1. Working with Oracle Forms
  2. Forms References
  3. Client Configurations
  4. Java Web Start

Java Web Start

Java Web Start is considered a semi-browserless configuration.

The use of Java Web Start (JWS) gives an Oracle Forms application the appearance of a natively-installed application rather than a web app. This is because when running, the application is not contained within the boundaries of the browser. This is often desirable with Point of Sale applications where the only application used on the device is the POS application or in cases where the application is designed to use the full screen. Because this is typically a browser-less configuration,single sign-off events are not supported when using this configuration.

JavaScript integration support for JWS does not exist by default. However, JS integration can be enabled with a provided add-on and a third party library (Eclipse/Jetty). For more information, refer to Forms and JavaScript Integration for Java Web Start and Forms Standalone Launcher.

Unlike the functionality provided by the use of separateFrame=true (available in the JNLP Embedded in HTML and Java Applet Embedded in HTML configurations only), the use of Web Start allows you to close the browser window used to call the application after it has started or not use a browser at all. Oracle Forms’ use of Java Web Start allows applications to be called from a browser using a hyperlink or by directly entering a URL. Alternatively, the application can be run from a JNLP file stored on the end-user machine. This method eliminates the need for a browser, except when the application is single sign-on protected. Java Web Start can also be used to call an Oracle Forms application from the command line. Although there are several variations of how Java Web Start can be used, if the application requires the use of single sign-on, it must be called from a browser. Attempts to call an SSO-protected application from a static JNLP file or the command line fail.

If calling from a browser, this configuration requires the Java Plug-in installed . If not calling from a browser, either the Java Plug-in or Java Development Kit (JDK) installation is required. A browser is optional and needed only if single sign-on is used.

To use this configuration, either use the provided example configuration (named webstart) or create your own. The application can be called from a browser or you can use the command line or custom script. 

jnlps://example.com/forms/frmservlet?config=webstart
https://example.com/forms/frmservlet?config=webstart
javaws “https://example.com/forms/frmservlet?config=webstart”

Note:

The jnlp and jnlps protocols used in the examples are supported with Java 8u92+ on Microsoft Windows. Also, SSO is not supported when launching with the JNLP:// or JNLPS:// protocols.
To implement this configuration, configure these parameters in the Forms Web Configuration page of Fusion Middleware Control.

Table -60 Parameters for Java Web Start

Type Parameters
Non-WebUtil Enabled Forms
  • basejnlp=base.jnlp
  • webstart=enabled
WebUtil Enabled Forms
  • basejnlp=webutil.jnlp
  • webstart=enabled

Note:

When using Java Web Start, if the application uses custom jar files, for example jacob.jar, icons.jar, or example.jar add these to the extensions.jnlp file. The file is located in the ORACLE_HOME\forms\java directory. Open this file in a text editor and add the needed entries based on the example included in the file. Each entry should be added on its own line.