Detect if class exists

[Stefan Geelen]

Hi,
I'm having following problem:
I try to detect if a class in a package exists. This is no problem. I do it using:
java.net.URL classurl1 = new Object().getClass().getResource("/org/apache/xerces/framework/Version.class");
and
java.net.URL classurl2 = new Object().getClass().getResource("/org/apache/xerces/impl/Version.class");
Depending on the package used one of the two classes will be absent.

If classurl is null/not null, I know the class does (not) exist/
So far so good.
Now I want to retrieve a static variable out of the class (that exists in the package). I use following code:
if (classurl1 != null)
System.err.println("= Xerces build: "+(org.apache.xerces.framework.Version().fVersion);
if (classurl2 != null)
System.err.println("= Xerces build: "+org.apache.xerces.impl.Version().fVersion);
Now my compiler refuses to compile this as I have only the package installed that contains the org.apache.xerces.impl.Version class (the org.apache.xerces.framework.Version was used in a previous version/package of Xerces).
How can I solve this problem ?
Regards,
Stefan

[Wilfried LAURENT]

You may use Class.forName(String name). This does not presuppose the absence of one or the other class.
I don't know the class hierarchy of these classes. Have they a common ancestor where you can apply fversion to?
W.

[Maulin Vasavada]

hi Wilfried,
i have a question. if we use Class.forName() then also would not the problem be same? because, "we want to access a static member of the class". we can't write,
Class.forName("blah..blah..blah...").staticMemberName;
right?
because Class.forName() returns "Class" object and compiler won't resolve staticMemberName variable in "Class". we have to write the class name to access the static member but we can't use full name of the class as compiler would complain that it didn't find the class, if the class is not there in the CLASSPATH.
so, even if we use Class.forName() , the problem seems not solved.
do you see what i mean?
am i right in my argument? if not, please correct me.
sorry, i might not be that clear in what i really mean. i'm little poor at certain things.
regards,
maulin

[Pierre Post]

we can't write,
Class.forName("blah..blah..blah...").staticMemberName;
right?

Have you tried to use the getDeclaredField() method from the "Class" class? I think it also returns static fields, but I haven't tried yet.
Something like:
Class.forName("blabla").getDeclaredField("fVersion").getInt(null);
A Field provides information about, and dynamic access to, a single field of a class or an interface. The reflected field may be a class (static) field or an instance field.
Pierre
[ November 29, 2002: Message edited by: Pierre Post ]

[Wilfried LAURENT]

You can also investigate the java.lang.reflect package.
Once you have a Class object, you can retrieve its methods and get Method object. Once you found the found the Method object corresponding to "fversion", you can apply invoke on it, whatever the class.
W.