In this case, the JAR file is an executable JAR. So, theoretically, a JAR file can contain more than one application, but it has to contain at least one main class to be able to run.Ī JAR file can have one entry point set in its manifest file. Each main class is the entry point of an application. Create a JAR ApplicationĪ JAR file can contain one or more main classes.

Later, we'll learn how to run a JAR application with or without command-line arguments. In this tutorial, we'll first learn how to create a JAR application. Hereafter, we'll refer to it as a JAR application. We'll focus on the standalone application scenario in this article. However, there are times a JAR file itself represents a standalone application or a web application. Typically, every meaningful application includes one or more JAR files as dependencies. To unset a classpath value previously set, use this command to clear its value using am empty value assigned to the variable.If you have a few years of experience in the Java ecosystem, and you're interested in sharing that experience with the community (and getting paid for your work of course), have a look at the 'Write for Us' page. Each directory must be mentioned explicitly. In any given classpath, sub-directories are not searched recursively. cp c:/temp/lib c:/temp/lib/* //includes all classes and jars

cp c:/temp/lib/* //includes all jars in the directory 'c:/temp/lib' cp c:/temp/lib //includes all classes in the directory 'c:/temp/lib'

To include jar files, give the complete path of the folder where jars are present and add star ( *) wildcard.

To include classes, give the complete path of the folder where classes are present.

Generally, we will include two kinds of resources in classpath i.e.

Use set CLASSPATH command initially, and then run java application or tool which will search the classes/resources in mentioned paths.Ĭlasspath entries that are neither directories nor archives (.zip or.

Use -classpath or -cp option while running the java application or tool.If we want to set the class path permanently then we should set the class path as environment variable in Windows.The classpath value set in command prompt is temporary and is not available if we open a new command prompt.If we want to include the current directory in the search path, we must include '.' (dot or period character) in the list of paths. Setting the CLASSPATH variable or using the -classpath command-line option overrides that default. The default class path is the current directory.The class path is the path that the Java runtime environment searches for dependencies e.g.Learn to use the -classpath or -cp option in command prompt to set classpath from command prompt in Windows and Linux OS.

Java create jar command line