java_home(1) General Commands Manual java_home(1)
NAME
java_home - return a value for $JAVA_HOME
SYNOPSIS
/usr/libexec/java_home [options]
DESCRIPTION
The java_home command returns a path suitable for setting the JAVA_HOME environment variable. It determines this path from the user's
enabled and preferred JVMs in the Java Preferences application. Additional constraints may be provided to filter the list of JVMs avail-
able. By default, if no constraints match the available list of JVMs, the default order is used. The path is printed to standard output.
OPTIONS
-v or --version version
Filters the returned JVMs by the major platform version in "JVMVersion" form. Example versions: "1.5+", or "1.6*".
-a or --arch architecture
Filters the returned JVMs by the architecture they support. Example architectures: "i386", "x86_64", or "ppc".
-d or --datamodel datamodel
Filters the returned JVMs capable of running in 32 or 64-bit mode. Supported datamodels: "-d32" and "-d64". Specifying a datamodel
is synonymous with specifying a particular architecture.
-t or --task task
Selects from the list of JVMs which can run a specific task. The order of each of these lists is set by the Java Preferences appli-
cation. Supported tasks: "Applets", "WebStart", "BundledApp", "JNI" and "CommandLine". The default task is "CommandLine".
-F or --failfast
Immediately fails when filters return no JVMs; does not print out the path to the default $JAVA_HOME.
--exec command ...
Executes the command at $JAVA_HOME/bin/<command> and passes the remaining arguments. Any arguments to select which $JAVA_HOME to use
must precede the --exec option.
-X or --xml
Prints the list of selected JVMs and associated properties as an XML plist to stdout.
-V or --verbose
Prints the matching list of JVMs and architectures to stderr.
-h or --help
Brief usage information.
USAGE
/usr/libexec/java_home helps users set a $JAVA_HOME in their login rc files, or provides a way for command-line Java tools to use the most
appropriate JVM which can satisfy a minimum version or architecture requirement. The --exec argument can invoke tools in the selected
$JAVA_HOME/bin directory, which is useful for starting Java command-line tools from launchd plists without hardcoding the full path to the
Java command-line tool.
Usage for bash-style shells:
$ export JAVA_HOME=`/usr/libexec/java_home`
Usage for csh-style shells:
% setenv JAVA_HOME `/usr/libexec/java_home`
04 August 2010 java_home(1)