Mac .app to PC question

Greetings, we have an application that is created on a PC, it burns PDF files (with a viewer) to CD, these are then sent to PC and Mac users. All PC users can view the CD no problem, on 50 percent of the Mac machines the application works perfect, on the remaining 50 percent, the user receives the following error - The JAVA JAE file "DVDPDFViewer.jar" could not be launched. The program was written to work on OS X.4 and newer, all machines tested are running the same version of OS and Java.

The work around for this appears to be opening a terminal window on the Mac, running a three line script, then launching the application again.

So, the problem I now have is that I write the script (.app) on the Mac, and it executes and runs fine, I copy it to a PC for burning onto a CD with all of the other documents from the program and when I launch it on a Mac from the CD, it does not work. I assume that when I copied it to the PC from the Mac (thumb drive, e-mail and .zip have been tried)that the .app file is losing something, perhaps attributes, in the translation. Does anyone have any ideas on how to resolve this?

Thanks,
Mark

Hello there!

May I ask, are the 50% of Macs that are not launching it properly 10.5 (Leopard) or are the 10.4? Or is it a mixture of both?
If all the Macs are the same OS (like all tiger, or all leopard) however, then check for software updates.

Because some apps made for older OS's and newer ones can sometimes have problems on the newer ones. In my opinion, if it is the newer Macs having the problem, ask the program designers to create sure that the program will run smoothly.
a new version of the software for specific Hardware and Software requirements when it comes to Mac, so that you can be 100%
Also, are all the files and scripts for the program saved in the same place when you save it to a CD?
You must ensure that you aren't missing files out, and more importantly that the CD you insert has the correct files and scripts.
Maybe a CD isn't best for the Macs, try using DVD's instead.

Regards

Mr Macintosh,

thanks, the machines it works on (or those that it does not) are a mixture. for example, some 10.5.7 machines work, some do not, same with 10.4.11. all have java viewer version 1.5.0.16.

with regards to ensuring that all files are copied over, unless there are hidden ones, I am assuming that this is taking place.

as to the cd type, I will try a dvd.

Thanks,
Mark

Usually, the message that comes up when a JAR fails to launch says, "The jar file "somejarfile.jar" couldn't be launched. Check the Console for possible error messages"

On the machines where the JAR does not lauch, does the Console hold any error messages? They might be enlightening.

miram said:

Mr Macintosh,

thanks, the machines it works on (or those that it does not) are a mixture. for example, some 10.5.7 machines work, some do not, same with 10.4.11. all have java viewer version 1.5.0.16.

with regards to ensuring that all files are copied over, unless there are hidden ones, I am assuming that this is taking place.

as to the cd type, I will try a dvd.

Thanks,
Mark

Click to expand...

Also Mark, you may want to check about hidden files because that can usually be the cause. If the application is being created on a Mac, you can unhide files and re-hide them using terminal. Google search it if need be.

If you're using Windows to create the application, unhide them, as I'm sure you know how to, if not, also Google it!

Regards.