Trouble when trying to compile a .java file through javac

Question

When trying to run the following command to compile some_file.java in Windows

javac -classpath "some_class_path" "some_file.java"

it fails, telling me I didn't pass it any source files.

If instead I make

cd "some_class_path"
javac -classpath "some_class_path" "some_file.java"

it works fine. Why? This bothers me as I want to compile a set of .java files from my program through javac.

what's your directory structure look like? If `some_file.java` is in the `some_class_path` folder, you need to be there to compile it, unless you are using a package name. — Kane, Dec 08 '11 at 18:58
Nice abstracted compact rewriting of the problem, but in this case the actual command line matters. A cd should not be needed and a package path to the source seems missing. Compiling multiple sources probably could make use of -d directory option. — Joop Eggen, Dec 08 '11 at 19:03

score 4 · Accepted Answer · answered Dec 08 '11 at 18:58

4

It would help if you could be more concrete about your description, but it looks like you're expecting the classpath to be used to look for the files you specify on the command-line as well. It doesn't work that way - the source files you specify must be the exact paths to those files.

answered Dec 08 '11 at 18:58

Jon Skeet

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Did you expect to get the wrong answer from the guy with 380k rep? ;) – Amir Afghani Dec 08 '11 at 19:03
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@AmirAfghani: It happens more often than I'd like to admit to ;) – Jon Skeet Dec 08 '11 at 19:15

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 08 '11 at 18:59

3

Try to use full path to java source file. Anyway, could you provide exact commands and exceptions?

answered Dec 08 '11 at 18:59

korifey

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score 0 · Answer 3 · answered Dec 08 '11 at 19:04

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This is not the usage of the classpath. The classpath option specifies where to find the dependencies, not the source files. Just compile using:

javac "path\file"

(windows version)

answered Dec 08 '11 at 19:04

Tudor

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score -1 · Answer 4 · answered Dec 08 '11 at 19:02

I don't think I see any obvious reason why that wouldn't work but then work if you're in that directory. Maybe quotes don't work the way I think they do in Windows. Either way, I suggest that you look at Ant, as it is the industry standard way to compile a set of java files.

Trouble when trying to compile a .java file through javac

4 Answers4