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Freeplane Portable Setup

Crashy
2020-10-22
2022-01-14
  • Crashy

    Crashy - 2020-10-22

    I have issues installing Freeplane in Portable Mode in Win10. Does someone have some recent experience or hints? Here is what I have tried already:

    • Downloaded FreeplanePortable-1.8.8.paf.exe
    • Installed it in with the PortableApps launcher
    • Installed jPortable in PortableApps
    • Meanwhile also installed OpenJDK and the 64 bit Versions of both
    • In a command prompt, set the FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME environment variable to point to the jPortable dir
    • Started FreeplanePortable.exe from within the same command prompt
    • Also tried to have FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME point to the other Java dirs as well as to the \bin, \jre and \jre\bin directories therein

    No success!

    Did anybody get it to work?

     

    Last edit: Crashy 2020-10-22
  • Henk van den Akker

    Hi Crashy,

    I have FreeplanePortable 1.8.8 working. Though I also have jPortable installed, it is using the java installation on PC. Do you need it to use jPortable's java?

    Cheers,

    Henk

     
  • Crashy

    Crashy - 2020-10-22

    Correct, I'm trying to use a portable Java installatin as I don't have Java installed.

    After finding the file
    \FreeplanePortable\App\AppInfo\Launcher\FreeplanePortable.ini
    Which has an entry FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME=%JAVA_HOME%
    I concluded I have to set %JAVA_HOME% instead and now FreePlane starts!!

    However, I can only do this from a Command Prompt. Changing this FreeplanePortable.ini does not work. I tried:
    FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME=%PAL:PortableAppsDir%\CommonFiles\OpenJDKJRE64
    JAVA_HOME=%PAL:PortableAppsDir%\CommonFiles\OpenJDKJRE64

    Also with absolute paths instead of %PAL:PortableAppsDir%

    I would thus have to configure %JAVA_HOME% globally which is obviously against the idea of having a portable app.

    So I would say partially solved for now. Additional ideas are welcome!

     

    Last edit: Crashy 2020-10-22
  • Henk van den Akker

    Hi Crashy,

    According to this page PortableApps should set %JAVA_HOME% for you, because indeed the FreeplanePortable.ini contains the necessary setting:

    [Activate]
    Java=require
    

    Just a check question: are you launching FreeplanePortable from the PortableApps launcher?

    I think doing so, changes you have tried in FreeplanePortable.ini should have worked.

    On this page under JAVA_HOME it says about the above setting:

    for require the launcher will abort if Java is not found

    So maybe the PortableApps launcher cannot find java, despite you installing jPortable? You could try commenting out the [Activate] section and then setting the FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME in FreeplanePortable.ini as you described in your last post.

    Hope this helps.

    Cheers,

    Henk

     
  • Crashy

    Crashy - 2020-10-23

    Hi Henk,
    Indeed, it never worked when I started it from the PA launcher. I always get the error message:
    Freeplane requires a Java Runtime Environment. Please install jPortable...

    I only got it to start from command line with JAVA_HOME being defined as an environment variable.

    Your comment above and the fact that the error message did appear immediately, i.e. most likely from the launcher and not Freeplane itself, made me think that the launcher may have difficulties to find Java. I have now changed FreeplanePortable.ini and commented out Java=require and now it works!

    [Activate]
    #Java=require
    
    [Environment]
    FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME=%PAL:PortableAppsDir%\CommonFiles\OpenJDKJRE64
    JAVA_HOME=%PAL:PortableAppsDir%\CommonFiles\OpenJDKJRE64
    

    I have yet to find out which of the two variables must be set.

    I can't really believe it is an issue in PA launcher. Otherwise other people would have come across this before. I would thus classify this as a workaround for specific environments with FreePlane Portable and Java portable only.

    For completeness: I use the OpenJDKJRE64 as it appears to be significantly faster than JPortable.

    Thank you for your help!

     
  • Henk van den Akker

    Hi Scratchy,

    Setting FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME is sufficient.

    Cheers,

    Henk

     
  • Henk van den Akker

    Hi Scratchy,

    Setting FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME is sufficient.

    Cheers,

    Henk

     
  • Crashy

    Crashy - 2020-11-07

    Working now. SOLVED!

    I can't find a way to update the title of thread accordingly. So if an admin comes across this, feel free to do so.

     
  • Edo Frohlich

    Edo Frohlich - 2021-04-19

    I have to work part of my time on a notebook whithout admin privileges and without java.
    So I decided to go with the Portable Apps setup.

    I couldn't get it working with jPortable nor jPortable64

    OpenJDK JRE 64 worked using the previous information in this threat (I tried to do the same with jPortable and jPortable64 and it didn't work)

    Installation steps:
    1. Download the Portable Apps Platform (from here)
    2. Install it (pendrive or drive, etc)
    3. run Portable Apps
    4. Use Apps / get more apps, select OpenJDKJRE64 and install it
    5. Download a paf version of Freeplane "FreeplanePortable_XX.paf.exe"
    * stable version from here
    * preview version from here
    6. Use command Apps / Install new app (paf.exe) from portable apps to install Freeplane
    7. Open in a text editor (f.e. Notepad) the FreeplanePortable.ini file that is in the new FreeplanePortable/App/AppInfo/Launcher directory
    8. Edit it to get to this:

    [Launch]
    ProgramExecutable=Freeplane\freeplane.exe
    WorkingDirectory=%PAL:AppDir%\Freeplane
    
    [Activate]
    #Java=require
    
    [Environment]
    FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME=%PAL:PortableAppsDir%\CommonFiles\OpenJDKJRE64
    

    and save

    ready. now you can open Freeplane from the Portable Apps platform.

