Compiling multiple jar and java files using javac

Question

I downloaded a sample code written in java that has multiple jar files and java files. I am not a Java programmer so I am having a hard time compiling the code. Here's my attempt:

javac -classpath lib/*.jar src/*.java

However this is what I get:

javac: invalid flag: lib/dom4j-1.6.1.jar
Usage: javac <options> <source files>
use -help for a list of possible options

What's wrong with my approach and how can I compile the code? ALl the jar files are located in the lib folder, and the java files in the src folder.

Answer 1

You need to stop the shell from globbing the wild-card in lib/*.jar by escaping it.

Also, you need to remove the .jar suffix ... because that's how classpath wildcards work; see Oracle's "Setting the classpath" document.

So ...

javac -classpath lib/\* src/*.java

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Using an IDE is another option. However, if all you want to do is compile and run, then downloading and installing and learning to use an IDE is overkill (IMO). And the flipside is that it is good for an IDE-using Java programmer to also understand how to compile and run from the shell prompt ...