OpenJUMP
Getting Started
back to New User Guide page
Table of Contents
- JAVA setup

- Installation

- Configure Start up options

- Setup Languages

JAVA setup
OpenJUMP can run on Linux, Unix, MacOSX, Microsoft Windows (from 98 to Vista) and any Operation System that supports Java.
Currently OpenJUMP uses script files to launch the program. Scripts are available for Linux/Unix, MacOSX and Windows.
OpenJUMP requires:
- minimum 124 MB to run, better 256 MB
Installation
Linux
These instructions are meant to be easy to follow even for Linux newbies. It is of course possible to do everything using GUI tools, but then these steb-by step instructions would depend on what you have installed and become too complicated.
To install OpenJUMP system-wide, you need root privileges. Following instructions suppose you have opened superuser terminal window (see notes below).
Prerequisites: Working
Java runtime environment (see notes below),
unzip command
- In the Jump Pilot Project download OpenJUMP Platform Independent.
- You can use also a nightly or weekly build (download links on HomePage) – these development builds have latest features but are not thoroughly tested.
- The platform-independent version of OpenJUMP comes in the form of a compressed archive (ZIP).
To install, decompress the archive to your hard drive, for example into /usr/local/ and symlink the resulting /usr/local/openjump-<version> to /usr/local/OpenJUMP:
unzip <download folder>/openjump-<version>.zip -d /usr/local/
ln -s /usr/local/openjump-<version> /usr/local/OpenJUMP
You should get the following folder structure:
- /usr/local/OpenJUMP/
- /usr/local/OpenJUMP/bin
- /usr/local/OpenJUMP/lib
- In the OpenJUMP/bin folder there are the statup scripts for Linux/Unix: openjump-unix.sh or openjump.sh. There is an improved script for unix: openjump-unix2.sh.
To run one of the startup scripts it is needed to make the startup script executable first. For instance, if you want to use openjump.sh, write in the terminal:
chmod +x /usr/local/OpenJUMP/openjump.sh
(+x command makes openjump script executable)
The installation is done! To run OpenJUMP, navigate to the /usr/local/OpenJUMP/bin folder with your file manager and double click the openjump.sh script.
Optional additional step:
- For easier access, you can create a desktop, start menu or toolbar launcher (startup icon). In most desktop environments you can create a desktop launcher by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting something like “Create Launcher”. Then find the openjump.sh as the launcher target. Look to your desktop environment documentation for details if it does not work this way or if you want start menu or toolbar launcher.
A few notes about Linux installation:
- The Java version to be run…
Linux Distros usually come with an open-source version of Java. OpenJUMP will use that per default, which may cause problems. Should one want to use Sun’s Java (recommended), either look to your distro docs how to change default Java environment or do some changes to the $JUMPHOME/bin/openjump-unix.sh script:
JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/latest/bin (usually there but distro-dependent—or wherever you’ve installed it)
The last line of the script (calling Java) should be like this:
$JAVA_HOME/java -Dswing.defaultlaf=javax.swing.plaf.metal.MetalLookAndFeel -Dlog4j.configuration=file:./log4j.xml -Xms512M -Xmx1024M -cp $CLASSPATH com.vividsolutions.jump.workbench.JUMPWorkbench -properties workbench-properties.xml -plug-in-directory $LIB/ext%
Also be sure to correctly specify OpenJump’s installation folder in JUMPHOME.
- Root’s (superuser) terminal…
- You may find such item in Applications menu
- You can get superuser terminal for example by opening a terminal window and writing
su
You will be asked for root’s password. For systems without root user (i.e. Ubuntu by default) the command would be
sudo bash
or
sudo sh
In this case you may be asked for your own password.
- If you do not have rights to gain root privileges, you can alternatively install OpenJUMP only for one user by extracting the ZIP archive into your home directory (into /home/<your username>/openjump-<version>). Then you can use commands above in regular user’s terminal.
