Traditional C++ developer utterly confused

Question

I am trying to learn to develop a web service in Java and am using Eclipse. It's horrible - I am used to Visual Studio! Anyway, I can't seem to compile anything for starters. I am following O'Reilley's Java Web Services and going through an example where I created three files:
TimeServer.java
TimeServerImpl.java
TimeServerPublisher.java
I can't figure out how to compile it or test it. I get an error:
Project 'timeserver' is missing required library: 'TimeServer.class'
The project cannot be built until build path errors are resolved
Huh? The example in the book says nothing about a TimeServer.class file. It also gives command line prompt arguments for compiling but when I go to the command line javac is not recognized so I figured Eclipse would have the equivalent but I can't figure it out. And what build path errors?

Answer 1

It's generally a good idea to build and run your first Java program without benefit of an IDE using any convenient source editor and the java command line utilities. You should generally add your java bin directory to the PATH for a start to make this possible. It's helpful to know these basics of compiling and running Java.
Java source files are typically stored in a hierarchy of directories which reflect the package structure of a Java program. Java classes should be placed in packages, e.g. com.acme.timeserver which will be reflected in a file path com/acme/timeserver/TimeServer.java.
When you compile them they generate corresponding .class files, which are also arranged in a directory tree (which could be the same one, or a separate "build" directory).
When using an IDE first create a project, which involves a project directory in which your source tree, build directory etc. live. Then create a package and do an "add class" to place a template Java file appropriately. If it's a complete program then you also need to designate a main class (the one with the public static void main(String[] args) {).