run jar

[Mohamed_30]

how to run a jar file by a java code (within ur IDE)?

[stultuske]

why would you run a jar within an ide?
you should run your classes from your ide.

[JamesCherrill]

Do you simply want to start the application in that jar executing, or do you want to use the classes inside that jar?

[Mohamed_30]

i simply want to use action listener to open a jar program within a certain directory

[JamesCherrill]

In that case you can use the ProcessBuilder class - it lets you start an external process, set its working directory etc.
See the usual API doc, or Google for tutorials

[jwenting]

hmm, simplest way to launch a Java program from another Java program is to load the classes onto the active classpath, load the main class into a classloader, and then execute the main() method on that class.

No need to use ProcessBuilder to create a new JVM, just make sure you have the jar on your classpath and call SomeClass.main(new String[]) or something like that :)

[JamesCherrill]

SomeClass.main(null) or something like that...

Yes. That was the other solution I had in mind too, especially if he wants to interact with the classes in the jar directly.
ProcessBuilder would be more appropriate if the jar is just a "black box" application that happens to be in java, and especially if you want to pipe its sysin or sysout.