- Upgrading OpenJUMP
When installing newer version of OpenJUMP using above mentioned instructions (steps 1. to 3.), the previous installation is not removed or overwritten. It is possible to run both versions on the same computer and by changing the target of the symbolic link (second command in step 2.) it is possible to select which version is the default one. It is highly recommended not to remove previous version before the new is thoroughly tested if you use nightly/weekly builds.
MacOSX
- open a terminal window
- move to the “bin” folder (using “ls” and “cd” commands in the terminal)
- if you arrived in the bin folder, openjump can be started by typing: “sh openjump.sh” and pressing enter
Other information can be found here:
More information about StartUp scrip for MacOSX can be found here
Windows
In the Jump Pilot Project it is possible to download two versions of OpenJUMP for windows:
OpenJUMP Win32 installer for Windows
- Download the OpenJUMP Win32 installer (EXE file). This is a setup file which automatizes the installation
- Run the file to setup OpenJUMP. The software will be installed in the computer and a new icon “OpenJUMP” will be created in the desktop to launch the program
OpenJUMP (ZIP file)
- Download the ZIP file and decompress it in a folder (e.g. OPENJUMP)
- In the folder OPENJUMP/BIN search for the files OpenJUMP.exe or OpenJUMP.bat which are used to launch the software
- eventually create a shortcut on the desktop for the launcher
OpenJUMP Nightly Build is basically the same version of OpenJUMP (ZIP file). See also Installation Instructions page
Configure Start up options
(Optional – Only for expert Users!!)
Before doing any modification save a copy of the startup script file
In OpenJUMP Starup scrip it is possible to modify some option. Expert users can do this.
OpenJUMP standard setup works fine with no modifications of the options.
Several startup options are available, either for the Java Virtual Machine, or for the
OpenJUMP core. To change them, edit the startup script
accordingly, editing the line beginning by “start javaw”.
Java VM options (a complete list can be found in the Java VM documentation)
- Xms defines the allocated memory for the virtual machine at startup. Example: -Xms256M
will allocate 256M of memory for OpenJUMP
- Xmx defines the maximum allocated memory for the virtual machine. Example: -Xmx256M
- Dproperty=value set a system property. For the moment, these properties are used:
- Dswing.defaultlaf for defining the OpenJUMP Look and Feel. Several possibilities:
-Dswing.defaultlaf=javax.swing.plaf.metal.MetalLookAndFeel for the Metal L&F
-Dswing.defaultlaf=com.sun.java.swing.plaf.windows.WindowsLookAndFeel for the Windows L&F
- Dlog4j.configuration for defining the configuration file for Log4j. Normally:
Dlog4j.configuration=file:./log4j.xml
OpenJUMP command line options+
- properties filename : specifies the name of the file where OpenJUMP properties are stored.
Default is -properties workbench-properties.xml
- plug-in-directory path : defines the location of the plugin directory.
Default is LIB/ext where LIB is defined earlier in the startup script.
- i18n locale : defines the locale (language, etc.) used by OpenJUMP. For example:
- For starting OpenJUMP in French: use -i18n fr
- Other languages available: de (german), es (spanish), pt_BR (brazilian portuguese), Fi (Finnic)
- Default is english if the specified language is not implemented. See page Languages for Language setup.
Setup Languages
OpenJUMP 1.2 has been translated in the following languages:
- English
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Italian (OpenJUMP Nightly Build)
- Portuguese (Brasilian)
- Spanish
To setup OpenJUMP in one of these languages:
- Open the startup script of OpenJUMP with a text editor (e.g. Notepad for Windows. It is located in OpenJUMP/BIN directory. Those are the startup files depending the Operative System:
- openJUMP.bat for Windows XP
- openjump-unix.sh or openjump.sh for Linux/Unix
- openjump.sh for Mac
- Startup script is basically a simple text file.
