How do I display the Java console?

I'm aware of the fact that you can set it to "show" in the Java control panel, but that's not what I'm asking about. I'm curious about the other options... "Do not start" is pretty straightforward, but what about "Hide"? That would seem to imply that it is indeed running. If so, how can I make it show on demand from the hidden state?

Reason: It's annoying to have it open ALL the time, hoping there's a way to (preferably via keystroke) bring it from "hidden" to "shown" state for occasional debugging.

2 Answers

To view the Java console, right click on the Java icon in the system tray (assuming you're using Windows) and choose "Open console" - as pictured at the bottom of this page

1. Click Start
2. Select Settings
3. Select Control Panel.
4. Double click the Java icon.
5. Click the Advance tab.
6. Click on the + sign
7. Select Show Console and click Apply.