JPack

Netscape Navigator 3.0 and Internet Explorer 3.0 both allow the Java developer to pack a bunch of classes together into a single archive, vastly improving download speed and decreasing strain on the web server. Unfortunately, the two broswers use different (but non-interfering) mechanisms for packing the classes together. Navigator looks for an uncompressed ZIP file using the ARCHIVE parameter, and Internet Explorer looks for a CAB file using the CABBASE parameter.

JPack is a little DOS application I whipped up to automate the process of building these archive files, and to help create the APPLET tags to support them. Just give JPack a list of packages, and it will do the rest.

JPack requires that you already have ZIP.EXE and CABARC.EXE somewhere in your path (see below). It won't work without these two applications.

What you need

JPack 1.0

The JPack application, which requires ZIP.EXE and CABARC.EXE. Download jpack10.zip, or check out the readme.

InfoZip Zip 2.0.1

This version of Zip supports long file names and can be used from the command line. Pkzip 2.04g doesn't cut it. ZIP.EXE can be found in the InfoZip library. You can find out more about the InfoZip library at its home page

Microsoft CabArc 1.0

Microsoft has released a tool to help automate the process of creating CAB files. CABARC.EXE can be found in the Cab Development Kit. Read all about it at Microsoft's Cab for Java page.

More Information


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