JavaFX applications built to target Java 8 - How to keep running with Java 11?

Question

I recently learned about JavaFX not being included in Java 11, and have a question about how this will work.

Right now, I maintain an application that targets Java 8, uses mostly Swing but some JavaFX, and has a non-developer user base. Some of those users are on older operating systems, so I'd like to continue targeting Java 8.

However, Java 11 comes out next month, and I'm concerned that some of the users on newer operating systems will upgrade to Java 11, and the JavaFX components of the application will cease to work.

So what is the best path forward if you wish to continue targeting Java 8, but have JavaFX work for those who install JRE 11? I see several options, none of which are perfect:

• Require installing JavaFX separately. If so, I'll need to know which edition - most likely the OS-specific SDK from https://gluonhq.com/products/javafx/? Not ideal since it's another install, but I already have instructions for installing Java for those who don't have it.
• Bundle a JRE and JavaFX, and have startup scripts that force the use of that JRE. Not ideal because the download size would drastically increase, and it would require separate downloads per OS, but I've made distributions that bundle a JRE before.
• Fall back on Swing instead of JavaFX if Java 11+ is detected. I could potentially do this, since my application started out as Swing and only a fraction has migrated, but it's also not attractive since the newer, JavaFX-specific functionality I've added would be lost.
• Try including the JavaFX runtime as a .jar file and loading it on the classpath manually, perhaps only if Java 11+ is detected?

I'm curious what your thoughts are, and if there's a better option I've overlooked. I didn't anticipate JavaFX being removed from the JRE someday when I adopted it!

Answer 1

To my opinion the days where you asked your users to install Java on their client machines is over. The better solution is to create an operating system dependent installer which bundles everything with the application. I am also wondering if the size of such a bundle still really matters. A single video downloaded from YouTube is probably much bigger. Instead, by bundling you save yourself a lot of headaches.