JEP 313: Remove the Native-Header Generation Tool (javah)
| Owner | Jonathan Gibbons |
| Type | Feature |
| Scope | JDK |
| Status | Closed / Delivered |
| Release | 10 |
| Component | tools / javah |
| Discussion | compiler dash dev at openjdk dot java dot net |
| Effort | XS |
| Reviewed by | Brian Goetz, Joe Darcy |
| Endorsed by | Brian Goetz |
| Created | 2017/06/23 17:28 |
| Updated | 2018/01/10 22:02 |
| Issue | 8182758 |
Summary
Remove the javah tool from the JDK.
Motivation
The tool has been superseded by superior functionality in javac, added in JDK 8 (JDK-7150368). This functionality provides the ability to write native header files at the time that Java source code is compiled, thereby eliminating the need for a separate tool.
Focusing on the support provided by javac eliminates the need to upgrade
javah to support recent new paradigms, such as API access via the
Compiler API in javax.tools.*, or the new java.util.spi.ToolProvider SPI added in JDK 9.
Description
Implementing the removal will include removing the affected files from the Mercurial repositories, including documentation files, as well as supporting makefile changes.
Testing
Any testing will be limited to verifying the javah command is
not present.
Risks and Assumptions
There are no engineering issues with excising javah from the JDK,
because the tool is no longer used by JDK, or when building the JDK.
Users have been warned of the pending removal since JDK 9,
in which a warning is generated each time the javah tool is invoked.
Dependences
There are no direct JDK dependences on the javah tool. Externally,
there are some derivatives of javah, such as the Ant
javah task,
but just as users of the javah command are recommended to
use javac -h, so too are users of these dependences are recommended to
use instead the corresponding support provided for javac.
