java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: org/hamcrest/SelfDescribing

Question

Add hamcrest-all-X.X.jar to your classpath.

Latest version as of Feb 2015 is 1.3: http://code.google.com/p/hamcrest/downloads/detail?name=hamcrest-all-1.3.jar&can=2&q=

According to the JUnit GitHub team website (https://github.com/junit-team/junit/wiki/Download-and-Install), junit.jar and hamcrest-core.jar are both needed in the classpath when using JUnit 4.11.

Here is the Maven dependency block for including junit and hamcrest.

<dependency>
    <groupId>junit</groupId>
    <artifactId>junit</artifactId>
    <version>4.1.2</version>
    <scope>test</scope>
</dependency>
<!-- Needed by junit -->
<dependency>
    <groupId>org.hamcrest</groupId>
    <artifactId>hamcrest-all</artifactId>
    <version>1.3</version>
    <scope>test</scope>
</dependency>

A few steps you have to follow:

1. Right click on the project.
2. Choose Build Path Then from its menu choose Add Libraries.
3. Choose JUnit then click Next.
4. Choose JUnit4 then Finish.

Works for me: IntelliJ IDEA 13.1.1, JUnit4, Java 6

I changed the file in project path: [PROJECT_NAME].iml

Replaced:

  <library>
    <CLASSES>
      <root url="jar://$APPLICATION_HOME_DIR$/lib/junit-4.11.jar!/" />
    </CLASSES>
    <JAVADOC />
    <SOURCES />
  </library>

By:

  <library name="JUnit4">
    <CLASSES>
      <root url="jar://$APPLICATION_HOME_DIR$/lib/junit-4.11.jar!/" />
      <root url="jar://$APPLICATION_HOME_DIR$/lib/hamcrest-core-1.3.jar!/" />
      <root url="jar://$APPLICATION_HOME_DIR$/lib/hamcrest-library-1.3.jar!/" />
    </CLASSES>
    <JAVADOC />
    <SOURCES />
  </library>

So the final .iml file is:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<module type="JAVA_MODULE" version="4">
  <component name="NewModuleRootManager" inherit-compiler-output="true">
    <exclude-output />
    <content url="file://$MODULE_DIR$">
      <sourceFolder url="file://$MODULE_DIR$/src" isTestSource="false" />
      <sourceFolder url="file://$MODULE_DIR$/tests" isTestSource="true" />
    </content>
    <orderEntry type="inheritedJdk" />
    <orderEntry type="sourceFolder" forTests="false" />
    <orderEntry type="module-library">
      <library name="JUnit4">
        <CLASSES>
          <root url="jar://$APPLICATION_HOME_DIR$/lib/junit-4.11.jar!/" />
          <root url="jar://$APPLICATION_HOME_DIR$/lib/hamcrest-core-1.3.jar!/" />
          <root url="jar://$APPLICATION_HOME_DIR$/lib/hamcrest-library-1.3.jar!/" />
        </CLASSES>
        <JAVADOC />
        <SOURCES />
      </library>
    </orderEntry>
  </component>
</module>

P.S.: save the file and don't let to IntelliJ Idea reload it. Just once.

You need junit-dep.jar because the junit.jar has a copy of old Hamcrest classes.

Just in case there's anyone here using netbeans and has the same problem, all you have to do is

• Right click on TestLibraries
• Click on Add Library
• Select JUnit and click add library
• Repeat the process but this time click on Hamcrest and the click add library

This should solve the problem

This problem is because of your classpath miss hamcrest-core-1.3.jar. To resolve this add hamcrest-core-1.3.jar as you add junit-4.XX.jar into your classpath.

At first, I encounter this problem too, but after I refer to the official site and add hamcrest-core-1.3.jar into classpath with command line, it works properly finally.

javac -d ../../../../bin/ -cp ~/libs/junit-4.12.jar:/home/limxtop/projects/algorithms/bin  MaxHeapTest.java 

java -cp ../../../../bin/:/home/limxtop/libs/junit-4.12.jar:/home/limxtop/libs/hamcrest-core-1.3.jar org.junit.runner.JUnitCore com.limxtop.heap.MaxHeapTest