The powerful multi-platform Java installer builder for Mac

install4j for Mac

install4j for Mac

  -  170.42 MB  -  Trial
  • Latest Version

    install4j 12.0 LATEST

  • Review by

    Daniel Leblanc

  • Operating System

    macOS 10.12 Sierra or later

  • User Rating

    Click to vote
  • Author / Product

    ej-technologies GmbH / External Link

  • Filename

    install4j_macos_12_0.dmg

  • MD5 Checksum

    f2e7b763ca9f56851e6ce8dfdae80106

install4j for Mac is a powerful multi-platform Java installer builder that generates native installers and application launchers for Java applications.

Some installer builders require that you first become an expert in building installers. Not so with the app, where all configuration steps are intuitive and self-explanatory.

The install4j IDE for macOS guides you naturally through the process of gathering the required information. Building an installer that works is a matter of minutes. Nonetheless, you have a powerful arsenal of functionality at your disposal when you need it.

The installer is the first thing your users see of your application. A smooth installation experience is an important step in creating happy users and a successful product.

A substandard installer, however, can ruin the initial impression that is so important for the image of a product. With the IDE, your installers will look beautiful and feel natural to users on all platforms.

With the app, you can configure the screen flow for the installer and uninstaller it in any way you like. It provides screens and actions for a wide variety of use cases and allows you to create your own actions directly in the install4j IDE. Actions can be attached to each screen, making install4j for Mac a visual programming system far more powerful than traditional installer builders.

It offers several templates for updaters that enable you to create an auto-update solution for your application with just a few clicks. Auto-updaters are fully customizable, so they can support your special requirements for a large number of scenarios. More generally, It supports the creation of custom installer applications that are packaged with your application.

Querying information from the user that's specific to your application does not have to be hard. Besides programming your own custom screens, It includes a unique concept of form screens that look good and are easy to configure.

With its powerful variable system, It enables you to use the entered information in other screens and actions. Creating a user interface cannot get any easier than this.

How to Use
  • Open the downloaded DMG file
  • Drag install4j to the Applications folder
  • Launch install4j from Applications
  • Create a new project using the wizard
  • Configure project settings and installer options
  • Add files and define installation components
  • Customize installer screens and actions
  • Compile the project to generate the installer
  • Test and distribute your macOS installer
System Requirements

macOS 10.13 (High Sierra) or later

Intel or Apple Silicon processor

Minimum 2 GB RAM

200 MB of available disk space

Java Development Kit (JDK) 8 or higher

PROS
  • Easy to use with intuitive interface
  • Powerful installer customization options
  • Supports Java and native apps
  • Cross-platform deployment support
  • Excellent documentation and support
CONS
  • Expensive for small developers
  • Steeper learning curve for complex tasks
  • Limited UI theming options
  • Mac installer customization can be tricky
  • Requires JDK setup and configuration
Note: 90 days trial version.

Also Available: Download install4j for Windows

Why is this app published on FileHorse? (More info)

What's new in this version:

