This section deals with installing jEdit using the Java-based installation program, as well as installation issues that are specific to particular operating systems. It also deals with problems encountered in starting up jEdit.
1. General installation questions | ||
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Q:. | What is the easiest way to install jEdit? | |
A:. | First, make sure you have a working installation of the Java platform. To run jEdit, you will a platform package having a version number of at least 1.3. Versions 1.3, 1.3.1 or 1.4 will all work. If you do not have the Java platform, we recommend downloading the larger "Software Development Kit" (SDK), instead of the smaller "Java Runtime Environment" (JRE), because you will need the tools supplied with the SDK if you will be using Java for development. You will need to know the path of the Java application launcher, which is called java.exe on Windows systems and simply java on others. Next, decide whether you want the current stable version or the latest development version. The stable version is a good choice for first-time users. Download the Java installer for the version you have chosen from the jEdit web site; it consists of a single file with a name in the style jeditXXXinstall.jar. This file is a compressed archive containing all of the files you need for jEdit to run as well as an installer application written in Java. You can put this file anywhere on your hard disk that is convenient. To run the installer, do whatever you normally do to run a Java jar archive. If this is your first time, follow these steps:
The installer will load and display a series of dialogs for selecting a few simple options, including the directory in which you wish jEdit installed. It will also tell you how much disk space you need for the main program and various installation options. If this is your first download of jEdit, you should definitely install the set of macros that come with the application. Many of them are useful for all programmers, and even the ones you don't use can serve as models when you eventually begin writing your own macros. The installation process is very short. If you are installing the program on Windows and you select the jEditLauncher option, you should be able to start jEdit by clicking on any of the icons that the installation program provides. On other systems, you can enter jedit in a terminal window or create your own desktop or menu shortcut. | |
Q:. | What should I do when the installer displays the message,
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A:. | The full message that you may receive from the Java application launcher begins as follows:
This means that the Java application launcher cannot read the jar archive file that you specified on the command line. If your Java runtime environment otherwise runs properly, then either you have named the incorrect file name or the installation file is corrupt or incomplete. Check the file name, download the installer again if necessary, and be sure to follow any specific instructions for your operating system posted on the jEdit web site. | |
Q:. | After downloading jeditXXXinstall.jar (the XXX represents the version number), I tried to run java jeditXXXinstall.jar, but got the error message,
What am I doing wrong? | |
A:. | You need to specify the -jar option for the Java application loader so that the loader will search the installation archive for the starting class file. Without the option, it treats the archive as a single class file (which it is not!), thus producing the error. The correct command line would be java -jar jeditXXXinstall.jar. | |
2. Installing jEdit on Linux systems | ||
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Q:. | After installing jEdit on Linux, running the jedit command causes the error message:
How can I fix this? | |
A:. | Your jedit shell script should be modified to set the JAVA_HOME variable to the directory containing the executables of your desired Java runtime environment (JRE). | |
Q:. | How can I get jEdit to run on Mandrake Linux 8.1? When I try to start the program, I keep getting an error which begins as follows:
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A:. | This version of Mandrake Linux uses the Open Source Kaffe package as its default Java virtual machine. Kaffe is compliant with version 1.1 (and to a limited extent, version 1.2) of the Java platform. However, the latest version of jEdit, version 4.0, requires at least version 1.3. You will need to install another Java package for Linux (either Blackdown, IBM or Sun) that complies with at least version 1.3. | |
Q:. | I installed jEdit 3.2.2 from the RPM on Mandrake 8.1 and I am unable to send any keyboard inputs to jEdit. But the mouse interacts with the program just fine. I have tried running it on Sun's JDK 1.3.1 and Blackdown's latest JDK (Dec. 2001) without any luck. | |
A:. | This problem has been reported with various combinations of window managers and desktop environments. The IBM JDK has not been reported to have this problem. In addition, there have not been reported problems with the Sun and Blackdown JDK's when running under the Sawfish window manager. | |
3. Install jEdit on MacOS | ||
Q:. | How do I install jEdit on MacOS 8 or MacOS 9? | |
A:. | The latest version of jEdit, version 4.0, requires MacOS X, because the Java platforms of earlier MacOS version out outdated. The followng steps outline how to install jEdit 3.2.2 on Mac OS 9.1 and earlier.
