Silly problem when compiling main class

Question

hi there,
i have a problem when compiling the main class.
the classes used by the main class are not recognized. the compiler can't locate the children classes.
i've already set the path and classpath environment variables, but there's still something missing.
how should i organize my folders in order to be able to compile the main class successfully, please?
thanks.

Answer 1

It would be good to have a precise problem description: the actual command used, folder structure and environment variable settings. Even if you have to construct a simple test case with a couple of classes that illustrates the problem.
In the absence of that some generic remarks:
The PATH variable typically points at all the folders that contain executable files that you use often. You can always access other executable files by specifying there full names.
The CLASSPATH variable is typically left unset.
When you use the java tools (like the javac compiler or the java runtime) you can specify the classpath that you want to use with -cp. This will override any CLASSPATH value. So in the simple case of two classes (Main and MyClass), you can put them in anywhere you like (for example C:\MyJavaStuff) and compile and run with:
{noformat}
C:\MyJavaStuff> javac -cp . *.java
C:\MyJavaStuff> java -cp . Main
{noformat}(Mind the dot after -cp))
By a "main" class I guess you mean a class with a static void main(String args[]) method, but I am suspicious of your "child" classes. Perhaps packages are involved. A precise description of the problem would help.