How to create and use library JAR files with command-line tools?

1008387

Development Tools -> General Questions:

I am trying to figure out how to put utility classes into JAR files and then compile and run applications against those JAR files using the command-line javac, jar, and java tools. I am using jdk1.7.0_17 on Debian GNU/Linux 6.0.7.

I have posted a simple example with one utility class, one console application class, and a Makefile:

http://holgerdanske.com/users/dpchrist/java/examples/jar-20130520-2134.tar.gz

Here is a console session:

2013-05-20 21:39:01 [email protected] ~/sandbox/java/jar
$ cat src/com/example/util/Hello.java 
package com.example.util;
public class Hello {
    public static void hello(String arg) {
	System.out.println("hello, " + arg);
    }
}

2013-05-20 21:39:12 [email protected] ~/sandbox/java/jar
$ cat src/com/example/hello/HelloConsole.java 
package com.example.hello;
import static com.example.util.Hello.hello;
public class HelloConsole {
    public static void main(String [] args) {
	hello("world!");
    }
}

2013-05-20 21:39:21 [email protected] ~/sandbox/java/jar
$ make
rm -f hello
find . -name '*.class' -delete
javac src/com/example/util/Hello.java
javac -cp src src/com/example/hello/HelloConsole.java
echo "java -cp src com.example.hello.HelloConsole" > hello
chmod +x hello

2013-05-20 21:39:28 [email protected] ~/sandbox/java/jar
$ ./hello
hello, world!

I believe I am looking for:

1. Command-line invocation of "jar" to put the utility class bytecode file (Hello.class) into a JAR?

2. Command-line invocation of "javac" to compile the application (HelloConsole.java) against the JAR file?

3. Command-line invocation of "java" to run the application (HelloConsole.class) against the JAR file?

I already know how t compile the utility class file.

Any suggestions?

TIA,

David

EJP

So what part of the Tool documentation don't you understand?

And don't use 'make', it's obsolete, and was never suitable for Java. Use Ant or Maven.

gimbal2

EJP wrote:
And don't use 'make', it's obsolete, and was never suitable for Java. Use Ant or Maven.

11020087

Deja vu.

EJP

Deja vu.

All over again.

1008387

EJP wrote:

So what part of the Tool documentation don't you understand?

Primarily, the use of the JAR file:

2. Command-line invocation of "javac" to compile the application (HelloConsole.java) against the JAR file?
3. Command-line invocation of "java" to run the application (HelloConsole.class) against the JAR file?

David

1008387

gimbal2 wrote:

11020087
Deja vu.

The question(s) still haven't been answered correctly.

David

1008387

I finally figured it out:

1. All name spaces must match -- identifiers, packages, file system, JAR contents, etc..

2. Tools must be invoked from specific working directories with specific option arguments, all according to the project name space.

My key discovery was that if the code says

import com.example.util.Hello;

then the JAR must contain

com/example/util/Hello.class

and I must invoke the compiler and interpreter with an -classpath argument that is the full path to the JAR file

-classpath ext/com/example/util.jar

The code is here:

http://holgerdanske.com/users/dpchrist/java/examples/jar-20130525-1301.tar.gz

Here is a console session that demonstrates building and running the code two ways:

1. Compiling the utility class into bytecode, compiling the application class against the utility bytecode, and running the application bytecode against the utility bytecode.

2. Putting the (previously compiled) utility bytecode into a JAR and running the application bytecode against the JAR. (Note that recompiling the application against the JAR was unnecessary.)

