Can't launch HD6.jar

[alliebgoode]

Downloaded HD, when I couldn't open the .jar file I was told to download JDK. Now I have both, but all I get is an error message saying I can't launch it and to check the console.
Should I download a different program to use HD?

Any help is appreciated.

[Simon]

Ok...a few things:

 

1. The JDK is the Java development kit - it includes the runtime environment (what you need) plus a bunch of developer tools (which you most likely don’t).  You could install just the JRE (Java runtime environment) by going to www.java.com

 

2. A statement of “check the console” sounds like you’re trying to run the application from your browser...which you’ve likely realized by now you don’t want to do.  Double click on HD6.jar to launch the app.  If that doesn’t do it (some windows systems don’t like to let Java configure itself for .jar files), google “jarfix” - the first result will contain a small program you can run to correct the file associations on your system.

[alliebgoode]

Alright, I tried downloading JRE, but that didn't seem to get me anywhere. I am using a mac currently, so it doesn't look like jarfix will fix my problem? I'd try to post whatever message it's trying to refer to in the console, but honestly it doesn't look like it has a specific message for the error.

[Simon]

Something's definitely not configured correctly on your system.  

 

Could be easy:  make sure you have full rights to the directory that you're running HD6.jar from -- it's going to try to create some files and subdirectories there and will error out if it doesn't have access.

 

If that doesn't work, open up a terminal and post the output from the following:

 

java -version

You can also try navigating to the directory that you've saved HD6.jar to and manually running the app via the following:

 

java -jar HD6.jar

At the very least, you should get to see whatever error your system is throwing that way -- post it here and we can work from there.

[Jhaierr]

I am having the same problem as alliebgoode. I'm on macOS 10.13.4, using Java 10.0.1 x86_64. I click the icon and it give me the popup error message alliebgoode described above. When I run "java -jar HD6.jar" from the Terminal in /Applications/HERODesigner (which is drwxr-xr-x, user:jhaierr, group:staff), it displays the following errors:

 

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: com/sun/java/swing/plaf/nimbus/NimbusLookAndFeel
	at java.base/java.lang.ClassLoader.defineClass1(Native Method)
	at java.base/java.lang.ClassLoader.defineClass(ClassLoader.java:1009)
	at java.base/java.security.SecureClassLoader.defineClass(SecureClassLoader.java:174)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.loader.BuiltinClassLoader.defineClass(BuiltinClassLoader.java:801)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.loader.BuiltinClassLoader.findClassOnClassPathOrNull(BuiltinClassLoader.java:699)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.loader.BuiltinClassLoader.loadClassOrNull(BuiltinClassLoader.java:622)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.loader.BuiltinClassLoader.loadClass(BuiltinClassLoader.java:580)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.loader.ClassLoaders$AppClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoaders.java:190)
	at java.base/java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:499)
	at com.hero.Launcher.main(Unknown Source)
Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: com.sun.java.swing.plaf.nimbus.NimbusLookAndFeel
	at java.base/jdk.internal.loader.BuiltinClassLoader.loadClass(BuiltinClassLoader.java:582)
	at java.base/jdk.internal.loader.ClassLoaders$AppClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoaders.java:190)
	at java.base/java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:499)
	... 10 more

Running java -version yields:

java version "10.0.1" 2018-04-17
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment 18.3 (build 10.0.1+10)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM 18.3 (build 10.0.1+10, mixed mode)

To view the error messages, I had to install the Java JDK as opposed to merely the JRE.

[Simon]

Get Java from Oracle, not Apple.

 

www.java.com

[Jhaierr]

I downloaded it straight from http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html

 

Attached is the trace.log, if it helps.

 

[Simon]

You don't have base GUI classes required for the application to run.

 

Go to www.java.com

[Jhaierr]

I guess I have to use Java 8 instead of Java 10. After downgrading to 8, it works.

[Jhaierr]

Just clarify for any future issues that people might have, I first wiped out any old version of Java (e.g., Mac version 6, version 8), and I installed Oracle's Java 10.0.1 JRE, but HD6 does not seem to work under Java 10. So I uninstalled that and got version 8. Now it works.

 

UPDATE: I also did the same in Windows, and had the same experience.

 

So for now, it looks like using Java 8 at https://www.java.com is the best answer, whether on Windows or macOS. Don't update to Java 10 for now.

[Simon]

Back from a brief vacation...

 

Starting with Java 9, Oracle broke the way the UI manager handles some of the look and feels (the appearance of the GUI components). Methods that worked without issue previously started throwing errors.  In particular, the look and feel that HD uses by default was modified.

 

I just posted an update that _should_ work in all versions of Java (using reflection to determine the proper call to set the look and feel).