I'm working now together with others in a grails project. I have to write some Java-classes. But I need access to an searchable object created with groovy. It seems, that this object has to be placed in the default-package.
My question is: Is there a way to access this object in the default-package from a Java-class in a named package?
You can’t use classes in the default package from a named package.
(Technically you can, as shown in Sharique Abdullah's answer through reflection API, but classes from the unnamed namespace are not in scope in an import declaration)
Prior to J2SE 1.4 you could import classes from the default package using a syntax like this:
import Unfinished;
That's no longer allowed. So to access a default package class from within a packaged class requires moving the default package class into a package of its own.
If you have access to the source generated by groovy, some post-processing is needed to move the file into a dedicated package and add this "package" directive at its beginning.
Update 2014: bug 6975015, for JDK7 and JDK8, describe an even stricter prohibition against import from unnamed package.
The TypeName must be the canonical name of a class type, interface type, enum type, or annotation type.
The type must be either a member of a named package, or a member of a type whose outermost lexically enclosing type is a member of a named package, or a compile-time error occurs.
Andreas points out in the comments:
"why is [the default package] there in the first place? design error?"
No, it's deliberate.
JLS 7.4.2. Unnamed Packages says: "Unnamed packages are provided by the Java SE platform principally for convenience when developing small or temporary applications or when just beginning development".
In fact, you can.
Using reflections API you can access any class so far. At least I was able to :)
Class fooClass = Class.forName("FooBar");
Method fooMethod = fooClass.getMethod("fooMethod", String.class);
String fooReturned = (String)fooMethod.invoke(fooClass.newInstance(), "I did it");
Use jarjar to repackage the jar file with the following rule:
rule * <target package name>.#1
All classes in the default package of the source jar file will move to the target package, thus are able to access.
You can use packages in the Groovy code, and things will work just fine.
It may mean a minor reorganization of code under grails-app and a little bit of a pain at first, but on a large grails project, it just make sense to organize things in packages. We use the Java standard package naming convention com.foo.<app>.<package>.
Having everything in the default package becomes a hindrance to integration, as you're finding.
Controllers seem to be the one Grails artifact (or artefact) that resists being put in a Java package. Probably I just haven't figured out the Convention for that yet. ;-)
just to complete the idea:
From inside default-package you can access objects resided in named packages.
Related
This question is related to setting up an IntelliJ environment for Princeton's Algorithms 2 course available on Coursera.
I am trying to import external libraries, as JARs, into my project. I was able to add the JARs from the Project Structure menu via Project Structure -> Libraries -> New Project Library (the green plus sign). Now I have a class under src, WordNet.java, but I can only access my external libraries using the default package (ie no package). I would like to create packages to organize my code, but how can I import the external libraries from inside a package? Is there a simple solution to directly import the JAR's, or perhaps I can use Maven or Grails? Providing a simple answer for all of my options would be great.
I have the following project structure, with a src directory, src/assignemnt1 package, and External Libraries/stdlib/stdlib.jar external library:
My class that uses the external libraries, WordNet.java, has code as follows:
public class WordNet {
// constructor takes the name of the two input files
public WordNet(String synsets, String hypernyms) {
In read_synsets = new In(synsets);
read_synsets.hasNextLine();
}
}
Where In is a class under stdlib.jar. Under the default package, I can use In without importing. Unfortunately, if I have WordNet.java under src/assignment1 (inside the assignment1 package), I cannot seem to import In and IntelliJ offers no import suggestions either. Is there a way to use stdlib.jar within WordNet.java, inside the src/assignment1 package? Or do I have to stay withing the default package?
The Java language specification forbids any imports from the unnamed, or default, package.
A type in an unnamed package (§7.4.2) has no canonical name, so the requirement for a canonical name in every kind of import declaration implies that (a) types in an unnamed package cannot be imported, and (b) static members of types in an unnamed package cannot be imported. As such, §7.5.1, §7.5.2, §7.5.3, and §7.5.4 all require a compile-time error on any attempt to import a type (or static member thereof) in an unnamed package.
In order to access these classes from outside the default package without modifying the library, you would need to use reflection.
Additionally, the reason you don't need an import when your class is in the default package, is because you don't need to import classes when they are in the same package.
I'm afraid this is impossible. Specifically, you cannot "import" the default package into a named package. Since the library you're using has its classes in the default package, your only recourse is to use the default package as well, if you want to use the library.
Of course, you could move the library's classes to a package, but that's a different story.
In any IDE, when working with a class in a package and I need to use a class from another one, I have to import it. Why doesn't the IDE just automatically import the packages so there is no need to do it manually?