    Hope it helps

     
    • Dimitry Polivaev

      I included this fix in 1.9.0_18, now Freeplane Portable can find and use Portable Java installed from https://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/OpenJDKJRE64

       
      👍
      1
    • CQG

      CQG - 2021-11-18

      After many tries, I've followed all the steps, but I'm still unable to make freeplane portable (I'm using v 1.9.11.paf.exe) work.

      It keeps asking for JRE 1.8.0 - 15.

      Any hint?

       
      • Edo Frohlich

        Edo Frohlich - 2021-11-19

        Currently Freeplane does not run on JAVA above 15. Look at this thread.

        Try downloading and instaling OpenJDK version 15.

        I use Freeplane as portable application at the office.

        This is the information from the release file from my OpenJDK installation:

        IMPLEMENTOR="AdoptOpenJDK"
        IMPLEMENTOR_VERSION="AdoptOpenJDK"
        JAVA_VERSION="15.0.2"
        JAVA_VERSION_DATE="2021-01-19"
        MODULES="java.base java.compiler java.datatransfer java.xml java.prefs java.desktop java.instrument java.logging java.management java.security.sasl java.naming java.rmi java.management.rmi java.net.http java.scripting java.security.jgss java.transaction.xa java.sql java.sql.rowset java.xml.crypto java.se java.smartcardio jdk.accessibility jdk.internal.vm.ci jdk.management jdk.unsupported jdk.internal.vm.compiler jdk.aot jdk.internal.jvmstat jdk.attach jdk.charsets jdk.compiler jdk.crypto.ec jdk.crypto.cryptoki jdk.crypto.mscapi jdk.dynalink jdk.internal.ed jdk.editpad jdk.hotspot.agent jdk.httpserver jdk.incubator.foreign jdk.internal.opt jdk.jdeps jdk.jlink jdk.incubator.jpackage jdk.internal.le jdk.internal.vm.compiler.management jdk.jartool jdk.javadoc jdk.jcmd jdk.management.agent jdk.jconsole jdk.jdwp.agent jdk.jdi jdk.jfr jdk.jshell jdk.jsobject jdk.jstatd jdk.localedata jdk.management.jfr jdk.naming.dns jdk.naming.rmi jdk.net jdk.nio.mapmode jdk.sctp jdk.security.auth jdk.security.jgss jdk.unsupported.desktop jdk.xml.dom jdk.zipfs"
        OS_ARCH="x86_64"
        OS_NAME="Windows"
        SOURCE=".:git:3ea0f5af9727"
        BUILD_SOURCE="git:10223734"
        FULL_VERSION="15.0.2+7"
        SEMANTIC_VERSION="15.0.2+7"
        BUILD_INFO="OS: Windows Server 2012 R2 Version: 6.3"
        JVM_VARIANT="Hotspot"
        JVM_VERSION="15.0.2+7"
        IMAGE_TYPE="JRE"
        

        Hope it helps.
        edo

         
        👍
        1
        • Edo Frohlich

          Edo Frohlich - 2021-11-19
           
          👍
          1
          • CQG

            CQG - 2021-11-20

            OpenJDK 15 worked fine, thanks very much for your help!

             
  • Crashy

    Crashy - 2021-04-20

    Sorry, I thought it is a question. This post can be deleted.

     

    Last edit: Crashy 2021-04-20
    • quickfold

      quickfold - 2021-11-24

      Better to leave the post up in case others have a related problem. The information here can be useful to them.

       
  • darinks

    darinks - 2022-01-14

    I don't know if something has changed since most of these previous post were made, or if I'm missing something, but I found a fairly direct solution to the problem.

    From my experience, basically, all you have to do is:
    1) Install jPortable in the PortableApps.com Platform
    2) Find and edit the FreeplanePortable.ini file by replacing "OpenJDKJRE64" with "Java"
    3) Run FreePlane and get on with your life

    If you want to see what I tried, and the results that led me to the above conclusion - keep reading.

    (NOTE: My install of PortableApps was in drive D:, so your's may have a different drive letter.)

    First, what failed, was in the PortableApps.com Platform I installed the "OpenJDK JRE 64-bit" which created the OpenJDKJRE64 folder at "D:\PortableApps\CommonFiles". Ran FreePlane and it complained it couldn't run on Java 7. Normally it complains that it needs 1.8, so clearly it found the folder, it just didn't like it.

    Second, deleted the newly created OpenJDKJRE64 folder, and then in the PortableApps.com Platform I installed the "jPortable" which created a "Java" folder at "D:\PortableApps\CommonFiles". Renamed that folder to OpenJDKJRE64 and FreePlane was happy. BUT PortableApps.com Platform said that "OpenJDK JRE 64-bit" was out of date. So clearly PortableApps is mistaking the "OpenJDKJRE64" folder for the install of "OpenJDK JRE 64-bit". So renamed the folder back to "Java".

    Third, edited the D:\PortableApps\FreeplanePortable\App\AppInfo\Launcher\FreeplanePortable.ini file changing the FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME value to look like the following line and FreePlane was happy:
    FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME=%JAVA_HOME%

    Fourth, I don't know if PortableApps is setting this variable, or where it is coming from. There is a chance I set it a half year ago when I was doing something with Java. So, I edited the D:\PortableApps\FreeplanePortable\App\AppInfo\Launcher\FreeplanePortable.ini file again, this time changing the FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME value to look like the following line and FreePlane was again happy:
    FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME=%PAL:PortableAppsBaseDir%\PortableApps\CommonFiles\Java

    Fifth, verified that FreePlane was unhappy when changing the FREEPLANE_JAVA_HOME value back to "OpenJDKJRE64". So I know that changing it to "Java", and installing jPortable in PortableApps.com Platform, really is fixing the issue.

     

    Last edit: darinks 2022-01-14