All Java projects must use main method?

[André Asantos]

All Java projects must use main method?

André AS

[Rob Spoor]

Are all Java projects stand-alone applications?

[Bob Livingston]

Yes, all java programs must have a main method. The static main is the first method called in any java program. It does not matter where it occurs it just must occur.

[fred rosenberger]

Bob,

the original post asked about all java PROJECTS, not programs. I have worked on many PROJECTS that didn't have a main.

[Rob Spoor]

Bob Livingston wrote:Yes, all java programs must have a main method.

Define "Java program". Is a web application also a Java program? Or an applet?

[Bear Bibeault]

[Shine Tom]

fred rosenberger wrote:Bob,

the original post asked about all java PROJECTS, not programs. I have worked on many PROJECTS that didn't have a main.

Hello Fred, Can you tell me why many java PROJECTS doesnt contain a main function. Please also tell me when there is no main method, how is the application executed.
Many Thanks,
Shine

[Jelle Klap]

Applets don't use a main method to initialize, they provide an init() method.
Likewise, Servlets don't require a main method - they too provide life-cycle methods that are invoked by a servlet container / application server.

[Shine Tom]

Thanks for the update. Alos one more doubt, what about in the case of eclipse plugins ? do they need a main method??

[Jeff Verdegan]

Shine Tom wrote:Thanks for the update. Alos one more doubt, what about in the case of eclipse plugins ? do they need a main method??

No. Which a quick Google search would have told you.

Also, libraries don't need a main().

Also, any of these projects that don't need a main() could still have one, or several, for testing purposes, or if they're capable of being run in more than one context. This is somewhat unusual, but not unheard of.

[Jelle Klap]

No, much like a Servlet an Eclipse plug-in provides life-cycle methods, wether its target runtime environment is Eclipse itself or an OSGi framework (Equinox). This is typically how plugins work. There's actually a pretty neat JavaRanch journal entry on adding plugins to a Java application, written by Ulf Dittmer.

Edit: Dude seriously? Nice timing

[Shine Tom]

Thanks Jeff & Jelle..