My module requires JDK 5/6 - how do I keep it from being loaded in JDK 1.4/5?

Add a line to your manifest, specifying which version of Java you need. E.g. to only run on JDK 5 and higher, not 1.4.x:

OpenIDE-Module-Java-Dependencies: Java > 1.5

Note that > really means >=, and that the traditional "internal" version numbers like "1.5", "1.6", etc. must be used despite the new Java naming scheme (JDK 5, JDK 6, ...).

Requesting 1.4+ is pointless since no recent version of NetBeans runs on JDK 1.3, but you could have

OpenIDE-Module-Java-Dependencies: Java > 1.4.2

if you were really concerned about someone running on JDK 1.4.1.

Note also that most IDE modules in NetBeans 5.5, and all modules (including the "platform" modules) in NetBeans 6.0+, require JDK 5+ as a minimum.

There is also a syntax for requesting a particular version of the virtual machine (as opposed to Java platform APIs) but this is seldom if ever used.

The NetBeans module development support version 5.0 Update 1, or NetBeans 5.5+, permits you to pick a JDK to use for compiling (and running) a module or suite. Obviously you must specify a JDK at least as new as what your dependency requests; it is unwise to specify a newer JDK than that: you might accidentally use some newer APIs without realizing it, making your code not actually run on the declared minimum version.

Platforms: all