Get project directory from java classes - java

I have a problem with System.getProperty("user.dir") giving different directory when run by IDE and when I manually compile & run it in cmd. My thing is this, I have project structure like this:
project
- exports
- src
- main
- java
- Main
- file1
- file2
One of the args in main method is the name of one of those 2 files, that I then access.
When I configure my run in IDE it works like a charm - the directory I get is C:\Users\**\**\**\project and it is able to read and write to the file.
But when I compile it in cmd javac Main.java and then run it, I get C:\Users\**\**\**\project\src\main\java and because of that, I am unable to access the file without having to modify the path.
My question is, is there like a golden way, that would work for both these cases, without me having to alter the returned path?
EDIT:
For clear understanding, I know what System.getProperty("user.dir") returns, but my question was, if it is possible to get the same result somehow with using Path or if I have to get the path and edit it, so that it will end in project directory?
in IDE I get: C:\Users\petri\Desktop\CZM\bicycle-statistics
in cmd: C:\Users\petri\Desktop\CZM\bicycle-statistics\src\main\java
I want to get the same path in cmd, that I got in IDE.
I tried using Paths.get("").toAbsolutePath(), but it is the same thing.
So, what I did is this:
Path path = Paths.get("").toAbsolutePath();
while (!path.endsWith("project")) {
path = path.getParent();
}
And it works, but I am trying to ask, if there is some more elegant way, because I will have to defend my solution in front of my supervisor.

Normally your IDE will build source files in src/main/java and write the class files out to some other directory, like target/classes.
If your IDE built the project that way, then you can run it from the command line by switching to your project directory (cd C:\Users\**\**\**\project using your example) and then running:
java -classpath target/classes Main
assuming that target/classes is where your IDE put the files. If you really do have the class files in the source directory, then use -classpath src/main/java.
If you always run the program from the project directory, then you can assume within the program that the current directory is the project directory. You don't even have to use user.dir then, just use relative path names for everything, e.g., path/to/whatever.dat will automatically resolve to C:\Users\**\**\**\project\path\to\whatever.dat.

One of the args in main method is the name of one of those 2 files
Then make sure you enter the name correctly.
E.g. if the current working directory is the project folder, then name file1 will refer to the file1 file. If the current working directory is the java folder, then the argument to the program needs to be ..\..\..\file1.
That is because you give relative file names, which means they are relative to the current working directory.
Alternatively, give a fully qualified name, then the argument will be the same, regardless of what the current working directory is:
C:\Users\**\**\**\project\file1

Related

Java runs in eclipse and will compile, but wont execute on cmd, but still runs in eclipse. How can I get it to execute in cmd?

So I have a basic hello world set up in eclipse and I can compile it using cmd easily (I have set all the necessary paths), however when I then try to use the java command to execute the hello world, it always returns the same error:
Error: Could not find or load main class helloWorld
Caused by: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: net/codejava/helloWorld (wrong name: helloWorld)
This is the code used:
package net.codejava;
public class helloWorld {
public static void main(String[] args) {
System.out.println("Hello World");
}
}
I am cd in the right directory (I think, I cd into the src directory and then into the package file stored in src) and am using Windows 10 with java 18.0.1 and JRE build 18.0.1+10-24
Any help would be greatly appreciated, as this is highly frustrating, when the code runs effortlessly on the eclipse console. Thanks.
Your file has a 'package' of net.codejava and a name of helloWorld, meaning, the full name of this class is net.codejava.helloWorld.
The java command, at least in the way you're using it, requires that you pass the full name, thus, you must run java net.codejava.helloWorld. Just java helloWorld simply isn't going to work.
But that's not all.
Java needs to then find the class file that contains the code for class net.codejava.helloWorld. It does this by first turning that full name into a path of sorts: net/codejava/helloWorld.class, and it will then scan each entry in the classpath for that. You can put directories and jar files on the classpath.
Thus, you have a directory on your system; let's call this directory X. X contains a directory named net, which contains a directory named codejava, which contains a file named helloWorld.class. If there is no such X (i.e. your class file is not in a dir named codejava for example), you're going to have to fix that by making these directories.
Then, X (and not the codejava dir!) needs to be on the classpath. Usually (it depends on how you configured things), 'the current dir' is by default on the classpath.
Given that your code is in, say, /home/PythonSux/workspace/learningjava/net/codejava/helloWorld.class, that means the dir that needs to be on the classpath is /home/PythonSux/workspace/learningjava. After all, if you, from there, look for net/codejava/helloWorld.class, you find the right file.
Therefore, either cd to that directory, or run java -cp /home/PythonSux/workspace/learningjava net.codejava.helloWorld
Note that this isn't usually how you actually run java apps. You either run them from your IDE, or you ask your build tool to run it, or you package your java app into a jar file and run that, etcetera.

