How to create a jar with external libraries included in Eclipse?

Question

I am done with the project which connects to database (MySQL). Now I want to export the project as jar. But I don't know how to include its external dependencies? Is there any way of doing it in Eclipse or should I use any scripts for that?.

Answer 1

When you export your project as a 'Runnable jar' (Right mouse on project -> Export -> Runnable jar) you have the option to package all dependencies into the generated jar. It also has two other ways (see screenshot) to export your libraries, be aware of the licences when deciding which packaging method you will use.

The 'launch configuration' dropdown is populated with classes containing a main(String[]) method. The selected class is started when you 'run' the jar.

Exporting as a runnable jar uses the dependencies on your build path (Right mouse on project -> Build Path -> Configure Build Path...). When you export as a 'regular' (non-runnable) jar you can select any file in your project(s). If you have the libraries in your project folder you can include them but external dependencies, for example maven, cannot be included (for maven projects, search here).