Java Glossary : getResourceAsStream

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getResourceAsStream

java.lang.Class.getResourceAsStream lets you read files in jars, or in the directory from which the Applet class files were loaded. Unfortunately, it is broken in Netscape 4.79, as is getResource. Oddly, I could swear I had it working in one of the slightly earlier versions of Netscape. You use it like this:

InputStream is = this.getClass().getResourceAsStream( "picture.gif" );
// or
InputStream is = MyClass.class.getResourceAsStream( "stuff.ser" );

The resource in the jar file must be qualified with same package name as the class you call getResourceAsStream from. Alternatively, you can use an absolute name beginning with a / where dots get mapped to /s.

For example you could specify "/com/mindprod/mypackage/mystuff.ser" or "/com.mindprod.mypackage.mystuff.ser" or simply "mystuff.ser". Don't use Windows style filenames with \. These are not abitrary filenames, but resources that live along with the class files either on disk, in jars, or on the server.

In theory, getResourceAsStream will look in the local classpath, in the jar and in the directory where the class file was loaded from, though I have found in practice it is usually not that thorough. Beware, you might be getting a different copy of a file than the one in the jar you expected. In theory this should not be necessary, but test your jarred Applets with an an empty classpath.

I have seen a variety of bug reports surrounding getResource and getResourceAsStream. They sometimes can't see inside jars, see files on the server or see local files on the classpath. This is odd, since supposedly the usual classLoader mechanism does the looking, it it has much less trouble finding class files.

Netscape 4.79 getResourceAsStream has a bug. It does not properly prepend the package name on the resource. It uses it as is.

For some Satanic reason, the folk at Netscape decided that resources must have one of a magic list of extensions. .com, .exe, .dll, .dat are not among them. Happily .jpg, .gif, .ram and .ser are. To read other extensions, you must first invoke SecurityManager.enablePrivilege( "UniversalPropertyRead" ).

If getResourceAsStream does not work, check the following:

Is the APPLET CODEBASE tag set? Remove it. It seems to interfere.
Is the folder qualification of the class calling getResourceAsStream in the jar identical, including case, to the qualification of the resource?
Don't use the same name for a resource in different jars and expect to always get the version in the current jar.
Make sure your resources have unique names across the entire website.
getResourceAsStream is case sensitive. Make sure the case of your filename exactly matches the name of the resource in the jar to avoid trouble. Make sure the original filename, the name on the jar.exe command line and the name in the jar are all correct. You can be fooled because getResourceAsStream can sometimes work with the wrong case when the file is not in a jar.

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