(If you don't know Make, understand that the working directory is reset to the initial working directory prior to each and every command issued by Make):

2013-05-25 14:02:47 [email protected] ~/sandbox/java/jar
$ cat apps/com/example/hello/Console.java 
package com.example.hello;
import com.example.util.Hello;
public class Console {
    public static void main(String [] args) {
	Hello.hello("world!");
    }
}

2013-05-25 14:02:55 [email protected] ~/sandbox/java/jar
$ cat libs/com/example/util/Hello.java 
package com.example.util;
public class Hello {
    public static void hello(String arg) {
	System.out.println("hello, " + arg);
    }
}

2013-05-25 14:03:03 [email protected] ~/sandbox/java/jar
$ make
rm -rf bin ext obj
mkdir obj
cd libs; javac -d ../obj com/example/util/Hello.java
mkdir bin
cd apps; javac -d ../bin -cp ../obj com/example/hello/Console.java
cd bin; java -cp .:../obj com.example.hello.Console
hello, world!
mkdir -p ext/com/example
cd obj; jar cvf ../ext/com/example/util.jar com/example/util/Hello.class
added manifest
adding: com/example/util/Hello.class(in = 566) (out= 357)(deflated 36%)
cd bin; java -cp .:../ext/com/example/util.jar com.example.hello.Console
hello, world!

2013-05-25 14:03:11 [email protected] ~/sandbox/java/jar
$ tree -I CVS .
.
|-- Makefile
|-- apps
|   `-- com
|       `-- example
|           `-- hello
|               `-- Console.java
|-- bin
|   `-- com
|       `-- example
|           `-- hello
|               `-- Console.class
|-- ext
|   `-- com
|       `-- example
|           `-- util.jar
|-- libs
|   `-- com
|       `-- example
|           `-- util
|               `-- Hello.java
`-- obj
    `-- com
        `-- example
            `-- util
                `-- Hello.class

19 directories, 6 files

HTH,

David

1008387

I figured out how to put the JAR file into the <jre>/lib/ext directory so that "javac" and "java" can find the utility bytecode without needing to specify the path to the JAR file as an -classpath argument. Here's a console session:

2013-05-26 12:04:23 [email protected] ~/sandbox/java/jar
$ make
rm -rf bin ext obj /home/dpchrist/jdk1.7.0_17/jre/lib/ext/com_example_util.jar
mkdir obj
cd libs; javac -d ../obj com/example/util/Hello.java
mkdir bin
cd apps; javac -d ../bin -cp ../obj com/example/hello/Console.java
cd bin; java -cp .:../obj com.example.hello.Console
hello, world!
mkdir ext
cd obj; jar cvf ../ext/com_example_util.jar com/example/util/Hello.class
added manifest
adding: com/example/util/Hello.class(in = 566) (out= 357)(deflated 36%)
rm -f bin/com/example/hello/Console.class
cd apps; javac -d ../bin -cp ../ext/com_example_util.jar com/example/hello/Console.java
cd bin; java -cp .:../ext/com_example_util.jar com.example.hello.Console
hello, world!
cp ext/com_example_util.jar /home/dpchrist/jdk1.7.0_17/jre/lib/ext/com_example_util.jar
cd apps; javac -d ../bin com/example/hello/Console.java
cd bin; java com.example.hello.Console
hello, world!

2013-05-26 12:10:17 [email protected] ~/sandbox/java/jar
$ tree -I CVS .
.
|-- Makefile
|-- apps
|   `-- com
|       `-- example
|           `-- hello
|               `-- Console.java
|-- bin
|   `-- com
|       `-- example
|           `-- hello
|               `-- Console.class
|-- ext
|   `-- com_example_util.jar
|-- libs
|   `-- com
|       `-- example
|           `-- util
|               `-- Hello.java
`-- obj
    `-- com
        `-- example
            `-- util
                `-- Hello.class

17 directories, 6 files

2013-05-26 12:10:21 [email protected] ~/sandbox/java/jar
$ ll /home/dpchrist/jdk1.7.0_17/jre/lib/ext/com_example_util.jar 
-rw-r--r-- 1 dpchrist dpchrist 846 May 26 12:10 /home/dpchrist/jdk1.7.0_17/jre/lib/ext/com_example_util.jar

Here's the code:

http://holgerdanske.com/users/dpchrist/java/examples/jar-20130526-1205.tar.gz

HTH,

David