Error with `libtiled` in Java 21: `java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: javax/xml/bind/JAXBException`

[Samuel Hulme]

Describe the bug

When I create an instance of org.mapeditor.io.MapReader the following error is produced: Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: javax/xml/bind/JAXBException

To Reproduce
Steps to reproduce the behavior:
1.
Import libtiled into your Java project, for example the following Gradle:

plugins {
    id 'java'
}

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
}

sourceCompatibility = 21
targetCompatibility = 21

dependencies {
    testImplementation platform('org.junit:junit-bom:5.9.1')
    testImplementation 'org.junit.jupiter:junit-jupiter'
    implementation 'org.mapeditor:libtiled:1.4.2'
}

test {
    useJUnitPlatform()
}

Somewhere in your code create an instance of MapReader, for example:

import org.mapeditor.io.MapReader;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        MapReader reader = new MapReader();
    }
}

3. Run the program
4. See error

Expected behavior
A clear and concise description of what you expected to happen.

I expect an instance of MapReader to be created without any errors.

Media
If applicable, add screenshots or videos to help explain your problem.

N/A

Specifications:

• OS: [e.g. Windows 10]: Windows 10: (I don't think this matters because the issue comes from Java it self).
• Tiled Version: [e.g. 1.0.0. You can get this from Help -> About Tiled]: 1.10.2 (I don't think this actually matters with this).

Java version

> java --version
openjdk 21.0.2 2024-01-16 LTS
IBM Semeru Runtime Open Edition 21.0.2.0 (build 21.0.2+13-LTS)
Eclipse OpenJ9 VM 21.0.2.0 (build openj9-0.43.0, JRE 21 Windows 10 amd64-64-Bit Compressed References 20240116_95 (JIT enabled, AOT enabled)
OpenJ9   - 2c3d78b48
OMR      - ea8124dbc
JCL      - 78c4500a434 based on jdk-21.0.2+13)

Semi-related issues
#3284 https://stackoverflow.com/questions/43574426/how-to-resolve-java-lang-noclassdeffounderror-javax-xml-bind-jaxbexception

Until a proper solution is made, I would like to know if there are any workarounds available.

[Samuel Hulme]

As a better alternative, I've now switched my project to use LibGDX, which has built in Tiled support. However, I will let you decided whether or not this should remain open.