How to create a default javafx project Jar file successfully on IntelliJ IDEA without error?

Question

IntelliJ IDEA 2023.1.3 (Community Edition) Macbook

1. New Project > JavaFX

• Name : demo
• Location : ~/IdeaProjects/demo
• Language : Java
• Build System : Maven
• Group : com.example
• Artifact : demo
• JDK : 18.0.1 (default)

2. Test build & Run

• success, normal

3. File > Project Structure... > Artifacts > + > JAR > From modules with dependencies

• Module : demo
• HelloApplication (com.example.demo)
• JAR files from libraries > Extract to the target JAR
• Directory for META-INF/MANIFEST.MF: /Users/quenyan/IdeaProjects/demo/demo/src/main/resources
• OK, then OK again to close the Project Structure

4. Build > Build Artifacts...

• demo:jar > Build
• the file output at /Users/quenyan/IdeaProjects/demo/demo/out/artifacts/demo_jar/demo.jar

5. First try directly

• Right click the demo.jar in IDEA > Open in > Finder
• Double click the demo.jar in finder
• got this

Java Application launch failed.

Check Console for possible error
messages related to "/Users/quenyan/
IdeaProjects/demo/demo/out/artifacts/
demo_jar/demo.jar".

6. Second try on terminal

• java -jar /Users/quenyan/IdeaProjects/demo/demo/out/artifacts/demo_jar/demo.jar
• get this

Error: JavaFX runtime components are missing, and are required to run this application

What did i missed?

Answer 1

this answer is based on Random code's Youtube content (Windows Based)

There are 2 critical things(but not so complicated) to note here:

1. In order to avoid any error, we have to create a new Java Class that runs the main without any extends.

X public class HelloApplication extends Application X

✓ public class YourMain ✓

In Mac, select your folder that has your main java class, in my case, my HelloApplication.java is in com.example.test folder, so i select the com.example.test, then right-click > New > Java Class and name your new Java Class, in my case i named it "Main" (it will create Main.java), and this new Class will have the same level as your "com.example.yourproject" folder

it should look like this now

src
-main
--java
---com.example.test
---NewJavaClass.java
---module-info.java

for your new java class, you write it like this below

import com.example.test.HelloApplication;

public class Main {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        HelloApplication.main(args);
    }
}

//HelloApplication is my primary java class which run the program, which is located inside com.example.test folder
//if your new java class has different name, use "public class YourJavaName {blablabla}"

okay that's all for the first part

2. we need to add libraries/binaries/brains into the artifacts for the jar file

After done with the first one, go to File > Project Structure... > Artifacts > + icon > JAR > From modules with dependencies > Main Class (Select your new Java Class) > OK

after the list of elements loaded, look for icon + (says "Add Copy of"), then select File, search for your java sdk folder, in my case i select javafx-sdk-20.0.1 folder > then lib (Mac/Linux, it should be "bin" for Windows) then select all files inside the lib by pressing shift and click, the files should be like *.jar or *.dylib, i also included the *.properties file, for Windows it will be *.dll files.

Then Apply, and OK.

After that, we are all done, final part is building the JAR. Select Build > Build Artifacts > Build and now the JAR (which can be found inside "out" folder) is executable in everywhere(Mac/Linux, havent tried on Win), not sure about putting the bin and lib files together can make it executable really everywhere or cant do, i have no knowledge of that yet.

PS. No need to mess with maven, gradle, module, or whatever that idea are. just follow this 2 simple rules you will be fine.