Oracle JDK/Windows, JPackage Error: Invalid or unsupported type: [exe] - ant

Question

I am trying to create a native installer for a java application. I have successfully used jpackage on OpenJDK/Linux, but now I am in Oracle JDK on Windows.
What I cannot believe is the error message: Why does jpackage claim that 'exe' is an unsupported type if the help page just list it as one of the allowed values? How come entering anything but 'app-image' leads to failure?
I am using the maven-antrun-plugin to execute this ant snippet:
<target>
<exec executable="jpackage" failonerror="true">
<arg line="--version"/>
</exec>
<exec executable="jpackage" failonerror="true">
<arg line="--help"/>
</exec>
<exec executable="jpackage" failonerror="true">
<arg line="--input target/dist"/>
<arg line="--main-jar ${project.artifactId}-${project.version}.jar"/>
<arg line="--main-class ${mainclass}"/>
<arg line="--dest target"/>
<arg line="--name ${project.artifactId}"/>
<arg line="--app-version ${project.version}"/>
<arg line="--type exe"/>
<arg line="--verbose"/>
</exec>
</target>
The build fails with this output (separated for the three tasks).
[exec] 16.0.1
[exec] Usage: jpackage <options>
[exec]
[exec] Sample usages:
[exec] --------------
[exec] Generate an application package suitable for the host system:
[exec] For a modular application:
[exec] jpackage -n name -p modulePath -m moduleName/className
[exec] For a non-modular application:
[exec] jpackage -i inputDir -n name \
[exec] --main-class className --main-jar myJar.jar
[exec] From a pre-built application image:
[exec] jpackage -n name --app-image appImageDir
[exec] Generate an application image:
[exec] For a modular application:
[exec] jpackage --type app-image -n name -p modulePath \
[exec] -m moduleName/className
[exec] For a non-modular application:
[exec] jpackage --type app-image -i inputDir -n name \
[exec] --main-class className --main-jar myJar.jar
[exec] To provide your own options to jlink, run jlink separately:
[exec] jlink --output appRuntimeImage -p modulePath -m moduleName \
[exec] --no-header-files [<additional jlink options>...]
[exec] jpackage --type app-image -n name \
[exec] -m moduleName/className --runtime-image appRuntimeImage
[exec] Generate a Java runtime package:
[exec] jpackage -n name --runtime-image <runtime-image>
[exec]
[exec] Generic Options:
[exec] #<filename>
[exec] Read options and/or mode from a file
[exec] This option can be used multiple times.
[exec] --type -t <type>
[exec] The type of package to create
[exec] Valid values are: {"app-image", "exe", "msi"}
[exec] If this option is not specified a platform dependent
[exec] default type will be created.
[exec] --app-version <version>
[exec] Version of the application and/or package
[exec] --copyright <copyright string>
[exec] Copyright for the application
[exec] --description <description string>
[exec] Description of the application
[exec] --help -h
[exec] Print the usage text with a list and description of each valid
[exec] option for the current platform to the output stream, and exit
[exec] --name -n <name>
[exec] Name of the application and/or package
[exec] --dest -d <destination path>
[exec] Path where generated output file is placed
[exec] Defaults to the current working directory.
[exec] (absolute path or relative to the current directory)
[exec] --temp <file path>
[exec] Path of a new or empty directory used to create temporary files
[exec] (absolute path or relative to the current directory)
[exec] If specified, the temp dir will not be removed upon the task
[exec] completion and must be removed manually
[exec] If not specified, a temporary directory will be created and
[exec] removed upon the task completion.
[exec] --vendor <vendor string>
[exec] Vendor of the application
[exec] --verbose
[exec] Enables verbose output
[exec] --version
[exec] Print the product version to the output stream and exit
[exec]
[exec] Options for creating the runtime image:
[exec] --add-modules <module name>[,<module name>...]
[exec] A comma (",") separated list of modules to add.
[exec] This module list, along with the main module (if specified)
[exec] will be passed to jlink as the --add-module argument.
[exec] if not specified, either just the main module (if --module is
[exec] specified), or the default set of modules (if --main-jar is
[exec] specified) are used.
[exec] This option can be used multiple times.
[exec] --module-path -p <module path>...
[exec] A ; separated list of paths
[exec] Each path is either a directory of modules or the path to a
[exec] modular jar.
[exec] (each path is absolute or relative to the current directory)
[exec] This option can be used multiple times.
[exec] --jlink-options <jlink options>
[exec] A space separated list of options to pass to jlink
[exec] If not specified, defaults to "--strip-native-commands
[exec] --strip-debug --no-man-pages --no-header-files"
[exec] This option can be used multiple times.
[exec] --runtime-image <file path>
[exec] Path of the predefined runtime image that will be copied into
[exec] the application image
[exec] (absolute path or relative to the current directory)
[exec] If --runtime-image is not specified, jpackage will run jlink to
[exec] create the runtime image using options:
[exec] --strip-debug, --no-header-files, --no-man-pages, and
[exec] --strip-native-commands.
[exec]
[exec] Options for creating the application image:
[exec] --icon <icon file path>
[exec] Path of the icon of the application package
