User Experience while using Java Web Start in Oracle E-Business Suite

User Experience while using Java Web Start in Oracle E-Business Suite

Java Web Start launches E-Business Suite Java-based functionality as Java Web Start applications instead of as applets. Java Web Start is part of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE).
Until now, E-Business Suite's Java-based content required a browser that supports Netscape Plug-in Application Programming Interface (NPAPI) plug-ins.
Some browsers are phasing out NPAPI plug-in support.  Some browsers were released without NPAPI plug-in support.  This prevents the Java plug-in from working.
With the release of Java Web Start, E-Business Suite 12.1 and 12.2 users can launch Java-based content (e.g. Oracle Forms) from browsers that do not support Java plug-ins via NPAPI.  Java Web Start in EBS works with:
Microsoft Internet Explorer
Microsoft Edge
Firefox Rapid Release (32-bit and 64-bit)
Firefox Extended Support Release (32-bit and 64-bit)
Google Chrome

Technology architecture change
Java Web Start changes the way that Java runs on end-users' computers but this technical change is generally invisible to end-users.
Java Web Start applications are launched from browsers using the Java Network Launching Protocol (JNLP).

Apply Patches for EBS Environment Document ID: 2188898.1 (Using Java Web Start with Oracle E-Business Suite)

Set Java web start launcher as default program for .jnlp file.

If default file try is not set. You will not see below forms launcher.

Supported Browsers:-

Microsoft Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer supports both Java Web Start and the Java Plug-in for launching the Forms application and regular Java applets as part of Oracle E-Business Suite.

Default behavior:-

Launching Java content with Java Web Start should provide a comparable user experience to that seen with the Java Plug-in. The frmservlet.jnlp is downloaded to the web browser's cache directory and automatically removed from that location by the Java Web Start Launcher.

There are no specific browser configuration steps required.

Mozilla Firefox Extended Support Release (ESR)

Firefox ESR 60.x supports only Java Web Start for launching the Forms application and regular Java applets as part of Oracle E-Business Suite. Firefox ESR 60.x is supported on both Windows and macOS platforms.

Default behavior:-

By default, Firefox requires the user to choose the appropriate action on what to do with the JNLP file that is downloaded when launching, for example, the Forms application using Java Web Start. 

1. Open Mozilla Firefox.

2. Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite.

3. Choose a responsibility (for example, System Administrator).

4. Click on an Oracle Forms-based menu item (such as Security → User → Define) to initiate the download of the frmservlet.jnlp file.

5. Firefox displays the following message: "What should Firefox do with this file?", as shown in the following image:

 

6. Choose the first option "Open with" and in the corresponding drop-down list, select 'Java(TM) Web Start Launcher (default)."

7. Select the checkbox "Do this automatically for files like this from now on" in order to associate the JNLP file extension with the Java Web Start Launcher executable on the client PC.

8. Click OK.

By doing this once, launching Java content with Java Web Start provides a comparable user experience to that seen with the Java Plug-in. Future instances of the Forms application or a Java applet will now launch using Java Web Start.

Each new frmservlet.jnlp (Windows) or frmservlet-n (macOS) file is saved into the default download location as defined in Firefox. The Java Web Start Launcher will automatically remove this file from that location.

Note (Windows only): If the user had inadvertently chosen "Save As" and saves the JNLP file to the desktop, then the user will need to manually launch it from the desktop.

Google Chrome

Google Chrome has not supported the Java Plug-in since release 45. Therefore, the Forms application and regular Java applets as part of the Oracle E-Business Suite can only run with Java Web Start.

Default behavior:-

The following describes a common use case of launching the Forms application with Java Web Start using Google Chrome. The same concept applies to regular Java applets.

1. Open Google Chrome.

2. Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite.

3. Choose a responsibility (for example, System Administrator).

4. Click on an Oracle Forms-based menu item (such as Security → User → Define) to initiate the download of the frmservlet.jnlp file.

5. Google Chrome displays the following message: "This type of file can harm your computer. Do you want to keep frmservlet.jnlp anyway?"

 

6. Click Keep to save the frmservlet.jnlp file.

7. Click the frmservlet.jnlp file in the download bar to execute it.

 

8. The Forms application is now started with Java Web Start.

Note: The warning message in step 5 is expected due to restrictions enforced by Google Chrome.

A new frmservlet.jnlp file is downloaded each time the Forms application or a regular Java applet is launched. The file is saved in the default download location as defined in Google Chrome. Upon executing frmservlet.jnlp, the Java Web Start launcher will automatically remove this file.

Behavior when having a specific location for each download preference set

Google Chrome has the option to present a Save As dialog window for every file downloaded. This feature is described on the Chrome Help page Download a file on Chrome. More specifically, the section "Change download locations" covers the "Ask where to save each file before downloading" user preference.

The following describes a common use case of launching the Forms application with Java Web Start using Google Chrome when the "Ask where to save each file before downloading" preference is enabled.

1. Open Google Chrome.

2. Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite.

3. Choose a responsibility (such as System Administrator).

4. Click on an Oracle Forms based menu item (for example, Security → User → Define) to initiate the download of frmservlet.jnlp.

5. Google Chrome displays a Save As dialog window, asking where to save the frmservlet.jnlp.

6. Click frmservlet.jnlp in the download bar to execute it:

 

7. The Forms application is started with Java Web Start.

Microsoft Edge

The Forms application and regular Java applets as part of Oracle E-Business Suite can run only with Java Web Start when using the Microsoft Edge web browser. It has never supported NPAPI-based extensions such as the Java Plug-in.

Default behavior:-

The following describes a common use case of launching the Forms application with Java Web Start using Edge. The same concept applies to regular Java applets.

1. Open the Edge web browser.

2. Log in to Oracle E-Business Suite.

3. Choose a responsibility (such as System Administrator).

4. Click on an Oracle Forms based menu item (for example, Security → User → Define) to initiate the download of frmservlet.jnlp.

5. A new browser tab opens and the downloaded frmservlet.jnlp is saved in the Downloads folder as shown in the following image:

 

6. Click Open to execute the file frmservlet.jnlp.

7. The Forms application is started with Java Web Start.

The Java Web Start launcher automatically removes the downloaded frmservlet.jnlp file from the browser's download folder.

The extra blank browser tab in step 5 remains open even after opening the Forms application. This is the expected behavior as a result of web browser limitations. At any point in time, it is safe to close this browser tab that opened when downloading the frmservlet.jnlp file.

Apple Safari

When using the Safari web browser on macOS, Oracle E-Business Suite always uses the Java Plug-in instead of Java Web Start for launching the Forms application and Java applets. It automatically falls back to the Java Plug-in, even if the environment (at the site level) is configured for Java Web Start.