Long‑term goal: provide a friendly command‑line that can batch‑generate documents from business‑friendly sources — Word/PowerPoint/Excel templates with data from CSV/JSON. This post documents the Windows packaging path with jpackage, plus a short note on native executable experiments.

Related issues: #676, #677, #681, #682.

Prerequisites

  • Windows 10/11 with PowerShell
  • JDK 21+ (JDK 25 EA also works) — ensure jpackage is available in your JDK
  • Optional for MSI: WiX Toolset (v3.14+)

Verify your toolchain:

java --version
jpackage --version

1) Build the CLI JAR

Use Maven from the repository root to produce the CLI artifact (adjust module/profile names if they differ in your fork):

cd C:\workspace\github\office-stamper
mvn -DskipTests package

Grab the latest CLI JAR (PowerShell picks the most recent):

$Jar = (Get-ChildItem -Recurse -Filter *cli*.jar -Path . | Sort-Object LastWriteTime -Desc | Select-Object -First 1).FullName
Write-Host "Using JAR: $Jar"

2) Create a portable app image (contains an .exe)

This produces a self‑contained directory with a launcher .exe — easy to zip and distribute:

$AppName = 'office-stamper-cli'
$Version = '3.3.0'  # set from your build/version
$InputDir = Split-Path $Jar
$MainJar  = Split-Path $Jar -Leaf

jpackage `
  --type app-image `
  --name $AppName `
  --app-version $Version `
  --input $InputDir `
  --main-jar $MainJar `
  --main-class pro.verron.officestamper.cli.Main `
  --dest .\dist `
  --icon .\cli\packaging\windows\icon.ico

Result:

dist/
  office-stamper-cli/
    office-stamper-cli.exe
    runtime/*
    app/*

Run it:

.& "dist/office-stamper-cli/office-stamper-cli.exe" --help

Expected output (excerpt):

office-stamper CLI 3.3.0
Usage: office-stamper [command] [options]
Commands: stamp, version, help

3) Create a Windows installer (EXE or MSI)

If you prefer an installer (adds Start Menu entries, optional uninstall), use --type exe (built‑in) or --type msi (requires WiX):

jpackage `
  --type exe `
  --name $AppName `
  --app-version $Version `
  --input $InputDir `
  --main-jar $MainJar `
  --main-class pro.verron.officestamper.cli.Main `
  --dest .\dist `
  --win-menu `
  --win-menu-group "Office-stamper" `
  --win-shortcut `
  --win-dir-chooser `
  --icon .\cli\packaging\windows\icon.ico

Output example:

dist/office-stamper-cli-3.3.0.exe

Optional MSI (requires WiX): replace --type exe with --type msi.

4) Verify artifacts

  • Version banner:
& "dist/office-stamper-cli/office-stamper-cli.exe" --version
  • SHA256 checksum for distribution:
Get-FileHash "dist/office-stamper-cli-3.3.0.exe" -Algorithm SHA256 | Format-List

Troubleshooting

  • “jpackage: command not found”: ensure you’re using a JDK that bundles jpackage (e.g., Oracle/OpenJDK 21+). Re‑open your terminal after install.
  • Main class not found: confirm --main-class pro.verron.officestamper.cli.Main matches the actual CLI entry point in the repo.
  • MSI build fails: install WiX Toolset and ensure candle.exe/light.exe are on PATH.
  • SmartScreen warnings: consider code‑signing the installer (signtool sign /fd SHA256 /a <file.exe>); keep a timestamp server for longevity.

Native executable experiments (early)

I’m also experimenting with producing a native binary (no bundled JVM). This currently requires GraalVM native-image and careful reflection config for libraries like Spring SpEL and OpenXML. It’s not ready for general use yet (see #676, #677)).

Example invocation (will need additional configuration files):

# Requires GraalVM and reflection/resource configs
native-image `
  --no-fallback `
  -H:Name=office-stamper `
  -cp $Jar `
  pro.verron.officestamper.cli.Main

Why this direction

Packaging the CLI lowers the barrier for non‑Java users and sets the stage for batch generation from analyst‑friendly formats (DOCX/PPTX/XLSX templates + CSV/JSON data) without IDE setup. This aligns with the long‑term vision called out in #681 and #682.

May 10th 2026 — Guide Summary

  • Package a portable app image with jpackage and run office-stamper-cli.exe directly.
  • Produce a Windows installer (--type exe or --type msi) and verify with SHA256.
  • Native image is experimental; tracked in issues and not recommended for production yet.