MANIFEST, Version, and the Java Applet Cache Viewer

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Brian Herbert Withun - 11 Dec 2007 02:43 GMT

I am developing an applet and I have recently added a MANIFEST file to
it for version information.

My original intent was to see the version of the applet shown in the
Java Applet Cache Viewer...

(Java Control Panel -> (Temporary Internet Files) Settings... -> View
Applets...)

In there, I see various applets I've used, some with version numbers
in the "Version" column, but many without (N/A). I was confident that
adding Version information to the MANIFEST would populate that field
of the viewer for *MY* applet, but it did not. Could I be creating an
incomplete manifest, or might there be another location where I need
to stuff the version number?

My Manifest looks like this (and it *does* end with an EOL):

Manifest-Version: 1.0
Name: com/XYZ/
Main-Class: com.XYZ.RuntimeKernelMainClass
Implementation-Title: XYZApplet
Implementation-Version: 1.0.5.1
Implementation-Vendor: Copyright 2007 XYZ

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Mark Space - 11 Dec 2007 04:17 GMT

> I am developing an applet and I have recently added a MANIFEST file to
> it for version information.
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
> Implementation-Version: 1.0.5.1
> Implementation-Vendor: Copyright 2007 XYZ

GIYF

http://java.sun.com/developer/Books/javaprogramming/JAR/basics/manifest.html

Package Versioning - version 1.2 only

The Package Versioning specification defines several manifest headers to
hold versioning information. One set of such headers can be assigned to
each package. The versioning headers should appear directly beneath the
Name header for the package. This example shows all the versioning headers:

Name: java/util/
Specification-Title: "Java Utility Classes"
Specification-Version: "1.2"
Specification-Vendor: "Sun Microsystems, Inc.".
Implementation-Title: "java.util"
Implementation-Version: "build57"
Implementation-Vendor: "Sun Microsystems, Inc."

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Brian Herbert Withun - 11 Dec 2007 15:44 GMT

> > I am developing an applet and I have recently added a MANIFEST file to
> > it for version information.
[quoted text clipped - 39 lines]
> Implementation-Version: "build57"
> Implementation-Vendor: "Sun Microsystems, Inc."

G*I*MYF
GDNH
TWIA

Do you have any explanation as to why, when I put the proper Package
Versioning information into my MANIFEST, that selfsame version
information is not reflected in the Java Applet Cache Viewer?

I can pull the information out myself using:
this.getClass().getPackage().getImplementationVersion();
so I *know* it's in there, and in there properly.
Apparently that is not where the cache viewer is looking to obtain
applet version numbers.

I see that other (albeit few) applets produce version numbers which
appear in the cache viewer.

How do they do that?

TFYH

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Mark Space - 11 Dec 2007 18:57 GMT

> Do you have any explanation as to why, when I put the proper Package
> Versioning information into my MANIFEST, that selfsame version
> information is not reflected in the Java Applet Cache Viewer?

Are you sure the Applet Cache Viewer uses the manifest file to show the
version number? Where is that documented?

> I can pull the information out myself using:
> this.getClass().getPackage().getImplementationVersion();
> so I *know* it's in there, and in there properly.

This sounds good. I'd make sure you are using quotes like the example,
and that there are TWO newlines at the end of the file. One to end the
value, and one to end the section.

> Apparently that is not where the cache viewer is looking to obtain
> applet version numbers.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> How do they do that?

Dunno. Have you looked at the tags on the web page they download from?
Maybe the Applet Cache View pulls it's info from the web page rather
than the manifest file.

http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/deployment/applet/objecttag.html

I don't do applets so I'm not really sure....

Please let us know the result though.

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MANIFEST, Version, and the Java Applet Cache Viewer

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