The Extension Mechanism (original) (raw)
The Extension Mechanism for Support of Optional Packages
This feature has been deprecated and will be removed in a future release.
Optional packages are packages of classes (and any associated native code) that application developers can use to extend the functionality of the core platform. The extension mechanism allows the Java virtual machine (VM) to use the classes of the optional extension in much the same way as the VM uses classes in the Java Platform. The extension mechanism also provides a way for needed optional packages to be retrieved from specified URLs when they are not already installed in the JDK or JRE.
Overview
Overview - What optional packages are and how to use them.
API Specification
The following classes play a role in the extension mechanism:
- java.lang.ClassLoader
- java.lang.Package
- java.lang.Thread
- java.net.JarURLConnection
- java.net.URLClassLoader
- java.security.SecureClassLoader
See also the Related APIssection of the mechanism specification for notes on these APIs.
Tutorials and Programmer's Guides
Located on the Java Software website:
- The Extension Mechanism trail of the Java Tutorial.
API Enhancements
For details, see Enhancements.
More Information
Extension Mechanism Architecture - Notes on the extension mechanism API and how optional packages use the Jar file format.