java - "Cannot find symbol" error - even on a ridiculously simple example

Question

So I've been trying to solve this problem for a matter of hours now. I've scoured the internet, I've scoured StackOverflow, I've asked some co-workers (I'm an intern) and honestly no one can tell me what is going on! I put together a really really simple example to show you what I'm doing (and I get the error even with the simple example)

I have two .java files. One is Test.java the other is testClass.java.

//testClass.java

package test;

public class testClass {
    private int someMember=0;

    public testClass(){
        //kill me now
    }

}

Then I have my Test.java file which contains my main method. (although in my real problemIi dont have a main method - its a servlet with a doGet() method)

//Test.java
package test;

public class Test {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        testClass myTest = new testClass();
    }
}

I'm compiling with the following (from windows command line, with current directory where I saved my .java files):

..java bin location..javac testClass.java

This works absolutely fine and I get a testClass.class file in the current directory. I, then, try to compile the Test.java file with the following (again within the working directory):

..java bin location..javac -classpath . Test.java

This results in the following error:

Test.java:6: cannot find symbol
symbol : class testClass
location : class test.testClass
   testClass myTest = new testClass();

Can you please help a brother out? :(

Answer 1

Your classes are in a package, and Java will look for classes assuming that package structure - but javac won't build that structure for you unless you tell it to; it will normally put the class file alongside the Java file.

Options:

• Put the source files in test directory, and compile testTest.java and testestClass.java
• Specify -d . when you compile, to force javac to build a package structure.

Using an IDE (Eclipse, IntelliJ etc) tends to encourage or even force you to put the files in the right directory, and typically makes building code easier too.