At the end of this file there is this line:
start javaw -Dlog4j.configuration=file:./log4j.xml -Xms256M -Xmx256M -cp CLASSPATH com.vividsolutions.jump.workbench.JUMPWorkbench -properties workbench-properties.xml -plug-in-directory LIB/ext
Between
CLASSPATH and
com.vividsolutions add one of these following lines depending the language
- -Duser.language=En for English
- -Duser.language=Fi for Finnish
- -Duser.language=Fr for French
- -Duser.language=De for German
- -Duser.language=IT for Italian (OpenJUMP Nightly Build)
- -Duser.language=pt_BR for Portuguese (ver. Brasilian)
- -Duser.language=Es for Spanish
Some sample:
for Spanish: start javaw -Dlog4j ….CLASSPATH -Duser.language=Es com.vividsolutions…
for Fench it will be start javaw -Dlog4j ….CLASSPATH -Duser.language=Fr com.vividsolutions…
- Save the Startup script.
- Run OpenJUMP to see the new language menus. If you want to come back to English, simply delete the command -Duser.language=XX.
To evoid errors, you should better save a copy the original startup script in another folder.
If you want to contribute to develop OpenJUMP in other languages, read Stefan Steiniger’s article How to translate OpenJUMP into another language
OpenJUMP Nightly Build
In OpenJUMP NIghtly Build the startup script for windows and Unix has been changed.
To change the language search the line:
start javaw -cp ”CLASSPATH” JAVA_OPTS com.vividsolutions.jump.workbench.JUMPWorkbench JUMP_OPTS
and add the -DUSERXX option before com.vividsolutions.. text
Showing changes from revision #10 to #11:
Added | Removed
back to New User Guide page
Table of Contents
- JAVA setup

- Installation

- Configure Start up options

- Setup Languages

JAVA setup
OpenJUMP can run on Linux, Unix, MacOSX, Microsoft Windows (from 98 to Vista) and any Operation System that supports Java.
Currently OpenJUMP uses script files to launch the program. Script Scripts are available for Linux/Unix, MacOSX and Windows.
OpenJUMP requires:
- minimum 124 MB to run, better 256 MB
Installation
Linux
These instructions are meant to be easy to follow even for Linux newbies. It is of course possible to to do everything using GUI tools, but then these steb-by step instructions would depend on what you have installed and become too complicated.
To install OpenJUMP system-wide, you need root privileges. Following instructions suppose you have opened superuser terminal window (see notes below).
PrerequisitiesPrerequisites: Working
Java runtime environment (see notes below),
unzip command
- In the Jump Pilot Project download OpenJUMP Platform
Indipendent. Independent.
- You can use also a nightly or weekly build (download links on HomePage) – these development builds have latest features but are not thoroughly tested.
- The platform-independent version of OpenJUMP comes
under in the form of a compressed archive (ZIP).
To install, decompress the archive in to your hard drive, for example into /usr/local/ and symlink the resulting /usr/local/openjump-<version> to /usr/local/OpenJUMP:
unzip <download folder>/openjump-<version>.zip /usr/local-d /usr/local/
ln -s /usr/local/openjump-<version> /usr/local/OpenJUMP
You should get the following folder structure:
- /usr/local/OpenJUMP/
- /usr/local/OpenJUMP/bin
- /usr/local/OpenJUMP/lib
- In the OpenJUMP/bin folder there are the statup scripts for Linux/Unix: openjump-unix.sh or openjump.sh. There is an improved script for unix: openjump-unix2.sh.
To run one of the startup scripts it is needed to make the startup script executable first. For instance, if you want to use openjump.sh, write in the terminal:
chmod +x /usr/local/OpenJUMP/openjump.sh
(+x command makes openjump script executable)
The installation is done! To run OpenJUMP, navigate to the /usr/local/OpenJUMP/bin folder with your file manager and double click the openjump.sh script.
