Determine is application has been started via Java or Javaw?

Question

I have a GUI program that is executed by default via javaw.exe using a startup wrapper created with Launch4j.

This program can also be executed from command-line and then print output to the console.

How can I detect if a console is visible, hence that the text I output via System.out.println() is visible?

From my understanding this depends on whether the program has been started via Javaw/wrapper or directly by java -jar myprog.jar. Is there a way to distinguish both starts methods from withing the program?

Why do you want to detect the way application is run ? It may by that the way application is run is not issue here. — Damian Leszczyński - Vash, Sep 19 '12 at 12:33

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 19 '12 at 12:31

3

If System.console() returns null, there's no console, which happens when you start the program with javaw instead of java. Example:

import javax.swing.JOptionPane;

public class Example {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        if (System.console() != null) {
            System.out.println("Hello on the console");
        } else {
            JOptionPane.showMessageDialog(null, "Hello, there's no console");
        }
    }
}

Try compiling this and then starting it with either java Example or javaw Example.

answered Sep 19 '12 at 12:31

Jesper

202,709
46
318
350

see also http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2469047/can-i-find-out-if-the-java-program-was-launched-using-java-or-javaw – atamanroman Sep 19 '12 at 12:31
1

however some IDEs also run with javaw and get the stdin and stdout directly – ratchet freak Sep 19 '12 at 13:26

score -1 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 19 '12 at 12:27

-1

$0 is the program that started the last cmd -- in the shell.

answered Sep 19 '12 at 12:27

awm

2,723
2
18
26

Determine is application has been started via Java or Javaw?

2 Answers2