boxes.
The setup configuration driver file uses the standard java.util.Properties format. It consists of key/value pairs representing the data entries. Performing a wizard install automatically creates (or updates) a configuration driver file in the Jalopy settings directory that reflects the information given during the last setup session.
To perform a silent install, open a shell and type
% java -jar jalopy-setup-1.9.3_156.jar --silent
at the command line. This will perform installation with the data gathered from your last installation session. But the installer supports a few more options to control the setup process. These are described below.
Table 1.1. Install Wizard command-line options
| Option | Long Option | Arguments | Description | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -c | --config | <filepath> |
Specifies the absolute path to the setup configuration driver file to use for
the installation, e.g.
/home/John Doo/tools/jalopy-install.ini. When omitted,
the settings of the last installation run will be used when available
| 1.4 |
| -h | --help | Displays a short help | 1.4 | |
| -l | --log | Specifies the directory where the log file should be written. When omitted, the log file is stored in the Jalopy settings directory (the section called “Overview”) | 1.4 | |
| -s | --silent | Performs silent install | 1.4 | |
| --update-center | Creates a NetBeans update center | 1.9.2 | ||
| --update-site | Creates an Eclipse update site | 1.9.2 |
Below you find an annotated sample configuration driver file, that explains all available keys and the possible values.
Example 1.1. Sample configuration driver file
#Jalopy installation data #Fri Dec 03 09:14:37 CET 2004 delete.settings=false import.settings=false download.help=true install.ant=true install.ant.dir=/Home/John Doo/Applications/ant-1.7.1 install.console=true install.console.dir=/Home/John Doo/Applications/jalopy install.eclipse=true install.eclipse.dir=/Home/John Doo/Applications/eclipse-3.4.2 install.idea=true install.idea.dir=/Home/John Doo/Applications/idea-8.0 install.jdeveloper=true install.jdeveloper.dir=/Home/John Doo/Applications/jdeveloper-11g install.jedit=true install.jedit.dir=/Home/John Doo/Applications/jedit-4.3 install.maven=true install.maven.dir=/Home/John Doo/.m2 install.netbeans=true install.netbeans.dir=/Home/John Doo/Applications/netbeans-6.5
(1) | Header comment that contains the last modification date of the file |
(2) | delete.settings = true|false Indicates wether the settings of a prior version should be removed. “false” to keep prior settings, “true” to remove them |
(3) | import.settings = true|false Indicates wether the settings of a prior version should be imported. “false” to ignore prior settings, “true” to import them |
(4) | install.[appKey] = true|false Indicates wether the specified application plug-in should be installed. “false” means that the plug-in won’t be installed, “true” installs the plug-in. The valid appKeys are ant, console, eclipse, idea, idea3.x, jbuilder, jdeveloper, jbuilder, jedit, netbeans, netbeans3.4. |
(5) | install.[appKey].dir = absolute file path Specifies the absolute file path of the root application directory. The file path is stored in platform notation. |