Thread: How to referenc a class file. using only notepad and run cmd.

set the classpath in Notepad

No idea what that means. My Notepad is an editor. I use it to create text files.

Originally Posted by SPACE MONKEY

A couple of things, it seems strange that we can use methods from classes in the same base folder as the calling class.

Why is that strange? Java needs to know where things are in order to use them. The first place it looks is the current folder, then it looks at the classpath, where you can tell it where other things are. Note that classes in the default package are visible, but that doesn't necessarily mean they can be used from each other. Private classes and methods are still inaccessible.

Originally Posted by SPACE MONKEY

But why, with a java program can we not set the classpath in Notepad for a class anywhere on the computer on on the web for that matter? Why is java so deficient in such a basic construct of the language?

Huh? How is that a deficiency, or even a basic construct? Also, as Norm pointed out, setting the classpath in Notepad doesn't make any sense. Notepad has no idea what a classpath is. You feed the classpath to the Java tools, so Java knows where to look for other files. But the reason your request doesn't make sense is that how should Java know what "anywhere on teh computer or on the web" means? Say I want to use a class named MyObject, and I tell it to look "anywhere on the computer or on the web". What does that mean? What happens if there are two MyObject classes in different folders? Which one should it use?

Originally Posted by SPACE MONKEY

I need to go and take a nap then read all about command prompts, bat. files and packages.

Tell Workman cheers as well, I looked at my old posts and removed the capitals bit about "I tried this 20 times ....." I did not realize that it looked as though I was getting angry.

Don't worry about it. I think part of the reason you're having so much trouble is that you're trying to completely understand something in theory before you actually need to use it in practice. I might recommend just using the default package for now, and by the time you need to use other packages, they'll make much more sense to you.