JAR Manifest File Format Specification

Home > JAR Tools

Q

What Is Specifiction of a JAR manifest file?

✍: FYIcenter.com

A

If a manifest file is provided in a JAR file, it must meet the following specifications:

1. The manifest file must be locaed at META-INF/MANIFEST.MF in the JAR file.

2. The content of a manifest file can be divided into sections separated by empty lines.

3. A section is made up by lines of "name: value" pairs (also called headers or attributes).

4. The following is the technical definition of a manifest file:

  manifest-file:         main-section newline *individual-section
  main-section:          version-info newline *main-attribute
  version-info:          Manifest-Version : version-number
  version-number :       digit+{.digit+}*
  main-attribute:        (any legitimate main attribute) newline
  individual-section:    Name : value newline *perentry-attribute
  perentry-attribute:    (any legitimate perentry attribute) newline
  newline :              CR LF | LF | CR (not followed by LF)
  digit:                 {0-9} 

  section:               *header +newline
  nonempty-section:      +header +newline
  newline:               CR LF | LF | CR (not followed by LF)
  header:                name : value
  name:                  alphanum *headerchar
  value:                 SPACE *otherchar newline *continuation
  continuation:          SPACE *otherchar newline
  alphanum:              {A-Z} | {a-z} | {0-9}
  headerchar:            alphanum | - | _
  otherchar:             any UTF-8 character except NUL, CR and LF
; Also: To prevent mangling of files sent via straight e-mail, no
; header will start with the four letters "From".

Here is a sample of a JAR manifest file:

Manifest-Version: 1.0
Implementation-Version: 1.1.1
Specification-Title: JavaBeans(TM) Activation Framework
   Specification
Specification-Version: 1.1
Extension-Name: javax.activation
Created-By: 1.4.2 (Sun Microsystems Inc.)
Implementation-Vendor-Id: com.sun
Implementation-Vendor: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Specification-Vendor: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
SCCS-ID: @(#)jaf.mf	1.2	05/05/23

Name: javax/activation/MimeTypeParseException.class
SHA1-Digest: lE5grROfW1qsYZdtOlB7SOrtlRU=

Name: javax/activation/CommandInfo.class
SHA1-Digest: pl22Lz5hCL9DxzbXDiAYGov6BtI=
...

Back to FAQ on JAR (Java ARchive) File Format.

2016-04-21, ∼3335🔥, 0💬

JAR (Java ARchive) File Format Specification
What Is Specifiction of JAR (Java ARchive) File Format? JAR (Java ARchive) is a platform-independent file format that aggregates many files into one file. The specification of JAR file format is divided into several areas: 1. JAR Internal Archive Structure - When files and folders are archived into ... 2016-04-23, ∼3945🔥, 0💬

JAR File Index Specification
What is the JAR file index specification? What tools can I use to generate the index file? The index file of a JAR file contains directory information as to which classes and resources reside in the JAR file. The index file is stored as META-INF/INDEX.LIST in the JAR file. The index file specificati... 2016-04-12, ∼3857🔥, 0💬

What Is JAR (Java ARchive) File Format
What Is JAR (Java ARchive) File Format? JAR (Java ARchive) is a platform-independent file format that aggregates many files into one file. Originally, JAR file format is designed to bundle multiple Java applets and their requisite components (.class files, images and sounds) into a single file, whic... 2016-04-23, ∼3685🔥, 0💬

FAQ on JAR (Java ARchive) File Format
Where can I find answers to FAQ on JAR (Java ARchive) file format? I want to know the internal structure of a JAR file. You can find your answers here at jar.FYIcenter.com. We have compiled answers to some basic FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) on JAR (Java ARchive) file format: What Is JAR (Java AR... 2016-05-07, ∼3662🔥, 0💬

Main Attributes of JAR Manifest File
What are main attributes of a JAR manifest file? Main attributes of a JAR manifest file are attributes given in the first section to provide overall information of the JAR file. Main attributes fall into the following different groups: 1. General Main Attributes: Manifest-Version: Defines the manife... 2016-04-21, ∼3642🔥, 0💬

Tools to Generate and Manage JAR Files
What tools can I use to generate and manage JAR files? There are a number tools you can use to generate and manage JAR files: 1. JDK "jar" Tool - The "jar" tool from the JDK package is probably the best tool to generate and manage JAR files. It offers many features like creating a new JAR file, upda... 2016-04-12, ∼3635🔥, 0💬

Index JAR "jar -i" Command Syntax
What are syntax rules of the "jar -i" command for indexing a JAR file? The "jar -i" command allows you to add or update index to an existing JAR file. It has the follow syntax: jar -i jar-file "jar-file" must be provided to specify the JAR file, to which the index entry META-INF/INDEX.LIST will be a... 2016-05-15, ∼3632🔥, 0💬

Per-Entry Attributes of JAR Manifest File
What are per-entry attributes of a JAR manifest file? Per-entry attributes of a JAR manifest file are attributes associated to each individual entry in the JAR file. Per-entry attributes are specified in separate sections, one section per entry. Main attributes fall into the following different grou... 2016-04-15, ∼3570🔥, 0💬

Digital Signatures of JAR Files
What are digital signatures of JAR files? And where are they stored in the JAR file? Digital signatures are encrypted digests of entries archieved in the JAR file. Digital signature information is stored in multiple files under the META-INF path name: META-INF/MANIFEST.MF - Contains digests of JAR e... 2016-04-15, ∼3402🔥, 0💬

All rights in the contents of this web site are reserved by the individual author. FYIcenter.com does not guarantee the truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of any contents.