How to add multiple jar files in classpath in linux

user_1484248 0
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Okay, I'm very new to linux and command line, and fairly new to java. I got an internship building a java program. I finally got it done on my machine (windows) and now I have to migrate it to a linux machine to test and then have it run as an executable. I have done much reading and researching on linux and understanding classpaths but it is still all very hard to fully comprehend. It's just not clicking for me yet. Can anyone explain the purpose of classpath in a simplified way using examples? One of the most confusing aspects to me is actually defining the physical path to the jar. Do I start all the way from usr or do I only need to begin from the jvm folder? If it matters, my java program is not located in the jvm folder. Can anyone shed some light for me?

EDIT: thank you guys very much for your help, I can't say that I'm fully in the clear but my understanding of my situation is a lot better.

classpath linux jar java
5 Answers

For linux users, you should know the following:

  1. $CLASSPATH is specifically what Java uses to look through multiple directories to find all the different classes it needs for your script (unless you explicitly tell it otherwise with the -cp override). Using -cp (--classpath) requires that you keep track of all the directories manually and copy-paste that line every time you run the program (not preferable IMO).

  2. The colon (":") character separates the different directories. There is only one $CLASSPATH and it has all the directories in it. So, when you run "export CLASSPATH=...." you want to include the current value "$CLASSPATH" in order to append to it. For example:

    export CLASSPATH=.
export CLASSPATH=$CLASSPATH:/usr/share/java/mysql-connector-java-5.1.12.jar

    In the first line above, you start CLASSPATH out with just a simple 'dot' which is the path to your current working directory. With that, whenever you run java it will look in the current working directory (the one you're in) for classes. In the second line above, $CLASSPATH grabs the value that you previously entered (.) and appends the path to a mysql dirver. Now, java will look for the driver AND for your classes.

  3. echo $CLASSPATH

    is super handy, and what it returns should read like a colon-separated list of all the directories you want java looking in for what it needs to run your script.

  4. Tomcat does not use CLASSPATH. Read what to do about that here: https://tomcat.apache.org/tomcat-8.0-doc/class-loader-howto.html

user_106646000

Step 1.

vi ~/.bashrc

Step 2. Append this line on the last:

export CLASSPATH=$CLASSPATH:/home/abc/lib/*;  (Assuming the jars are stored in /home/abc/lib)

Step 3. 

source ~/.bashrc

After these steps direct complile and run your programs(e.g. javac xyz.java)

user_92182120
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