Once you have completed installing jEdit locate the jedit.jar file and do the following:
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4. Installing jEdit on Windows | ||
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Q:. | Is there anything different about installing jEdit on Windows? | |
A:. | For the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems, jEdit provides an additional package of features called jEditLauncher. These features include:
The package is a recommended option that is selected by default when you install jEdit. The Java installer application launches a separate Windows installer module for the native Windows executables that comprise the jEditLauncher package. If the installation involves an upgrade, you may be asked to reboot your computer to complete the process. | |
Q:. | Do I need any special Windows components to run jEditLauncher? | |
A:. | Regardless of the version of Windows that you use, if you have kept it reasonably up-to-date with service packs or component upgrades from Microsoft, you should have no trouble running jEditLauncher. Users of Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows NT (version 4.0), Windows 2000 and Windows XP have not reported problems involving missing components. Some users of older versions of Windows 95 may need to upgrade their version of the Windows Sockets package. Others may be missing Microsoft's package for supporting DCOM (Distributed Component Object Model) components on Windows 95. Both the Windows Sockets upgrade and the DCOM package are available for download from Microsoft. | |
Q:. | Can I run jEdit on Microsoft's virtual machine? | |
A:. | The latest version of jEdit, version 4.0, requires at least version 1.3 of the Java 2 platform, and therefore will not be compatible with Microsoft's virtual machine. You can run jEdit version 3.2.2 if you put Sun's Swing 1.1.1 package in the classpath of Microsoft's Java application loaders jview or wjview. An article describing the advantages and disadvantages of doing this, and detailing the necessary procedures, may be found on the jEdit Community web site. | |
Q:. | When trying to install jEdit on Windows Me with an MS-DOS prompt, after entering java -jar jeditXXXinstall.jar I get the message bad command or file name. I have tried various alternatives but still cannot install. | |
A:. | You should confirm that you have a Java runtime environment installed, which will include java.exe and the version that omits a separate terminal window, javaw.exe. Make sure that the directory containing java.exe or javaw.exeis found in the value of your PATH environment variable. Otherwise you should give the full path to the chosen loader on your command line. | |
Q:. | After installing jEdit on Windows, when I try to run jedit.exe I get the message
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A:. | The dialog presenting this message asks if you would like to install the launcher. Select Yes and supply further information as prompted. A file named install.log is generated in the same directory as jedit.exe that contains information on the launcher's installation. You can send this file along with jEdit's Activity Log if you continue to have problems running jEdit with the launcher package. | |
Q:. | When I try to run the jEdit installation package in Windows, I get an error message,
How can I fix this? | |
A:. | The problem is not with jEdit but may be caused by your installation of the Java runtime environment. Under Windows, Sun's Java application loader relies on entries in the Windows registry to find the files that create the runtime environment and a Java virtual machine. The loader (java.exee or javaw.exe) is unable to find the necessary registration entry and therefore sends the error message. The best approach to fixing this is to uninstall and reinstall the JDK. | |
5. Problems starting jEdit | ||
Q:. | jEdit won't start. What should I do? | |
A:. | If you don't have a clue as to why you cannot run jEdit, it's best to perform a step-by-step diagnosis. Begin by finding the Java application loader you are using: java.exe, javaw.exe or java. Make sure it is running by entering its full path with the -h parameter in a terminal or console window. If you can't find the Java application loader, your Java runtime environment package may be missing or incomplete. Next, find where you have installed jEdit. You should look for the file jedit.jar which contains all of the application's Java class files in a compressed archive. Once you have both files, run the Java loader with the -jar option and with jedit.jar as the target. Make sure that you either specify full paths for both files or that the directories for the files are part of your PATH environment variable. If jEdit does not load at this point, the likely problem is a corrupt jedit.jar file. Try downloading the application again. If jEdit does load using this procedure, you need to examine the "shortcut" loading mechanism you wish to use. On Linux and MacOS X, you need to find and examine the jedit shell script provided by the installation routine to confirm that the script's commands target the correct files and locations, and that variables like JAVA_HOME are either defined in the script or elsewhere in your shell's environment. Don't forget to make sure that the script's file permissions allow you to execute it as a shell script. On Windows, if you are using a batch script to run jEdit, the same points (other than file permissions) apply to examining jedit.bat. If you are using jEditLauncher, run jedit /p in jEdit's installation directory from a command line to get the custom loader's setup dialog. Here you can check the paths for both the Java application loader and jEdit as well as any command line parameters for both programs. Make sure that you have placed Java and jEdit options in the correct input fields. If the parameters seems correct but jEdit will not load with the Windows launcher, try uninstalling and reinstalling the launcher by running jedit /u followed by jedit /i. If at this point you're still stuck, ask for help on the jedit-users mailing list, the jEdit Community "Installation" message board or on IRC. You're bound to find someone quickly. | |
Q:. | After jEdit starts, I can't see all of the plugins I have downloaded. How can I make them appear? | |
A:. | If you use jEdit's Plugin Manager to download and install plugins, your plugins will be found in the jars subdirectory of one of two directories: either the directory in which jEdit is installed, or the current user's settings directory. These are the only location jEdit examines when it loads plugins at startup. The default location of the settings directory depends on your operating system. You can find out its location during a jEdit session by evaluating jedit.getSettingsDirectory() in BeanShell. The settings directory can be changed by using the -settings command line parameter. If you change the location of the settings directory with this parameter, jEdit will not be able to find plugin archive files in the old location. If you use or change the -settings parameter, make sure your plugins don't get left behind. | |
6. General problems running jEdit | ||
Q:. | During an editing session I get a error message about an "OutOfMemoryError" while working with a large file or performing a lengthy operation. The message reappears every time I retry the operation. How can I prevent this? | |
A:. | One solution that often works is to set or increase the allocation of memory to the heap for Java objects created by the Java Virtual Machine in which jEdit is running. Add the command line option -mxXXm to the options passed to the version of the Java application loader you are using (such as java, java.exe or javaw.exe). In place of the XX in the option, use a multiple of 16 between 32 and 128. If you already are using the option, increase the numeric portion of the -mxXXm parameter in increments of 16. Many users have good results using 48 or 64, but you should try different values for the best result on your installation. If you are using the -jar command line option with Java to run jEdit, remember that the -jar parameter must be the last Java option, followed immediately by the path to jedit.jar and then any jEdit command line options. If out of memory errors occur while running a build or compilation operation from within jEdit, you can also have the operation run in an external process rather than inside the same Java Virtual Machine running jEdit. The AntFarm plugin, for example, lets you select this approach as a configuration option. In other cases, you can run an external program using the command line interface of the Console plugin, which will capture and display the output of the external process and in many cases parse the output for error information. |