Optional additional stepsstep:
In the OpenJUMP/bin folder there are the statup scripts for Linux/Unix: openjump-unix.sh or openjump.sh. There is an improved script for unix: openjump-unix2.sh.
On some systems or to run the a script directly from terminal may be needed to first make the startup script executable. For instance, if you want to use openjump.sh, write in the terminal:
chmod +x /usr/local/OpenJUMP/openjump.sh
(+x commmnd makes openjump script executable)
- For easier access, you can create a desktop, start menu or toolbar launcher (startup icon). In most desktop environments you can create a desktop launcher by right-clicking on the desktop and selecting something like “Create Launcher”. Then find the openjump.sh as the launcher target. Look to your desktop environment documentation for details if it does not work this way or
for if you want start menu/toolbar launchers.menu or toolbar launcher.
A few notes about Linux installation:
- The Java version to be run…
Linux Distros usually come with an open-source version of Java. OpenJUMP will use that per default, which may cause problems. Should one want to use Sun’s Java (recommended), either look to your distro docs how to change default Java environment or do some changes to the $JUMPHOME/bin/openjump-unix.sh script:
JAVA_HOME=/usr/java/latest/bin (usually there but distro-dependent—or wherever you’ve installed it)
The last line of the script (calling Java) should be like this:
$JAVA_HOME/java -Dswing.defaultlaf=javax.swing.plaf.metal.MetalLookAndFeel -Dlog4j.configuration=file:./log4j.xml -Xms512M -Xmx1024M -cp $CLASSPATH com.vividsolutions.jump.workbench.JUMPWorkbench -properties workbench-properties.xml -plug-in-directory $LIB/ext%
Also be sure to correctly specify OpenJump’s installation folder in JUMPHOME.
- Root’s (superuser) terminal…
- You may find such item in Applications menu
- You can get superuser terminal for example by opening a terminal window and writing
su
You will be asked for root’s password. For systems without root user (i.e. Ubuntu by default) the command would be
sudo bash
or
sudo sh
In this case you may be asked for your own password.
- If you do not have rights to gain root privileges, you can alternatively install OpenJUMP only for one user by extracting the ZIP archive into your home directory (into /home/<your username>/openjump-<version>). Then you can use commands above in regular user’s terminal.
- Upgrading OpenJUMP
When installing newer version of OpenJUMP using above mentioned instructions (steps 1. to 3.), the previous installation is not removed or overwritten. It is possible to run both versions on the same computer and by changing the target of the symbolic link (second command in step 2.) it is possible to select which version is the default one. It is highly recommended not to remove previous version before the new is thoroughly tested if you use nightly/weekly builds.
MacOSX
- open a terminal window
- move to the “bin” folder (using “ls” and “cd” commands in the terminal)
- if you arrived in the bin folder, openjump can be started by typing: “sh openjump.sh” and pressing enter
Other information can be found here:
More information about StartUp scrip for MacOSX can be found here
Windows
In the Jump Pilot Project it is possible to download two versions of OpenJUMP for windows:
OpenJUMP Win32 installer for Windows
- Download the OpenJUMP Win32 installer (EXE file). This is a setup file which automatizes the installation
- Run the file to setup OpenJUMP. The software will be installed in the computer and a new icon “OpenJUMP” will be created in the desktop to launch the program
OpenJUMP (ZIP file)
- Download the ZIP file and decompress it in a folder (e.g. OPENJUMP)
- In the folder OPENJUMP/BIN search for the files OpenJUMP.exe or OpenJUMP.bat which are used to launch the software
- eventually create a shortcut on the desktop for the launcher
OpenJUMP Nightly Build is basically the same version of OpenJUMP (ZIP file). See also Installation Instructions page
Configure Start up options
(Optional – Only for expert Users!!)
Before doing any modification save a copy of the startup script file
In OpenJUMP Starup scrip it is possible to modify some option. Expert users can do this.
OpenJUMP standard setup works fine with no modifications of the options.