How to import JAVA packages in cmd?

This is the first time I am compiling a program, and it doesn't seem to be working out. Looks like some packages are not being located - so for this question, I'll just focus on one:
Steps I've take so far:
1) setting up the System Variable Path to include java
2) in CMD.exe: jar tf log4j.jar I did this to make sure it includes log4j.Logger and it does.
3) I Shift+rightclick and open command prompt from this folder:
4) Then I enter javac TNT.java and i get the following error (along with others):
Any thoughts?
I set the classpath to the same folders with set classpath = "name of folder" no change...
edit
5) have also tried
javac -cp jdkbindirectory;jrebindirectory;theabovefolder TNT.java
I get this:
blahblahblah
You shouldn't set the classpath using an environment variable as it is bad practice. What if you accidentally change it later for a different project and your current project breaks?
When including classes in the classpath, you can include the path of the root of the package of the class, as in the folder that contains the folders in the package structure. However, when you're including a jar in your classpath, you need to put the entire path of the jar file (relative to the current working directory) all the way up to the jarname.jar.
Also, remember that by default, java looks in the current working directory and uses that as its default classpath. However, as soon as you specify a classpath it no longer does that automatically for you. Be sure that you're including your current directory in your classpath as well.
Finally, be sure to surround the classpath in quotes otherwise java might think its a part of another argument.
I would try this:
javac -cp "./;log4j.jar" TNT.java
And then to execute the class file:
java -cp "./;log4j.jar" TNT
Hope this works, good luck!

How to get the absolute path of the executed jar?

How do I get the location of the executed jar? I found a lot of solutions but none of them work for me. When I run them in my IDE everything is fine. As soon as I build a jar file and run it with java -jar myapp.jar the output is like /.../myapp.jar!/foo/bar
I will run the code in myapp.jar - not in any library.
Location of jar: /home/me/dev/myapp/myapp.jar
Expected output: /home/me/dev/myapp/
I don't want the working directory as I would get with System.getProperty("user.dir");
Why I want to do this:
I want to store and load a file beside the actual jar. Like
/home/me/bin/myapp/myapp.jar
/home/me/bin/myapp/license.key
I want to avoid storing the file into some generic folder like System.getProperty("user.home");. And I don't want to store the file within the jar file.
java.nio.file.Paths.get(".").toAbsolutePath() will return absolute path to current directory.
I use something along these lines:
[YourClass].class.getProtectionDomain().getCodeSource().getLocation().getPath()
Regards

Why do I need to delete the package line to run Java outside of NetBeans?