New features:
- New UI for the IDE and updated artwork for installers
- DMG styling for macOS media files with a default styling option enabled by default
- Widget styles have been added to change fonts, colors, and other aspects of all widgets that are shown in installer applications
- Command line launchers and services of macOS media files are now binary executables instead of POSIX scripts, support entitlements, and do not start a separate "java" process anymore
- For macOS installer applications, the JVM is now started in-process, fixing problems with incorrect titles and icons in the Dock
- For single-bundle archive media files on macOS, all launchers are now nested as separate application bundles in the main application bundle
- For single-bundle archive media files on macOS, out-of-process installer applications are now nested application bundles and properly show in the Dock
- Added a "Set installation directory" action with various installation scopes and optional handling of update installations. The action manages the sys.?installForAllUsers installer variable for coordinating with other components
- Added the "Installation scope chooser" form component and the "Installation scope" screen for asking users whether to perform a user-specific or a global installation
- Code signing is now a separate section in the install4j IDE
- Added an optional separate PKCS #11 certificate file entry for situations where the certificate or the full certificate chain cannot be found in the keystore
- Improved matching of private keys and certificates for PKCS #11, leading to fewer code signing errors
- The environment variable DYLD_?LIBRARY_?PATH can now be set on macOS for the install4j command line compiler to load PKCS #11 libraries
- Added an "Additional binaries to be signed" option for Windows code signing so you can sign external binaries as well
- The PKCS #11 session is now kept alive to speed up code signing
- Added support for the Apple Service Management framework that allows you to manage launch agents and launch daemons from within a single-bundle archive
- The "Add a startup executable" action now also works on Linux
- The "Add a startup executable" action uses LaunchAgents instead of LoginItems on macOS, providing a better user experience
- The "Add a startup executable" action now supports setting arguments for the launcher
- The "Add a startup executable" action now supports starting the launcher immediately
- Extended the "Update alert" form component into a "Streamlined installation chooser" form component, retaining the old behavior as an option
- Support for renaming packages for RPM and DEB media files with the new "Replaced packages" option in the "Package options" step of the media wizard.
- Added a JDK provider for IBM Semeru
- Added support for the new Apple .icon bundles with the "iconcompiler" command line utility that creates .car and .icns files on macOS. When a .car file is found next to an .icns file, install4j will use it.
- Added support for custom UI scaling in the Installer ? Look & Feel step
- Added a -jvm=?/path/?to/?jreBundle VM parameter for installers and generated launchers to set the used JRE explicitly. This is supported in .vmoptions files and with -J-jvm=?... as command line argument.
- Major improvement to the startup times of the install4j IDE and the command line compiler
- The Windows icon compiler has been modernized to produce much smaller icon files
- Linux: Generated installers wizards have correct window and widget sizes with all OpenJDK distributions under Linux when a HiDPI resolution is set. Previously this was the case only for the Jetbrains JRE.

API changes:
- API: Added com.?install4j.?api.?UiUtil#?getWizardWindow to get the topmost wizard window
- API: Added com.?install4j.?api.?macos.?MacServiceManagement to support the new "Agents and daemons" feature for single-bundle archive media files
- API: Beans can now be composed, via com.?install4j.?api.?beaninfo.?Install4JPropertyDescriptor.?setNestedBean. With #setNestedBeanCategory you can set a category for all properties of the nested bean, and with #setNestedBeanPropertyFilter you can only include selected properties.
- API: Added com.?install4j.?api.?context.?Context#?getAllUsersDefaultInstallationDirectory and com.?install4j.?api.?context.?Context#?getUserWritableDefaultInstallationDirectory
- API: added com.?install4j.?api.?Util#?hasAllUserInstallationRights
- API: added com.?install4j.?api.?windows.?service.?WinServices#?isInstalled
- API: AbstractFormComponent#?getInitValue now handles string values for boolean, integer, and enum values as well

Fixed:
- "Request privileges" action: On Linux and Unix, if the "Show failure if requested privileges cannot be obtained" and "Show failure if current user is not root" properties were not selected, the action would report success even if it failed to obtain privileges
- "Installation directory chooser" form component: The "Check if directory is writable" property was ignored in unattended and console mode
- Code editor: The selection was not cleared after refactorings
- Code editor: Wrong bracket highlight could be painted after a refactoring
- Code editor: Refactoring on an expression instead of on a script would produce broken code
- Bean titles in the HTML project export had the wrong color if dark mode was active
- An in-process installer application could change the title of an unrelated topmost window when it did not become the topmost window
- It was not possible to enter colors in textual form in bean properties
- Merged projects could not use their "static fields and methods" code
- When editing compiler variables with the value dialog, the project was not marked as modified and the old value was restored when saving the value
- If JRE creation was canceled during compilation, an empty directory had to be deleted manually before the next build
- Console mode: Console output sometimes started in the wrong column
- macOS installers: The About menu was not localized
- macOS single bundle archives: Some actions did not work correctly if the single bundle archive was renamed manually
- Linux services: Improved the reliability of the check whether systemd is available
- Linux privilege elevation could be very slow under certain circumstances