What is Jar Explorer?
Jar Explorer is a simple, easy-to-use application to browse the contents of jar files. It also includes a class decompiler.

System requirements
  • Minimum SDK 1.6.0 Build 22 GA (2011-06-27)


Jar Explorer on an eComStation machine with Open JDK


Installing Jar Explorer
Download JarExplorer-jdk1.5-2.2.1.zip (1.350Kb). Make a new directory with the name "jarexplorer" or something you like. Open the zip file, you will find a directory with the name "JarExplorer-jdk1.5-2.2.1". Open this directory and copy the contents to the new created directory. That's all!

The cmd file
The program works well with OpenJDK in OS/2-eCS. I have a jarexplorer.cmd file with the following contents; 
@echo off
set BEGINLIBPATH=[drive: java]\JAVA160ga5\bin
set path=[drive: java]\JAVA160ga5\bin
set CLASSPATH=
[drive: Jar Explorer]
cd [drive: Jar Explorer]\jarexplorer
java -Duser.home=[drive: Jar Explorer]\jarexplorer -jar jarexplorer.jar 2>jarexplorer-bugs.txt
I use 2 separate folders (directories), one for Java and one for Jar Explorer with the files created by this program. The references used in the cmd file;

  • [drive: java] = drive with or the runtime version of Java or the developer version (SDK) of Java! (its up to you)
  • [drive: Jar Explorer] = drive with Jar Explorer

should be replaced with real drive letters. Edit and save the file with a name of your choice or use the file from the distribution. This file is copied to the "jarexplorer" folder (directory). Furthermore, different paths?, adjust according to your needs.

Parameters / options explained
  • The statement "-Duser.home=[drive: Jar Explorer]\jarexplorer" will ensure that Jar Explorer will save all necessary files in own directory instead of saving them in the home directory.
  • The addition "2>jarexplorer-bugs.txt" ensures that errors are saved in the file "jarexplorer-bugs.txt". The 2 in "2>" is not a typo!

Running the program
I haven't test the drop function which is the first thing you see when the program opens the workspace. I used the menu. You can klick on pictograms and something happens. But if you want to use the decompiler you have to use that other mouse button (I don't know if it is left or right, I use a pen as a mouse). You get a popup with a choice, see the picture. The program on test is called "See" and does have a problem with our Java version. Nice candidate to see what's wrong. Another thing could be lifted from the downloaded filename. In it is "jdk1.5", so stuff written with jdk1.6 and up might not decompile correctly.

Jar Explorer on an eComStation machine with Open JDK


Download
In the file you can find the above command file (all driveletters are set to C:) and a Jar Explorer icon: jarexplorer-ecs.zip.

revision July 9, 2017