Several startup options are available, either for the Java Virtual Machine, or for the
OpenJUMP core. To change them, edit the startup script
accordingly, editing the line beginning by “start javaw”.
Java VM options (a complete list can be found in the Java VM documentation)
- Xms defines the allocated memory for the virtual machine at startup. Example: -Xms256M
will allocate 256M of memory for OpenJUMP
- Xmx defines the maximum allocated memory for the virtual machine. Example: -Xmx256M
- Dproperty=value set a system property. For the moment, these properties are used:
- Dswing.defaultlaf for defining the OpenJUMP Look and Feel. Several possibilities:
-Dswing.defaultlaf=javax.swing.plaf.metal.MetalLookAndFeel for the Metal L&F
-Dswing.defaultlaf=com.sun.java.swing.plaf.windows.WindowsLookAndFeel for the Windows L&F
- Dlog4j.configuration for defining the configuration file for Log4j. Normally:
Dlog4j.configuration=file:./log4j.xml
OpenJUMP command line options+
- properties filename : specifies the name of the file where OpenJUMP properties are stored.
Default is -properties workbench-properties.xml
- plug-in-directory path : defines the location of the plugin directory.
Default is LIB/ext where LIB is defined earlier in the startup script.
- i18n locale : defines the locale (language, etc.) used by OpenJUMP. For example:
- For starting OpenJUMP in French: use -i18n fr
- Other languages available: de (german), es (spanish), pt_BR (brazilian portuguese), Fi (Finnic)
- Default is english if the specified language is not implemented. See page Languages for Language setup.
Setup Languages
OpenJUMP 1.2 has been translated in the following languages:
- English
- Finnish
- French
- German
- Italian (OpenJUMP Nightly Build)
- Portuguese (Brasilian)
- Spanish
To setup OpenJUMP in one of these languages:
- Open the startup script of OpenJUMP with a text editor (e.g. Notepad for Windows. It is located in OpenJUMP/BIN directory. Those are the startup files depending the Operative System:
- openJUMP.bat for Windows XP
- openjump-unix.sh or openjump.sh for Linux/Unix
- openjump.sh for Mac
- Startup script is basically a simple text file.
At the end of this file there is this line:
start javaw -Dlog4j.configuration=file:./log4j.xml -Xms256M -Xmx256M -cp CLASSPATH com.vividsolutions.jump.workbench.JUMPWorkbench -properties workbench-properties.xml -plug-in-directory LIB/ext
Between
CLASSPATH and
com.vividsolutions add one of these following lines depending the language
- -Duser.language=En for English
- -Duser.language=Fi for Finnish
- -Duser.language=Fr for French
- -Duser.language=De for German
- -Duser.language=IT for Italian (OpenJUMP Nightly Build)
- -Duser.language=pt_BR for Portuguese (ver. Brasilian)
- -Duser.language=Es for Spanish
Some sample:
for Spanish: start javaw -Dlog4j ….CLASSPATH -Duser.language=Es com.vividsolutions…
for Fench it will be start javaw -Dlog4j ….CLASSPATH -Duser.language=Fr com.vividsolutions…
- Save the Startup script.
- Run OpenJUMP to see the new language menus. If you want to come back to English, simply delete the command -Duser.language=XX.
To evoid errors, you should better save a copy the original startup script in another folder.
If you want to contribute to develop OpenJUMP in other languages, read Stefan Steiniger’s article How to translate OpenJUMP into another language
OpenJUMP Nightly Build
In OpenJUMP NIghtly Build the startup script for windows and Unix has been changed.
To change the language search the line:
start javaw -cp ”CLASSPATH” JAVA_OPTS com.vividsolutions.jump.workbench.JUMPWorkbench JUMP_OPTS
and add the -DUSERXX option before com.vividsolutions.. text
Revised on February 19, 2008 14:46
by
Tomas_IV
(195.113.128.195)