Package confusions

Question

Dear Gurus,
I am having issues with using packages in an exercise I thought would be fairly simple.
This is the output from the command line compilation:
C:\javatest>javac -verbose -classpath .;C:\packages PersonDriver.java
[parsing started PersonDriver.java]
[parsing completed 40ms]
[loading C:\j2sdk1.4.2_02\jre\lib\rt.jar(java/lang/Object.class)]
[loading C:\j2sdk1.4.2_02\jre\lib\rt.jar(java/lang/String.class)]
[checking PersonDriver]
[loading C:\packages\person\Person.class]
PersonDriver.java:7: cannot access person.Person
bad class file: C:\packages\person\Person.class
class file contains wrong class: packages.person.Person
Please remove or make sure it appears in the correct subdirectory of the classpa
th.
Person bob = new Person("Bob", "Hope");
^
[total 310ms]
1 error
It appears that it loads the Person.class i.e. [loading C:\packages\person\Person.class] but that when I try to instantiate a person object access is denied - PersonDriver.java:7: cannot access person.Person
Either I have made an absolute mistake in my interpretation of what a package's use truly is (highly likely)
or have set up the classes wrong. This part of the error is especially mysterious to me:
class file contains wrong class: packages.person.Person
The packages directory is set up as in: C:\packages\person\[Classes]
The code follows:
<_______________________________________________________________>
This a class in another folder (C:\javatest) in which I am wanting to use the
person class from a package in (C:\packages\person).
import person.*;
public class PersonDriver
public static void main(String[] args)
Person bob = new Person("Bob", "Hope"); // java states it cannot access person.Person
<______________________________________________________________>
This is a seperate file from PersonDriver.java. The person class residing
in the package 'person' (C:\packages\person)
package packages.person;
import java.util.*;
An implementation of a person
public class Person
public Person(String f, String l)
firstName = f;
lastName = l;
public String toString()
String result = new String();
result = this.lastName + ", " + this.firstName + "\n";
return result;
// private variables
private String firstName;
private String lastName;
}// end class Person

Answer 1

YATArchivist ,
Thanks and perhaps you could help clarify my understanding a bit.
After making the following change to Person.java:
package person; // instead of package packages.person
and in PersonDriver:
import person.*; // instead of import packages.person.*;
The program compiled:
C:\javatest>javac -verbose -classpath .;c:\packages; PersonDriver.java
[parsing started PersonDriver.java]
[parsing completed 50ms]
[loading C:\j2sdk1.4.2_02\jre\lib\rt.jar(java/lang/Object.class)]
[loading C:\j2sdk1.4.2_02\jre\lib\rt.jar(java/lang/String.class)]
[checking PersonDriver]
[loading c:\packages\person\Person.class]
[wrote PersonDriver.class]
[total 371ms]
However it throws a 'java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError' which the Java site states:
... The searched-for class definition existed when the currently executing class was compiled, but the definition can no longer be found.
If I supplied the same CLASSPATH at compilation that I do when executing then why isn't the definition found.
I sincerely appreciate your help.