Use the getResource method to read resources from a JAR file. For example, the following code retrieves images from a JAR file.
// Get current classloader
ClassLoader cl = this.getClass().getClassLoader();
// Create icons
Icon saveIcon = new ImageIcon(cl.getResource("images/save.gif"));
Icon cutIcon = new ImageIcon(cl.getResource("images/cut.gif"));
The example assumes that the following entries exist in the application's JAR file: