Including a jar within a jar

[Russell Wurth]

I am trying to package a class file with 2 jar files that are in my classpath.

CLASSPATH=c:\java\include\ar.jar
Working directory (source/class file) : c:\eclipse\workspace\MyProject

Within my working directory, I am able to compile and run Test.java, creating Test.class. Both files are in my working directory.

Using Ant, I want a single jar that will include 'ar.jar' and 'Test.class' to be run on another environment. I would like to leave 'ar.jar' in the directory that it is currently in.

Here is my build.xml

  
<project name="MyTest" default="jar" basedir=".">
  <target name="jar">
<jar destfile="MyJarFile.jar">
  <fileset dir="." includes="Test.class"/>
  <fileset dir="/java/include/">
    <include name="ar.jar"/>
         </fileset>
         <manifest>
   <attribute name="Class-Path" value="."/>
   <attribute name="Main-Class" value="Test"/>     
   </manifest>
</jar>
  </target>
</project>

The problem is that when I run 'java -jar MyJarFile.jar', I get a NoClassDefFoundError since it is not finding 'ar.jar'. The 'ar.jar' file is packaged in MyJarFile.jar, but I cannot figure out the correct Class-Path to reference 'ar.jar'.

Any advice?

[Edward Kenworthy]

You can't do what you're trying to do. You could uncompress the jars you want to include and then re-jar them into the one jar (bad idea by the way: what happens when a new version of those jars becomes available?).

Another option is to simply ship your dependent jars in a subdirectory of your application (eg lib/) and then point your application (easiest would be to set the class-path in your Manifest file). That's what I'd do.

Edward

[jerry conosm]

You should specify each jar files you used in the manifest file. For example, if you have 2 jar files a, b, you should have

Class-Path: a.jar b.jar

entry in the manifest file. Take note that they are separated by space.

Try replacing your class path entries in your script with this:

<attribute name="Class-Path" value= "java/include/.jar">

[jerry conosm]

oooops! what I mean from above is

<attribute name="Class-Path" value= "java/include/ar.jar">

[Ilja Preuss]

What you are trying to do isn't supported by standard java, as far as I know. You can use http://one-jar.sourceforge.net/ to do so, though.