Launch my Windows application in System Tray

Question

I have no idea how I get my application to start with Windows 7 already in mode System Tray. That is, start with Windows and get the program icon next to the Windows 7 clock.

Answer 1

Basically what you should do is take the instance of SystemTray of your operating system and add a new object of type TrayIcon customized to it.

The TrayIcon is the object you will work upon. After created, add an image to it, usually also added a menu so that there is a user interface.

To create this menu you must create a PopupMenu and add a MenuItem within it with the options you desire.

Example:

import java.awt.*;
public class MeuTray {
  public static void main(String args[]) {
    Runnable runner = new Runnable() {
      public void run() {
        if (SystemTray.isSupported()) {
          SystemTray tray = SystemTray.getSystemTray();
          Image image = Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getImage("imagem.gif");
          PopupMenu popup = new PopupMenu();
          MenuItem item = new MenuItem("Um MenuItem");
          popup.add(item);
          TrayIcon trayIcon = new TrayIcon(image, "Texto de dica", popup);
          trayIcon.setImageAutoSize(true); 
          try {
            tray.add(trayIcon);
          } catch (AWTException e) {
            System.err.println("Não pode adicionar a tray");
          }
        } else {
          System.err.println("Tray indisponível");
        }
      }
    };
    EventQueue.invokeLater(runner);
  }
}

Upshot:

Using the following image as icon:

Hovering the mouse over the icon:

Right-clicking on the icon:

Add more options to your Menuitem and handle events when the user selects the Menuitem item.

Sources:
Java Tutorials - How to Use the System Tray
Oracle Tech Tips - Getting to Know System Tray