NetBeans Platform – ModuleInstall ClassNotFoundException

In the NetBeans Platform, you can create an ModuleInstall class which handles the lifecycle of your module, and provides methods you can override to handle when your module is loaded and unloaded.  The standard way of creating this class is to use the wizard that NetBeans provides for this purpose, accessible by right clicking on the project and choosing New -> Other -> Module Development -> Module Installer

If you decide that you do not want to use the ModuleInstall mechanism any longer (the NetBeans Platform folks suggest you do NOT use it, as it will increase the startup time of the application), you might think you can just delete the Installer.java file that the wizard created.  Unfortunately, that’s not the case.  When you run the project you’ll get an exception like the following

org.netbeans.InvalidException:  
StandardModule:net.developmentality.moduleexample jarFile: ...
  java.lang.ClassNotFoundException:  net.developmentality.moduleexample.Installer starting from  ModuleCL@482...

The problem is that the wizard modified the manifest.mf file as well, and you need to manually clean up the file before your project will work again.

Open the manifest.mf file and you’ll see a line in the file like the following:

OpenIDE-Module-Install: net/developmentality/moduleexample/Installer.class

delete that line, and rebuild.  You should be ready to go.
In general, you need to be very careful about using any of the wizards that NetBeans provides.  They are extremely useful, but they end up changing XML files that you will need to manually edit later if you decide to refactor.  For instance, if you create an Action instance using the New Action Wizard, the action will be registered in the layer.xml file.  If you rename the action using the refactor command, the entries in the xml file are NOT modified, and you will get an exception at runtime unless you remember to edit that file.
Fortunately, the wizards are smart enough to at least tell you which files they are modifying.  It’s just a matter of remembering this further down the road when you need to refactor, move, or delete files.  Look for the modified files section in the wizard dialog: