Eclipse PMD Can't find basic.xml

Question

When attempting to run pmd for a project in Eclipse/Juno, I am getting this error.

An internal error occurred during: "ReviewCode".
Couldn't find the class Can't find resource rulesets/basic.xml.  Make sure the resource is a valid file or URL or is on the CLASSPATH.  Here's the current classpath: C:\eclipsejuno\eclipse\\plugins/org.eclipse.equinox.launcher_1.3.0.v20120522-1813.jar

Anyone know how I can resolve this problem?

Answer 1

I have seen this problem with the command line version as well. In the latest version the classpath is rulesets/java/basic.xml

It seems they changed the default paths between versions. You either need to manually update your paths in the PMD config, or update to the latest version.

Answer 2

If ".pmd" file exists in your project and referent with ruleset.xml, you can solve your issue choosing between the above solutions.

1. delete .pmd file
2. open your ruleset.xml, and your configuration according this sample

<rule ref="rulesets/basic.xml" />

TO

<rule ref="rulesets/java/basic.xml" />

Answer 3

The advice with changing rulesets/ to rulesets/java/ helped me, but I had to also change one rule from:

<rule ref="rulesets/java/controversial.xml/UnusedModifier">
  <priority>5</priority>
</rule>

to

<rule ref="rulesets/java/unusedcode.xml/UnusedModifier">
  <priority>5</priority>
</rule>

Here is my PMD configuration file from sonar which is working for me with PMD-plugin 4.0.2.:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<ruleset xmlns="http://pmd.sourceforge.net/ruleset/2.0.0"
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         name="pmd-eclipse"
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://pmd.sourceforge.net/ruleset/2.0.0 http://pmd.sourceforge.net/ruleset_2_0_0.xsd">
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/basic.xml/UnusedNullCheckInEquals">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strings.xml/StringInstantiation">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/ConstructorCallsOverridableMethod">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strictexception.xml/AvoidCatchingNPE">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strictexception.xml/AvoidRethrowingException">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/migrating.xml/ReplaceEnumerationWithIterator">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/optimizations.xml/AvoidArrayLoops">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/unusedcode.xml/UnusedFormalParameter">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/basic.xml/ClassCastExceptionWithToArray">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strictexception.xml/AvoidThrowingNullPointerException">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/unusedcode.xml/UnusedPrivateField">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/CompareObjectsWithEquals">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strings.xml/UseIndexOfChar">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/basic.xml/BigIntegerInstantiation">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/FinalFieldCouldBeStatic">
    <priority>4</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/naming.xml/SuspiciousEqualsMethodName">
    <priority>2</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/InstantiationToGetClass">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/naming.xml/SuspiciousHashcodeMethodName">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/coupling.xml/LooseCoupling">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/unusedcode.xml/UnusedLocalVariable">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strings.xml/UnnecessaryCaseChange">
    <priority>4</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/SingularField">
    <priority>4</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/CloseResource">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strictexception.xml/AvoidCatchingThrowable">
    <priority>2</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/basic.xml/CollapsibleIfStatements">
    <priority>4</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/basic.xml/UselessOperationOnImmutable">
    <priority>2</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/clone.xml/CloneMethodMustImplementCloneable">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/basic.xml/UselessOverridingMethod">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/unusedcode.xml/UnusedModifier">
    <priority>5</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/PreserveStackTrace">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/optimizations.xml/UseArraysAsList">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/EqualsNull">
    <priority>2</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/basic.xml/BrokenNullCheck">
    <priority>2</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/logging-jakarta-commons.xml/UseCorrectExceptionLogging">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strings.xml/InefficientStringBuffering">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/sunsecure.xml/ArrayIsStoredDirectly">
    <priority>2</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/finalizers.xml/FinalizeOverloaded">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/controversial.xml/DontImportSun">
    <priority>4</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/imports.xml/DontImportJavaLang">
    <priority>4</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/MissingStaticMethodInNonInstantiatableClass">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strings.xml/StringBufferInstantiationWithChar">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/optimizations.xml/UseArrayListInsteadOfVector">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strings.xml/StringToString">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/SimplifyConditional">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/migrating.xml/ReplaceVectorWithList">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/codesize.xml/NcssMethodCount">
    <priority>3</priority>
    <properties>
      <property name="minimum" value="50" />
    </properties>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/logging-java.xml/AvoidPrintStackTrace">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/naming.xml/MethodWithSameNameAsEnclosingClass">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/naming.xml/SuspiciousConstantFieldName">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/codesize.xml/NcssTypeCount">
    <priority>3</priority>
    <properties>
      <property name="minimum" value="800" />
    </properties>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/AvoidInstanceofChecksInCatchClause">
    <priority>4</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/migrating.xml/IntegerInstantiation">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/migrating.xml/AvoidAssertAsIdentifier">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/UnnecessaryLocalBeforeReturn">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/finalizers.xml/AvoidCallingFinalize">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/basic.xml/BooleanInstantiation">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/basic.xml/UnconditionalIfStatement">
    <priority>2</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/clone.xml/CloneThrowsCloneNotSupportedException">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/migrating.xml/ReplaceHashtableWithMap">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/basic.xml/AvoidDecimalLiteralsInBigDecimalConstructor">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strictexception.xml/SignatureDeclareThrowsException">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/finalizers.xml/EmptyFinalizer">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/design.xml/IdempotentOperations">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strictexception.xml/ExceptionAsFlowControl">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/finalizers.xml/FinalizeDoesNotCallSuperFinalize">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strings.xml/UseStringBufferLength">
    <priority>4</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/migrating.xml/AvoidEnumAsIdentifier">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/logging-java.xml/SystemPrintln">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strings.xml/UselessStringValueOf">
    <priority>4</priority>
  </rule>
  <rule ref="rulesets/java/strings.xml/AvoidDuplicateLiterals">
    <priority>3</priority>
  </rule>
</ruleset>