JHOVE - A Beginners Guide

JHOVE is an open source file format identification, validation and characterisation tool. Format identification and validation are essential first steps in digital preservation workflows. This guide assists newcomers to JHOVE (pronounced ‘jove’) with installation of the software and using the graphical user interface (GUI).

Getting JHOVE

From the Open Preservation web site

  1. You can find out more about JHOVE and download the latest installer from the Open Preservation Foundation (OPF) JHOVE product page : http://openpreservation.org/technology/products/jhove/.

  2. Press the “Download JHOVE” button :
    Screenshot of the Open Preservation Foundation website JHOVE product page

From the JHOVE web site

  1. There is also a dedicated JHOVE website where you can find user documentation, developer information and download JHOVE : http://jhove.openpreservation.org/.

  2. Again, press the “Download JHOVE” button :
    Screenshot of the JHOVE website home page

Installing JHOVE

  1. This will start to download the file jhove-latest.jar into the location where you download your files, such as your Downloads folder:
    Screenshot of the Windows explorer showing the downloaded JHOVE jar

  2. Once the download has finished double click the file, which will open the installer window, select next:
    Screenshot of the JHOVE installer stage one on Windows

  3. This will open up the following window, where you need to set the location for where you will install JHOVE:
    Screenshot of the JHOVE installer stage two on Windows

  4. You can change the installation path if you want to by selecting the browse button or typing a new path in the dialog:
    Screenshot of the JHOVE installer stage two on Windows

  5. You’ll see a pop-up dialog confirming that the folder will be created or overwritten if it already existed, select OK to continue:
    Screenshot of the JHOVE installer directory create confirmation

  6. Next you’ll see a screen that indicates which components will be installed, click next to install JHOVE:
    Screenshot of the JHOVE installer stage three on Windows

  7. Once the install dialog is finished then click next:
    Screenshot of the JHOVE installer stage four on Windows

  8. If everything has completed properly you’ll see a screen reporting successful installation, click the “Done” button to compete installation:
    Screenshot of the JHOVE installer stage five on Windows

Running JHOVE on a Windows PC

  1. Then navigate to the folder where you have installed JHOVE e.g: C:\Program Files (x86)\jhove and double click the jhove-gui.bat file:
    Screenshot of the Windows explorer showing the JHOVE GUI bat file

  2. This will first open a black command window, cmd.exe:
    Screenshot of the Windows JHOVE GUI command window
    Leave this window, if you close it you’ll stop the GUI process.

  3. The JHOVE GUI window should start:
    Screenshot of the Windows JHOVE GUI start screen

  4. If this software does not open then you may not have Java installed on your computer, or you may have an incompatible version of Java installed on your computer. (Please go to the section ‘Installing Java on a PC’ for help.)

  5. You can check what metadata extractors (HUL modules) are installed by selecting the ‘Help’ menu and ‘About JHOVE’.

  6. This will open a new window. JHOVE works by incorporating different ‘HUL’ modules that extract metadata from different types of files. Each of the HUL modules represents a different set of common file types (e.g. PDFs) that it can extract metadata from.