Java known issues

Java and the [mxj] / [mxj~] objects are currently not actively developed by Cycling '74. According to support they will take care that it keeps on functioning, but there are no plans for new developments or improvements. While this is an understandable decision as there are better alternatives for many areas where previously Java would fill the gap, there are still some reasons to discover Java in Max. This article is intended to be a list of known issues to spare new Max/Java users the frustration of discovering them one by one ... :)

Java for OS X

Beginning with OS X 10.9, Java is not included and must be downloaded from Apple. Max currently (version 7.0.6) depends on the legacy Apple Java for OS X, and is not compatible with Java from Oracle. OS X 10.11 is the last version that will support installing Apple Java for OS X. See Java_on_OS_X_10.9_(and_later). Java classes compiled on Windows using Java 7 or later will not run on OS X.

dict in Java

The Dictionary Vignette states:

Support for using Dict objects in mxj mirrors that of the implementation for JavaScript.

This is not correct: Dicts are currently not implemented in Java (state: Max 7.0.6)

The Compile Window

If you open the Java code editor in Max and you try to open the Compile window, a Java exception (simply an error) might be thrown. The Window might not open and the Max window will show an error. (Found on OS X 10.9) Try opening the the Compile Window a second time. Usually that works.

UI bugs in the Code editor

There are some minor bugs in the UI of the code editor (OS X), due do the used Java window framework (called Swing) which is not maintained anymore for OS X 10.9 and later.

• Not all keyboard shortcuts might work (found on OS X 10.9)
• The sub menu items from the main menu on top might not be displayed correctly when the focus changes from The code editor to another window. (found on OS X 10.9)