[exec] (absolute path or relative to the current directory)
[exec] --input -i <input path>
[exec] Path of the input directory that contains the files to be packaged
[exec] (absolute path or relative to the current directory)
[exec] All files in the input directory will be packaged into the
[exec] application image.
[exec]
[exec] Options for creating the application launcher(s):
[exec] --add-launcher <launcher name>=<file path>
[exec] Name of launcher, and a path to a Properties file that contains
[exec] a list of key, value pairs
[exec] (absolute path or relative to the current directory)
[exec] The keys "module", "main-jar", "main-class",
[exec] "arguments", "java-options", "app-version", "icon", and
[exec] "win-console" can be used.
[exec] These options are added to, or used to overwrite, the original
[exec] command line options to build an additional alternative launcher.
[exec] The main application launcher will be built from the command line
[exec] options. Additional alternative launchers can be built using
[exec] this option, and this option can be used multiple times to
[exec] build multiple additional launchers.
[exec] --arguments <main class arguments>
[exec] Command line arguments to pass to the main class if no command
[exec] line arguments are given to the launcher
[exec] This option can be used multiple times.
[exec] --java-options <java options>
[exec] Options to pass to the Java runtime
[exec] This option can be used multiple times.
[exec] --main-class <class name>
[exec] Qualified name of the application main class to execute
[exec] This option can only be used if --main-jar is specified.
[exec] --main-jar <main jar file>
[exec] The main JAR of the application; containing the main class
[exec] (specified as a path relative to the input path)
[exec] Either --module or --main-jar option can be specified but not
[exec] both.
[exec] --module -m <module name>[/<main class>]
[exec] The main module (and optionally main class) of the application
[exec] This module must be located on the module path.
[exec] When this option is specified, the main module will be linked
[exec] in the Java runtime image. Either --module or --main-jar
[exec] option can be specified but not both.
[exec]
[exec] Platform dependent option for creating the application launcher:
[exec] --win-console
[exec] Creates a console launcher for the application, should be
[exec] specified for application which requires console interactions
[exec]
[exec] Options for creating the application package:
[exec] --app-image <file path>
[exec] Location of the predefined application image that is used
[exec] to build an installable package
[exec] (absolute path or relative to the current directory)
[exec] --file-associations <file path>
[exec] Path to a Properties file that contains list of key, value pairs
[exec] (absolute path or relative to the current directory)
[exec] The keys "extension", "mime-type", "icon", and "description"
[exec] can be used to describe the association.
[exec] This option can be used multiple times.
[exec] --install-dir <file path>
[exec] Relative sub-path under the default installation location
[exec] --license-file <file path>
[exec] Path to the license file
[exec] (absolute path or relative to the current directory)
[exec] --resource-dir <path>
[exec] Path to override jpackage resources
[exec] Icons, template files, and other resources of jpackage can be
[exec] over-ridden by adding replacement resources to this directory.
[exec] (absolute path or relative to the current directory)
[exec] --runtime-image <file-path>
[exec] Path of the predefined runtime image to install
[exec] (absolute path or relative to the current directory)
[exec] Option is required when creating a runtime package.
[exec]
[exec] Platform dependent options for creating the application package:
[exec] --win-dir-chooser
[exec] Adds a dialog to enable the user to choose a directory in which
[exec] the product is installed
[exec] --win-menu
[exec] Adds the application to the system menu
[exec] --win-menu-group <menu group name>
[exec] Start Menu group this application is placed in
[exec] --win-per-user-install
[exec] Request to perform an install on a per-user basis
[exec] --win-shortcut
[exec] Creates a desktop shortcut for the application
[exec] --win-upgrade-uuid <id string>
[exec] UUID associated with upgrades for this package
[exec] [22:46:46.538] Can not find WiX tools (light.exe, candle.exe)
[exec] [22:46:46.529] Running candle.exe
[exec] [22:46:46.538] Download WiX 3.0 or later from https://wixtoolset.org and add it to the PATH.
[exec] [22:46:46.539] jdk.jpackage.internal.PackagerException: Error: Invalid or unsupported type: [exe]
[exec] at jdk.jpackage/jdk.jpackage.internal.Arguments.generateBundle(Arguments.java:658)
[exec] at jdk.jpackage/jdk.jpackage.internal.Arguments.processArguments(Arguments.java:538)
[exec] at jdk.jpackage/jdk.jpackage.main.Main.execute(Main.java:98)
[exec] at jdk.jpackage/jdk.jpackage.main.Main.main(Main.java:52)
So why am I getting that error? And how can I fix it?

Answer 1

So as it seems the solution to the misleading error message
Error: Invalid or unsupported type: [exe]
had been on the screen all the time:
[exec] [22:46:46.538] Can not find WiX tools (light.exe, candle.exe)
[exec] [22:46:46.529] Running candle.exe
[exec] [22:46:46.538] Download WiX 3.0 or later from https://wixtoolset.org and
add it to the PATH.
After doing exactly that jpackage is behaving a lot better now.