Problem: The java code does not compile

[cpu2007]

Hello everyone
I have this silly problem which I think can be solved easily but I cannot find the solution

I am have two frames using eclipse,basically where I have all my code which when I run it opens a windows and do some calculation.

I want to export it in order to hand in the work to my teacher so he can compile it then
but he says that he can't compile my work
so how do i export it in order to make it possible to see the source code and compile it for others?

Thank you

[dlorde]

The usual way of providing compilable code is to supply the .java source files in their package directories.

If any additional library jars are used, you need to supply them too.

To make things simple, the whole lot can be zipped up into a .zip file using WinZip or something similar. The recipient can unzip this to re-create the source package hierarchy and files. For example, if your source files are stored in packages under a project\src directory, you zip up the contents of the project\src directory, including subdirectories.

The sole justification of teaching, of the school itself, is that the student comes out of it able to do something he could not do before. I say do and not know, because knowledge that doesn't lead to doing something new or doing something better is not knowledge at all...
J. Barzun

[cpu2007]

thank you for your reply
well what i did basically was to copy and paste the whole folder containing projects/src and other folders and i copied it to the desktop to see if it works from a different path.
well when i opened eclipse>then open file and went on the *.java file it has opened them perfectly showing the code and everything
but when i run it it comes up with a windows saying ant build which i clicked on but nothing happens.

[dlorde]

Presumably you need to create an Eclipse project for the code, or change the existing project details. I don't use Eclipse, so I wouldn't know... have you checked to see if there's an option to export the project?

Have you asked your teacher exactly what he wants?

Like I said before, the src directory tree & .java files, plus any extra jars should allow any competent person to compile the code. If your code uses other resources, like .properties files, icons, etc., you'll probably need to supply the resource directory as well, but the code should compile without them.

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge...
D. Boorstin

[ajhampson]

The problem is that Eclipse maintains all the build information for your project for you. This includes location of import files, dependencies, etc.

The way you get this out for someone to build who is not using Eclipse is to export the build details as an Ant script. To do this, you need to do the following:

• Click on File, then Export from the menu.
• On the Export wizard that pops up, expand the General section, then select Ant Buldfiles
• Click Next.
• On the next pane, select the name of the project you want to create a build file for.
• Leave "Check projects for Ant compatibility" checked.
• Uncheck "Create target to compile using Eclipse compiler"
• You can leave the build file name and JUnit output directory at their defaults.
• Click on Finish

.

This should generate an Ant build.xml file that will contain targets for building your project. It will also have targets that match any Run Configurations you've created.

You'll need to check the Ant build file to ensure there are no dependencies on files outside your build project directory included in the build. If there are, you'll need to include those files with your project. You can copy them to your project folder, then inside Eclipse change the dependency to the local copy. Then re-export your build file.

If your instructor doesn't use Ant, then you'll need to translate the build process to some kind of script (batch file, shell script, etc.) for him/her to use to build the project.

The best way to test this is to simulate what your instructor does. Load your files onto a different system and try to build them from the command line. Then see what happens.