Need help from the very start

[jacl35]

Hi;

I just downloaded Java a few days ago and read all I could on setting the path and classpath.

I am a bit confused on setting the classpath for classes.
one place said I had to set it as

classpath=c:\j2sdk1.4.1_01\lib\classes.zip

I am confused since the ending part of this path does not exist in the lib folder or any zip file for that matter.

when I downloaded "helloworld test file" put it in its ownfolder
and set the classpath to that folder

At c prompt I type

javac HelloWorldApp.java

It opens my windows pop up for "choose the program I would like to open this file or application with"

I've tried everything I could read about setting the paths
etc but nothing is working.

Can someone head me in the right direction please?

Thank you for helping a newbie : )
Jack
Florida:rock:

[jrz]

you don't really have to set any classpaths, just the path to the java executables. and be in the same directory as your source file.

path should be like
set PATH=%PATH%;c:\j2sdk1.4.1_01\bin or whatever the path is for your install ^_^

[jeffro]

Setting your classpath is really only important when you want to start using methods that other people have created before you. Usually they come as .jar files. I keep all my jars in one place to make them easier to find.

For example all my jars are in /home/jeffro/java/jars (or say c:/jars, on a windows machine) Then when ever I add a jar to the jars directory I just add it to my classpath like so:

classpath=/home/jeffro/java/jars/other.jar:/home/jeffro/java/jars/cool.jar
[or if you want to get all snazzy]
classpath="/home/jeffro/java/jars/other.jar"
classpath="$classpath:/home/jeffro/java/cool.jar"
etc...

Then I can use all the methods that are in that jar like they were part of my own code. (note, on a windows machine, you would seperate the paths to your jars with a semicolon rather than a colon)

If you open up a jar (you can use most any archive program, TAR or WinRar would do the trick). You can see the directory structure you would indicate in your import statement. For example in my cool.jar there is a method called stringUtils that I want to use so would just put:

import path.to.stringUtils;

Then I can access all of the methods in stringUtils. The path.to is indicated by the directory structure in the jar so the actual path to stringUtils would be (from when you first open the jar) /path/to/stringUtils.class

It sounds like alot of work but when you start writing really big programs its nice to be able to use a methods other people have written to save time.

jeffro