Setting Up the Environment for Java and COBOL

For Windows environments

Before you start writing COBOL and Java programs which interact, you need to set up the following environment variables for the COBOL and Java run-time systems:

• PATH

  If you are using the Java run-time system from Oracle, the jvm.dll file must be available. Do not move jvm.dll to a different location, because it has dependencies on other files shipped as part of the Java run-time system. The location of this file depends on which version of the JDK you are using. To ensure the file is available, add it to the system PATH. For example:

  set path=jdk-install-directory\bin\subdirectory;%path%

  Where subdirectory might be client, classic, hotspot or server.

  If you generate EJBs or Java beans using the Interface Mapping Toolkit, the Java Compiler must be available. To do this, put the bin directory of JDK on the PATH. For example:

  set path=jdk-install-directory\bin;%path%

• CLASSPATH

  If you have Java programs that call COBOL, you need to provide access to the Java classes that interface to the COBOL run-time system. To do this, ensure that mfcobol.jar is specified by the CLASSPATH environment variable. For example:

  set classpath=install-directory\base\bin\mfcobol.jar;%classpath%;.;

  Alternatively, you can set the classpath when you run a Java program, using the -classpath switch. For example:

  java -classpath ".;install-directory\base\bin\mfcobol.jar;%classpath%" MyClass

  If you generate EJBs or Java beans using the Interface Mapping Toolkit, the tools.jar of the JDK must be on the CLASSPATH. For example:

  set classpath=jdk-install-directory\lib\tools.jar;%classpath%;.;

• Shared library path

  The operating system's shared library path must include the directory containing libjava. This is often found in a subdirectory of Java's jre/lib directory, although the name of this directory is specific to each platform. On some platforms, you might need to specify more than one directory for this, for example, an additional directory containing the Java native threading support.

For UNIX environments

If you have installed the product to a directory other than the default one, ensure you run the cobsetenv script after installation, as described in this product's installation notes. The script sets or modifies the following environment variables: COBDIR, PATH, CLASSPATH and LD_LIBRARY_PATH (or LIBPATH on AIX). If you did install to the default directory, these variables already point to the correct locations.

The JDK install location must be included on PATH.

To run COBOL and Java together, you need to use the Java/COBOL application launcher, cobjrun, instead of the java or cobrun triggers.

If the JAVA_HOME environment variable is set to the Java install location, then cobjrun uses it in preference to the Java install location which is included on PATH.

All platforms