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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Below are some frequently asked questions regarding JARS
Please check the JARS Installation Guide.
As of the time writing of this wiki, JARS can unfortunately only run on Windows 10 or Windows 11. There are no plans yet to build JARS for Mac OS anytime soon because demand is low.
The JARS full installer packages an offline installer of Java Runtime Edition (JRE) as well as the entire Language Tool package which are both used for the autocorrect feature in the software. Alternatively, you can use the minimal installer if you feel that you don't need the autocorrect feature. With the minimal installer, installation of Java Runtime Edition (or simply Java) as well as Language Tool package is optional and can be done only when autocomplete is to be used.
- Microsoft Edge (for Database Viewer) - only applies for v1.1.0 and higher
- Java Runtime Edition (JRE) (for Report Generator Autocorrect)
- Microsoft Office (for automatic PDF Report Generation)
JARS incorporates a grammar checking and auto-correction system called Language Tool (read more about Language Tool here). While Language Tool offers an online grammar checking endpoint, there are limitations to what the free cloud API can do. Hence, utilizing the opensource nature of Language Tool, the developer decided to put the server closer to the edge or simply offloading the processing to the user's device. One key consideration is the speed and the higher limits that locally serving the Language Tool server offers.
Language Tool is a software that is developed using the Java language. This means that running the server requires Java Runtime Edition (Java RE or simply JRE) to be installed on the user's device. However, it is not mandatory to install Java if you do not plan on using the grammar checking and correction feature. You can always opt out of using this feature if you can live without this feature.
Important
Language Tool requires Java version 8 or newer. Older versions of Java will not work at all.
JARS is capable of creating PDF copies of the DOCX (Word document) files that is generated by the report generator. PDF is a versatile file format created by Adobe that gives people an easy, reliable way to present and exchange documents - regardless of the software, hardware, or operating systems being used by anyone who views the document. According to Adobe, the PDF format is now an open standard, maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). On the other hand, a DOCX files are created using the Open XML format, which stores documents as a collection of separate files and folders in a compressed zip package. Hence, there is no easy way to transform a DOCX file into a PDF file.
And since DOCX is predominantly created by Microsoft, their document processing tool we all know as Word has the native capability of creating PDF files from DOCX files. Keeping this in mind, JARS uses a binary interface called Component Object Model (COM). This technology allows us to control Windows applications from another program and in this case it is from JARS. Without needing the user to manually start Word, open the report document, and save the file as a PDF, JARS can utilize COM to essentially help the user 'automate' this process. Keyword here is to 'automate the process' not 'revolutionize the process'. What this means is that JARS simply does what the users do manually but everything is done programmatically in the background - Word is still open but hidden from user's view, document is still opened by referring to where the DOCX file is saved, and the opened document is saved as a PDF file.
And due to all of the aforementioned reason(s) above, JARS requires users to have Microsoft Office installed to use the PDF copy creation feature. However, users are not mandated to install Microsoft Office on their device. JARS is smart enough to know if Microsoft Office is installed or not and disable the feature if Microsoft Office is not installed.
Important
The COM service that JARS uses requires Desktop Microsoft Office to be installed. As in, you should be able to use Word directly on your desktop, not from your web browser such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera Browser, etc. JARS will not be able to utilize the online/web version of Microsoft Office (Microsoft 365 Web).
This issue is generally due to the Microsoft Edge not being installed on the computer. To overcome this, please install Microsoft Edge (You don't have to start using Edge and ditch whatever browser you have. You just need to install it.) Here is a link to Microsoft Edge download page: https://www.microsoft.com/id-id/edge/download. Once Microsoft Edge is installed, try to access any database again. If the issue still persists, go to Control Panel > Apps > Installed Apps and search for "Microsoft Edge WebView". Click on the three dots on the top right, click on "Modify". A new window should appear and you will see a button that says "Repair". Click on the "Repair" button and wait for the process to finish. Once the repair process is done, the database viewer should work properly.
There are two methods of reporting this. If you are able to provide full details of the bug and the potential cause (for example you can supply the error shown in the console), you can open a new issue on this GitHub repository. Please take care to include all relevant details, include the entire trace of the error, how to reproduce the bug/issue, and the files that you use when the error happens.
If you are not familiar at all with the issue, don't know what caused the issue, go to the discussions page or check the Q&A section of this repository. Make sure to tell your story in detail when you are submitting a new discussion.
Written by: Raven Limadinata from JAC School Research and Development Team
If you need to contact me please send an email to raven.limadinata@jacschool.sch.id