So I'm completely new to programming, and I've been writing some Java with the NetBeans IDE. My code runs fine within NetBeans, but I've tried to run it using the command line as well. However, if I run it from the command line, I have to delete the line:
package firstprogram;
which NetBeans automatically places at the top of each new file, or I get the error:
Error: Could not find or load main class FirstProgram
However, if I do delete the line, then the program no longer runs within NetBeans! It doesn't seem right that I have to choose whether to run a .java from within NetBeans or without.
The research I've done makes me think that this is something to do with directory structure? But everything I read on that goes straight over my head. NetBeans has a structure with "build", "dist", "nbproject", and "src", but when I use the command line I just place the .java file in an empty directory and javac from there.
Any explanation is appreciated! The books and tutorials I'm learning from either assume you're just using NetBeans or don't have the package line at all.
You can compile your class using javac command from anywhere, as long as you provide correct relative or absolute path. The problems come when you want to run your program using the java program.
You have to provide the correct path corresponding to your package declaration. For example, if I had 'MyClass' in package mypackage, first line would look like this:
package mypackage;
class source stored on disk:
c:/MyNetbeansProject/src/mypackage/MyClass.java
Compiled bytecode:
c:/MyNetbeansProject/build/classes/mypackage/MyClass.class
Now, if I would have opened a command prompt/terminal in folder c:/MyNetbeansProject/build/classes/, I could run the program using java mypackage/MyClass or java mypackage.MyClass.
However, if i would be somewhere else, I would have to say where the class files are located using the cp option: java -cp c:/MyNetbeansProject/build/classes mypackage/MyClass. The path in cp option can be relative or absolute, use "" when it contains spaces.
Package are directory architecture.
If your class is in the package com.acme.test, the class should be in the com/acme/test directory.
Instead of placing your class in an empty folder, place it in a folder named firstprogram and do javac firstprogram/youclass.java
The package (and folder) permit you to arrange your architecture with logical pattern.
More info here : http://www.tutorialspoint.com/java/java_packages.htm
So like OcterA said, you should keep organized, but with only one class this is not the issue. I believe that your problem is that you are not entering the correct command into the command line.
First cd to the correct directory and when you want to execute a file within a package in that directory you need to enter
java packageName.className
In this case
java firstprogram.FirstProgram

Error; Could not find or load main class (Java using Windows CMD)

I am trying to compile and run some java files I have made in Eclipse. The full path to the .java file is C:\Users\MYNAME\Documents\Java\Introduction\src\tests\Test.java. tests is the package I created in Eclipse and src is a folder that Eclipse made under Introduction (which is the project name).
In my environment variables, I have the following relevant variable:
JAVA_HOME C:\Program Files (x86)\Java\jdk1.7.0_40\bin
Under system variables I have the following:
CLASSPATH %JAVA_HOME%
I go to my cmd and cd into the tests directory (cd C:\Users\MYNAME\Documents\Java\Introduction\src\tests). Then I compile using javac Test.java. This seems to work as I then have a Test.class file under the same directory. Now I want to run the file, I type java Test and I get the error, "could not find or load main class". I've tried a variety of things including appending .class and .java to the end but I keep getting the error. I looked at some answers and docs and I managed to get it to work if I cd into:
cd C:\Users\MYNAME\Documents\Java\Introduction\src (i.e, get out of the package)
and then run:
java -cp . tests.Test
So that seems to temporarily set the class path to the current directory, and run Test from the package tests. However, I want to simply be able to type java Test. I know it's possible as I used to be able to do it, but now for some reason I cannot (I must have changed something along the way...).
Any help is appreciated.
However, I want to simply be able to type java Test
That will only work if Test is in the default package - it's as simple as that. You need to pass the java executable the fully-qualified name of the class you want to launch. There's no way round that.
Of course, you could create your own launcher which looks in the current directory for class files, finds out the fully-qualified name of the classes within those files, and launches java providing the full name and probably specifying an appropriate classpath... but that seems like a lot of hassle compared with just including the package name in the command.
You could be making the same mistake I made. So, try the following.
Here is my code for your reference.
class A{
public static void main(String args[]) {
System.out.println("Hello world");
}
}
Once you saved this as "C:\JavaStudy\ClassA.java", try the following.
c:\JavaStudy>javac ClassA.java
c:\JavaStudy>java A.class
Error: Could not find or load main class A.class
c:\JavaStudy>java A
Hello world
c:\JavaStudy>
Note: You don't need to use " java.exe -cp . " if you have class file in the same directory from where you are executing.

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