Java Code Editor

The Java code editor is shown from the screens & actions tab or the form component editor when you click on the ... for a Java code property.
  Please see the help on the string editor dialog for common editing functionality.
  The box above the edit area show the available parameters for the Java code property as well as the return type. If parameters or return type are classes (and not primitive types), they will be shown as hyperlinks. Clicking on such a hyperlink opens the Javadoc in the external browser. If you would not like the default browser to be opened, you can configure your own browser in the preferences dialog.

To get more information on classes from the com.install4j.* packages, please choose Help->Show Javadoc Overview from the menu and read the help topic for the install4j API. In addition, the Java code editor offers a code gallery that contains useful snippets that show you how to get started with using the install4j API. The code gallery is invoked from the tool bar or by choosing Code->Insert from Code gallery from the menu.

A number of packages can be used without using fully-qualified class names. Those packages are:

  • java.util.*
  • java.io.*
  • javax.swing.*
  • com.install4j.api.*
  • com.install4j.api.beans.*
  • com.install4j.api.context.*
  • com.install4j.api.events.*
  • com.install4j.api.screens.*
  • com.install4j.api.actions.*
  • com.install4j.api.formcomponents.*
  • com.install4j.api.update.*
  • com.install4j.api.windows.*
  • com.install4j.api.unix.*

You can put a number of import statements as the first lines in the text area in order to avoid using fully qualified class names.

  Java code properties can be
  • expressions
    An expression doesn't have a trailing semicolon and evaluates to the required return type.

    Example: !context.isUnattended() && !context.isConsole()

    The above example would work as the condition expression of an action and skip the action for unattended or console installations.

  • scripts
    A script consists of a series of Java statements with a return statement of the required return type as the last statement.

    Example: if (!context.getBooleanVariable("enterDetails")) context.goForward(2, true, true); return true;

    The above example would work as the validation expression of a screen and skip two screens forward (checking the conditions of the target screen as well as executing the actions of the current screen) if the variable with name "enterDetails" is not set to "true".

install4j detects automatically whether you have entered an expression or a script.
  The primary interface to interact with the installer or uninstaller is the context which is always among the available parameters. The context provides information about the current installation and gives access to variables, screens, actions and other elements of the installation or uninstallation. The parameter is of type
  • com.install4j.api.context.InstallerContext for screens and actions in the installation mode
  • com.install4j.api.context.UninstallerContext for screens and actions in the uninstallation mode
  • com.install4j.api.context.Context for form components.

Apart from the context, the action, screen or form component to which the Java code property belongs is among the available parameters. If you know the actual class, you can cast to it and modify the object as needed.

  The Java editor offers the following code assistance powered by the eclipse platform:
  • Code completion
    Pressing CTRL-Space brings up a popup with code completion proposals. Also, typing a dot (".") shows this popup after a delay if no other character is typed. While the popup is displayed, you can continue to type or delete characters with Backspace and the popup will be updated accordingly. "Camel-hump completion" is supported, i.e. typing NPE and hitting CTRL-Space will propose NullPointerException among other classes. If you accept a class that is not automatically imported, the fully qualified name will be inserted.

    The completion popup can suggest:

    • variables and default parameters. Default parameters are displayed in bold font.
    • packages (when typing an import statement)
    • classes
    • fields (when the context is a class)
    • methods (when the context is a class or the parameter list of a method)

    You can configure code completion behavior in the Java editor settings.

  • Problem analysis
    The code that you enter is analyzed on the fly and checked for errors and warning conditions. Errors are shown as red underlines in the editor and red stripes in the right gutter. Warnings (such as an unused variable declaration) are shown as a yellow backgrounds in the editor and yellow stripes in the right gutter. Hovering the mouse over an error or warning in the editor as well as hovering the mouse over a stripe in the gutter area displays the error or warning message.

    The status indicator at the top of the right gutter is

    • green
      if there are no warnings or errors in the code.
    • yellow
      if there are warnings but no errors in the code.
    • red
      if there are errors in the code. In this case the code will not compile and the installer cannot be generated.

    You can configure the threshold for problem analysis in the Java editor settings.

  • Context-sensitive Javadoc
    Pressing SHIFT-F1 opens the browser at the Javadoc page that describes the element at the cursor position. If no corresponding Javadoc can be found, a warning message is displayed. Javadoc for the Java runtime library can only be displayed if a design time JDK is configured and a valid Javadoc location is specified in the design time JDK configuration.

    You can set the design time JDK in the Java editor settings

All key bindings in the Java code editor are configurable. Choose Settings->Key Map to display the Key map editor.
  Screens, actions and form components are wired together with installer variables, please see the help topic on screens and actions for more information. Setting and getting installer variables is done through the context parameter with the context.getVariable(String variableName) and context.setVariable(String variableName, Object value) methods. The convenience method context.getBooleanVariable(String variableName) makes it easier to check conditions. Any object can be used as the value for a variable. To use installer variables in text properties of actions, screens and form components, write them as ${installer:myVariableName}.
  If the gutter icon in the top right corner of the dialog is green, your script is going to compile unless you have disabled error analysis in the Java editor settings. In some situations, you might want to try the actual compilation. Choosing Code->Test Compile from the menu will compile the script and display any errors in a separate dialog. Saving your script with the OK button will not test the syntactic correctness of the script. When your install4j project is compiled, the script will also be compiled and errors will be reported.