Because sometimes different classes have same 'short' name so the IDE does not know which one you meant. For example if you copy-paste code into your IDE containing Date, it does not know if you meant java.sql.Date or java.util.Date. In these cases the IDE will offer you to choose from all available classes with that name.
First, In Eclipse, you can use Ctrl-SHIFT-O to automatically import anything you need.
From the java package tutorial:
For convenience, the Java compiler automatically imports two entire
packages for each source file: (1) the java.lang package and (2) the
current package (the package for the current file).
The IDE will not import all your packages because 1.
You may not need them, why import them?
More importantly, you can have classes in different packages with the same name, then this will cause name ambiguities.
If a member in one package shares its name with a member in another
package and both packages are imported, you must refer to each member
by its qualified name. For example, the graphics package defined a
class named Rectangle. The java.awt package also contains a Rectangle
class. If both graphics and java.awt have been imported, the following
is ambiguous.
This would cause unnecessary headache making sure you are always referring to the correct package. By importing packages and classes yourself, you can be sure that you are always using the specific class that you intended to.
This is my thought. Think this way,
Suppose you have two classes having the same name in different packages like this, then how does IDE resolve the package import? How does it know which SendFormAction to be imported?
So generally IDE's give you an option to import the packages [cntrl+shift+O in eclipse IDE]
and if there is confusion, it will ask you which one to import.
com.xyz.action [package]
SendFormAction.java
com.abc.action [package]
SendFormAction.java
what is the default package and default class in java?
i checked on the internet but couldn't find a concrete answer. So please reply for my question.
There's no such thing as "default class". "Default package" is another word for the "unnamed package" described in the Java Language Specification section 7.4.2
If you don’t explicitly package your classes or interfaces, In that case, they’re
packaged in a default, no-name package. This default package is automatically imported in
the Java classes and interfaces defined within the same directory on your system.
A class from a default package can’t be used in any named packaged class, regardless
of whether they are defined within the same directory or not.
I'm working now together with others in a grails project. I have to write some Java-classes. But I need access to an searchable object created with groovy. It seems, that this object has to be placed in the default-package.
My question is: Is there a way to access this object in the default-package from a Java-class in a named package?
You can’t use classes in the default package from a named package.
(Technically you can, as shown in Sharique Abdullah's answer through reflection API, but classes from the unnamed namespace are not in scope in an import declaration)
Prior to J2SE 1.4 you could import classes from the default package using a syntax like this:
import Unfinished;
That's no longer allowed. So to access a default package class from within a packaged class requires moving the default package class into a package of its own.
If you have access to the source generated by groovy, some post-processing is needed to move the file into a dedicated package and add this "package" directive at its beginning.
Update 2014: bug 6975015, for JDK7 and JDK8, describe an even stricter prohibition against import from unnamed package.
The TypeName must be the canonical name of a class type, interface type, enum type, or annotation type.
The type must be either a member of a named package, or a member of a type whose outermost lexically enclosing type is a member of a named package, or a compile-time error occurs.
Andreas points out in the comments:
"why is [the default package] there in the first place? design error?"
No, it's deliberate.
JLS 7.4.2. Unnamed Packages says: "Unnamed packages are provided by the Java SE platform principally for convenience when developing small or temporary applications or when just beginning development".
In fact, you can.
Using reflections API you can access any class so far. At least I was able to :)
Class fooClass = Class.forName("FooBar");
Method fooMethod = fooClass.getMethod("fooMethod", String.class);
String fooReturned = (String)fooMethod.invoke(fooClass.newInstance(), "I did it");
Use jarjar to repackage the jar file with the following rule:
rule * <target package name>.#1
All classes in the default package of the source jar file will move to the target package, thus are able to access.
You can use packages in the Groovy code, and things will work just fine.
It may mean a minor reorganization of code under grails-app and a little bit of a pain at first, but on a large grails project, it just make sense to organize things in packages. We use the Java standard package naming convention com.foo.<app>.<package>.
Having everything in the default package becomes a hindrance to integration, as you're finding.
Controllers seem to be the one Grails artifact (or artefact) that resists being put in a Java package. Probably I just haven't figured out the Convention for that yet. ;-)
just to complete the idea:
From inside default-package you can access objects resided in named packages.
It seems there a 'default package' in eclipse.
What's it?
Leaving a class without a package, i.e. in the default package, is fine if you're just hacking something up for an example or something.
However, as soon as you start adding more and more classes without packages you'll soon find things getting messy.
The main reason not to use the default package is the potential for conflicts with other code. This is where it is helpful to use the "reverse domain name" style of package naming such as "com.stackoverflow.utils.MagicConverter".
Use packages.
The default package is for classes that do not have any package declared. However this is discouraged (eclipse warns you) - you can't import these classes.