run jarfile in sh script - what path?

Question

So I have made this simple java app which I want to run with a simple double-click that opens my terminal and run the code on a Mac.

I written a simple start.sh script like this

#!/bin/sh
java -jar monkeykingApplication.jar

But this gives me and error because the jar can not be located. So what path do I need to set if run my start.sh script in the same folder as my jar file is?

the current directory `java -jar ./monkeykingApplication.jar` You need the `./` Otherwise you need the absolute path. — Jetchisel, Mar 23 '20 at 23:26
Still getting: `Error: Unable to access jarfile ./monkeykingApplication.jar` .. Or am I doing something wrong? — Peter Holdensgaard, Mar 23 '20 at 23:34
`java -jar /path/to/monkeykingapplication` or If you wan the cd, try a subshell `(cd /path/to/the/monkeyKingApplication || exit; java -jar monkeykingApplication.jar)` — Jetchisel, Mar 23 '20 at 23:42
@Jetchisel the problem is I don't have the path if I send the application to a friend — Peter Holdensgaard, Mar 23 '20 at 23:43
I don't follow, you can cd your way to the application but you don't have the path? — Jetchisel, Mar 23 '20 at 23:48
I know the path on my own machine, but not on my friends. Just for proofing that the jar is executable — Peter Holdensgaard, Mar 23 '20 at 23:57
@PeterHoldensgaard : If it works if you cd to your directory and execute it, your friend can do the same on his machine. After all, your friend wil hopefully know into which directory he places your application. — user1934428, Mar 24 '20 at 08:29

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered Mar 24 '20 at 09:00

Your example uses sh as shell, but you are tagging your question as bash, so I take the liberty to propose a bash solution:

Since you are delivering your jar together with a bash starter script, I would require that the starter script and the jar be installed by the user in the same directory. In your starter script, you can then find your own location, and use this information to locate the jar. How to find this location, has been discussed here. Using one of the answers in that page, you could do a:

#!/bin/bash
# Find your own location
install_dir="$( cd "$( dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}" )" >/dev/null 2>&1 && pwd )"
# Invoke the jar
java -jar "$install_dir/monkeykingApplication.jar"

Most likely, the user will add the directory of the starter script to their PATH variable, but this is his/her own decision, and you don't have to care about this.

run jarfile in sh script - what path?

1 Answers1