Running Java program from Linux command line that requires an additional file

Question

I am following this tutorial to make a program that interacts with the database. I am stuck at the last step where I run it. The given example is C:\test>java -cp c:\test\postgresql-8.3-603.jdbc4.jar;c:\test JDBCExample

I have both the .class file and the .jar for the JDBC in my home directory. I tried

java -cp /home/JohnF/postgresql-9.2-1000.jdbc4.jar;/home/JohnF/QueryDB.class and I get "cannot exectue binary file"
I tried java -cp /home/JohnF/postgresql-9.2-1000.jdbc4.jar;/home/JohnF/QueryDB and I get "no such file or directory"
I tried java -cp /home/JohnF/postgresql-9.2-1000.jdbc4.jar;/home/JohnF QueryDB and I get "JohnF is a directory"

I used chmod to set the file permissions to 777. How do I get this to run?

mvp · Accepted Answer · 2012-10-29 04:03:08Z

4

You are using semicolon as classpath separator - this will not work on Linux. Try replacing ";" with ":" in classpath and it should work.

Edit: explanation of what is happening here. In Linux, ";" is command separator. Your line of

java -cp /home/JohnF/postgresql-9.2-1000.jdbc4.jar;/home/JohnF QueryDB

is really expanded into 2 executed one by one:

java -cp /home/JohnF/postgresql-9.2-1000.jdbc4.jar
/home/JohnF QueryDB

First one does nothing and successfully quits. Second tries to invoke /home/JohnF as executable, and this is really not an executable, but a directory!

edited Oct 29, 2012 at 4:03

answered Oct 29, 2012 at 3:52

mvp

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1 Comment

Craig Ringer Over a year ago

Note that if you double-quote the whole string it won't split it into two commands, but it'll still be wrong, because the classpath must be colon-separated on UNIX-like programs as per the introductory documentation for Java: docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/essential/environment/…

Amit Sharma · Accepted Answer · 2012-10-29 04:17:29Z

1

FIX: Use : instead of ;

WHY? The file-separator in *nix environment is ':' and not ';'

answered Oct 29, 2012 at 4:17

Amit Sharma

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