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jhod - Java HTML on Desktop

jhod is a platform which enables you to develop desktop applications with all Web technologies for the GUI (HTML, JavaScript, CSS...), and use Java JVM for "backend" (or heavy) processes.

It is based on NW.js + Jersey. So you can use HTML5 for frontend (for example) and use JAX-RS APIs as entry points for your Java processes.

How to use

Create a new Maven project and add this dependency to your pom.xml:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.github.anthony-o</groupId>
    <artifactId>jhod</artifactId>
    <version>0.1.0</version>
</dependency>

In addition to the classical Maven Java project file structure, create the directory src/main/app in which you will develop your NW.js app.

In order to launch your app, here is the code you should write:

Launcher.createBuilder()
        .appObject(this)
        .resourceConfig(new MyAppJerseyConfig())
        .build()
        .launchThenWaitForTerminationThenShutdown();

MyAppJerseyConfig references a class of your project specifying your Jersey ResourceConfig.

Now add NW_HOME to your environment variables (make this pointing to the directory of the NW.js runtime you previously installed).

You're now able to start your Java project like any others and see it launching your NW.js app which will communicate (using XMLHttpRequests) with your Java JAX-RS classes through a local Jersey server launched on a port specified in app/js/tempPort.js (by default).

Here is a sample content of that file:

var serverPort = 57442;

Packaging

In order to package it, you can add this to your pom.xml in the <build><plugins> section:

<plugin>
    <artifactId>maven-assembly-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>2.6</version>
    <configuration>
        <descriptor>src/assembly/distrib.xml</descriptor>
    </configuration>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <id>create-archive</id>
            <phase>package</phase>
            <goals>
                <goal>single</goal>
            </goals>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>
<plugin>
    <!-- Thanks to http://stackoverflow.com/a/25116745/535203 -->
    <artifactId>maven-dependency-plugin</artifactId>
    <version>2.10</version>
    <executions>
        <execution>
            <id>copy-dependencies</id>
            <phase>prepare-package</phase>
            <goals>
                <goal>copy-dependencies</goal>
            </goals>
            <configuration>
                <outputDirectory>${project.build.directory}/lib</outputDirectory>
                <overWriteReleases>false</overWriteReleases>
                <overWriteSnapshots>false</overWriteSnapshots>
                <overWriteIfNewer>true</overWriteIfNewer>
            </configuration>
        </execution>
    </executions>
</plugin>

Here is the distrib.xml file you can write:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<assembly
        xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/plugins/maven-assembly-plugin/assembly/1.1.2"
        xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
        xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/plugins/maven-assembly-plugin/assembly/1.1.2 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/assembly-1.1.2.xsd">
    <id>distrib</id>
    <formats>
        <format>zip</format>
    </formats>
    <fileSets>
        <fileSet>
            <directory>${project.basedir}/src/main/app</directory>
            <outputDirectory>app</outputDirectory>
            <includes>
                <include>**/*</include>
            </includes>
        </fileSet>
        <fileSet>
            <directory>${project.build.directory}/lib</directory>
            <outputDirectory>lib</outputDirectory>
            <includes>
                <include>*.jar</include>
            </includes>
        </fileSet>
        <fileSet>
            <directory>${project.build.directory}</directory>
            <outputDirectory></outputDirectory>
            <includes>
                <include>*.jar</include>
            </includes>
        </fileSet>
    </fileSets>
</assembly>

Installation

Download and install a JDK 8 (or JRE) & a NW.js SDK (or "normal" runtime).

TODOs / Ideas

Here are ideas for the future of this platform:

  • Develop an executable which will be the main entry to launch apps and will download & install the needed JRE & NW.js runtime (displaying a progress bar to the user) before really launching the app (using Go + ui for example in order to create native executables)
    • Those runtimes should be installed in the user system applications folder, or if he/she has not the rights, in his/her personal applications folder in order to share the runtimes between jhod applications
  • Enables the developer to specify (in a JSON) the version of Java JRE & NW.js runtime he/she wants
  • Add a way to choose Electron instead NW.js & simple Tomcat (& simple Servlet technologies) instead of Jersey
  • Add a "packager" that could create installers of jhod app with those different options:
    • A package that would contain all that is necessary for the app to work (JRE + NW.js runtime + libs (Java & JS))
    • A package that would contain all libs (Java & JS) but not the runtimes which would be downloaded when running the first time the app (like in the first TODO)
    • A "super-light" package that would contain only the sources & which would be automatically compiled (with libs & runtime downloaded) the first time it is executed
  • Add a way update the app (& the jhod executable which bootstrap all which would be develop in the first TODO)