Obtaining your Java Compiler and Exploring your Java Environment

Become familiar with your Java compiler/development kit or Interactive Development Environment (IDE)

IDEs (Interactive Development Environments) include:

I strongly recommend an IDE, because it makes your life so much easier. However, you can do development with the bare JDK and a simple text editor. Here's what you'll need::

  1. Sun's JDK (Java Development Kit)
    • You can choose the version you want to download (I suggest you get the latest version.) Note that the later the version, the bigger the download!)
    • Several of the components that we will be using in this course must be separately downloaded from the JavaSoft web pages. Increasingly, these components are becoming separate entities.
    • Be sure to download both the JDK and the associated documentation, because you'll want to be able to browse the API (they're all HTML pages, so you just use a browser to view them).
    • Alternatively, you can use the JDK version supplied on the CD provided with a lot of Java books (including Core Java, one of the recommended books for the course). Unfortunately, due to the the incredible pace of change in the Java world, these can tend to be rather out of date .
    • If you're running on an Apple Macintosh, you probably need to get the Mac OS Runtime for Java (MRJ) . (Note that I know almost nothing about Macs, so I can't really advise you on what's good to do on that platform!)
  2. An editor of some kind.
    • A plain editor (not a word processor like Word). It needs to generate simple ASCII files.
    • There are quite a few editors available on the Web for free, ranging from the simple to the sophisticated.
    • Some editors available on the Web are more like simple IDEs. You can create Java source code within them, including syntax coloring in some, and you can compile and build your programs from within the editor. However, they usually lack Java debugging, which you will probably find unsatisfactory. A good example is Programmer's File Editor, which is a very good general purpose programmer's editor (for Microsoft Windows systems only); you may have to manually configure it for Java.
    • Windows 95/98/NT comes with Notepad, which is pretty rudimentary; I would recommend something better than that!
    • UNIX systems come with an editor like vi. Often emacs is available, too. If emacs doesn't come with your system, you can download a version (see: http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs.html)
    • A lot of Java books come with a CD containing useful stuff; Core Java provides an editor (TextPad) on its CD which can be configured to do syntax coloring, automatic invocation of the Java compiler, etc.

I really recommend getting some kind of IDE -- using the bare JDK can be a real pain, and you can spend more time fighting that than learning Java! On the other hand, if you're a real dyed-in-the-wool command mode honcho, go for it!

Here is a list of things you need to do:

  1. If you haven't done so already, install the software on your system
    • If necessary, configure your software/system to set environment variables, etc.
    • Be sure to read any Read.me files, etc.
  2. Learn how to use your IDE
    • Read the documentation/help/tutorial/whatever
      • These days, it seems that the documentation for a lot of products is not great, and is often not in hard copy.
      • Books often provide a superior description of how to use a product.
    • With an IDE, you will typically have to learn about 'Projects'
      • How to create one
      • How to configure it/set the necessary parameters
      • Use the editor to create Java source files
      • Compile and build the project
      • Run the resulting executable
      • Debug it.
    • It sounds like a lot, but it's usually a far superior experience to using the bare-bones tools provided by the JDK, which are pretty primitive.
  3. If you use just the JDK with an editor, you'll need to:
    • Learn how to use the editor and, if necessary, to configure it for programming in Java
    • Learn how to use javac, java, and other JDK utilities
    • You'll need to make sure things (especially environment variables) are configured properly so that these utilities work.

You will need to pay close attention to how to set up the following:

  1. The PATH environment variable (the installation of your JDK and/or IDE may take care of this).
    • The main thing to look for is that the PATH includes the /bin directory of your chosen JDK as one its first entries.
    • It is critical that the PATH point to the same JDK as the CLASSPATH, else wierd things will likely happen.
  2. CLASSPATH (how this is done varies with which environment you're using)
  3. Where your current working directory is.
  4. Where the input .java files should be placed.
  5. Where the output .class files are placed by the Java compiler.
  6. Where the input .class files are expected to be located by the Java compiler.

NOTE: One critical thing is that the source code for a (public) Java class must be placed in a file whose name is identical to the Java class name (case is important!), and whose filetype is .java. If you do not do this, the Java compiler will refuse to compile your program.

If you're using the JDK directly, or if your IDE uses the JDK (most of them do in some way), try hard to understand the following command line options:

JDK Tool Option Explanation
javac
(the Java compiler)		 -classpath <classpath> Sets the user class path
  -d <directory> Sets the destination root directory for class files
  -g Generates all debugging information
  -verbose Prints messages about what source files are being compiled and what class files are being loaded.
     
java
(the Java Interpreter)		 -classpath Specifies where to look for class files
  -verbose Prints a message each time a class file is loaded.

Note: The -classpath behavior in JDK 1.2.x and beyond is different from that for JDK 1.1.x !

If you're not using the JDK, then a lot of this is taken care of for you by your IDE (although it's often necessary to understand the JDK options in order to interpret the IDE's options, which often map directly to the JDK options). However, you do have to understand how to set the proper parameters for your environment, and for the project you're working on.

The page was last updated February 19, 2008