Simple clarification on javac command

Question

I am studying Ant scripts in Java reading this Hello World tutorial: http://ant.apache.org/manual/tutorial-HelloWorldWithAnt.html

In the previous tutorial it create a new directory by DOS md src command (mkdir in Linux)

then put the following simple code into: src\oata\HelloWorld.java:

package oata;

public class HelloWorld {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello World");
    }
}

Now it compile it by this shell statment:

md build\classes
javac -sourcepath src -d build\classes src\oata\HelloWorld.java
java -cp build\classes oata.HelloWorld

I know that javac compile the classess but what exactly do this line?

javac -sourcepath src -d build\classes src\oata\HelloWorld.java

I think that I am sayng to javac that src is where are the sources class to compile, then the -d say that build\classes i the path where to put the compiled class

But what it means the final: src\oata\HelloWorld.java?

Tnx

Andrea

user207421 user207421 · Accepted Answer · 2013-10-06T21:23:43

It means the filename(s) to compile.

The purpose of the -sourcepath option is to tell the compiler where the source files for dependent classes may be found. It doesn't imply that everything in that directory should be compiled.

Simple clarification on javac command

1 Answers