Classpath not set correctly

[Brian Jones Jr.]

My best guess is that I haven't set the CLASSPATH environment variable correctly. I can run the HelloWorldApp from the oracle documentation from eclipse (i changed the name of the class name to avoid conflicts):

HelloWorldApp

I am using Ubunutu 16.04, and I'm trying to create the same HelloWorldApp from the command line to practice coding from the console using vim. I typed the following on the cli from inside the folder where the HellowWorldApp java files are located:

javac HelloWorldApp.java
java HelloWorldApp

Then I get the following error message:
Error: Could not find or load main class HelloWorldApp

But, when I type the following I get the correct output:
java -cp . HelloWorldApp

When I enter echo $CLASSPATH I get the following:
/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/lib

I don't think I made any changes to PATH or CLASSPATH in the ~/.bashrc

# ~/.bashrc: executed by bash(1) for non-login shells. # see /usr/share/doc/bash/examples/startup-files (in the package bash-doc) # for examples # If not running interactively, don't do anything case $- in    *i*) ;;      *) return;; esac # don't put duplicate lines or lines starting with space in the history. # See bash(1) for more options HISTCONTROL=ignoreboth # append to the history file, don't overwrite it shopt -s histappend # for setting history length see HISTSIZE and HISTFILESIZE in bash(1) HISTSIZE=1000 HISTFILESIZE=2000 # check the window size after each command and, if necessary, # update the values of LINES and COLUMNS. shopt -s checkwinsize # If set, the pattern "**" used in a pathname expansion context will # match all files and zero or more directories and subdirectories. #shopt -s globstar # make less more friendly for non-text input files, see lesspipe(1) [ -x /usr/bin/lesspipe ] && eval "$(SHELL=/bin/sh lesspipe)" # set variable identifying the chroot you work in (used in the prompt below) if [ -z "${debian_chroot:-}" ] && [ -r /etc/debian_chroot ]; then    debian_chroot=$(cat /etc/debian_chroot) fi # set a fancy prompt (non-color, unless we know we "want" color) case "$TERM" in    xterm-color|*-256color) color_prompt=yes;; esac # uncomment for a colored prompt, if the terminal has the capability; turned # off by default to not distract the user: the focus in a terminal window # should be on the output of commands, not on the prompt #force_color_prompt=yes if [ -n "$force_color_prompt" ]; then    if [ -x /usr/bin/tput ] && tput setaf 1 >&/dev/null; then        # We have color support; assume it's compliant with Ecma-48        # (ISO/IEC-6429). (Lack of such support is extremely rare, and such        # a case would tend to support setf rather than setaf.)        color_prompt=yes    else        color_prompt=    fi fi if [ "$color_prompt" = yes ]; then    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[00m\]:\[\033[01;34m\]\w\[\033[00m\]\$ ' else    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h:\w\$ ' fi unset color_prompt force_color_prompt # If this is an xterm set the title to user@host:dir case "$TERM" in xterm*|rxvt*)    PS1="\[\e]0;${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h: \w\a\]$PS1"    ;; *)    ;; esac # enable color support of ls and also add handy aliases if [ -x /usr/bin/dircolors ]; then    test -r ~/.dircolors && eval "$(dircolors -b ~/.dircolors)" || eval "$(dircolors -b)"    alias ls='ls --color=auto'    #alias dir='dir --color=auto'    #alias vdir='vdir --color=auto'    alias grep='grep --color=auto'    alias fgrep='fgrep --color=auto'    alias egrep='egrep --color=auto' fi # colored GCC warnings and errors #export GCC_COLORS='error=01;31:warning=01;35:note=01;36:caret=01;32:locus=01:quote=01' # some more ls aliases alias ll='ls -alF' alias la='ls -A' alias l='ls -CF' # Add an "alert" alias for long running commands.  Use like so: #   sleep 10; alert alias alert='notify-send --urgency=low -i "$([ $? = 0 ] && echo terminal || echo error)" "$(history|tail -n1|sed -e '\''s/^\s*[0-9]\+\s*//;s/[;&|]\s*alert$//'\'')"' # Alias definitions. # You may want to put all your additions into a separate file like # ~/.bash_aliases, instead of adding them here directly. # See /usr/share/doc/bash-doc/examples in the bash-doc package. if [ -f ~/.bash_aliases ]; then    . ~/.bash_aliases fi # enable programmable completion features (you don't need to enable # this, if it's already enabled in /etc/bash.bashrc and /etc/profile # sources /etc/bash.bashrc). if ! shopt -oq posix; then  if [ -f /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion ]; then    . /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion  elif [ -f /etc/bash_completion ]; then    . /etc/bash_completion  fi fi

This is where I set my environment variables: sudo vi /etc/environment

PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/bin"
CLASSPATH="/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/lib"
JAVA_HOME="/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle"
WILDFLY_HOME="/home/bbernales/Env/wildfly-10.1.0.Final

Does anyone have any suggestions?

[Campbell Ritchie]

You probably shouldn't edit the /etc/environment file. Edit ~/.bashrc instead, assuming you are using the Bash shell, which is the commonest on Ubuntu. You don't need root privileges to edit .bashrc.
You are probably best removing that CLASSPATH entry altogether. You don't need a system CLASSPATH at all, and as you can see, it tends to do more harm than good. You would probably do well to move the JAVA_HOME and WILDFLY_HOME variables into .bashrc, too.

Campbell's terminal (bash) wrote:echo $CLASSPATH

[edit]Now I can see that quote isn't clear. There is a blank, empty line at the bottom of it.

[Brian Jones Jr.]

Campbell,

Thanks for your advice. I checked to see if I am using bash by typing in ps at the command line, and it is running bash.

I updated the ~/.bashrc and the /usr/environment files as you recommended. Now my .bashrc file looks like this:

PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/bin" JAVA_HOME="/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle" WILDFLY_HOME="/home/bbernales/Env/wildfly-10.1.0.Final" # ~/.bashrc: executed by bash(1) for non-login shells. # see /usr/share/doc/bash/examples/startup-files (in the package bash-doc) # for examples # If not running interactively, don't do anything case $- in    *i*) ;;      *) return;; esac # don't put duplicate lines or lines starting with space in the history. # See bash(1) for more options HISTCONTROL=ignoreboth # append to the history file, don't overwrite it shopt -s histappend # for setting history length see HISTSIZE and HISTFILESIZE in bash(1) HISTSIZE=1000 HISTFILESIZE=2000 # check the window size after each command and, if necessary, # update the values of LINES and COLUMNS. shopt -s checkwinsize # If set, the pattern "**" used in a pathname expansion context will # match all files and zero or more directories and subdirectories. #shopt -s globstar # make less more friendly for non-text input files, see lesspipe(1) [ -x /usr/bin/lesspipe ] && eval "$(SHELL=/bin/sh lesspipe)" # set variable identifying the chroot you work in (used in the prompt below) if [ -z "${debian_chroot:-}" ] && [ -r /etc/debian_chroot ]; then    debian_chroot=$(cat /etc/debian_chroot) fi # set a fancy prompt (non-color, unless we know we "want" color) case "$TERM" in    xterm-color|*-256color) color_prompt=yes;; esac # uncomment for a colored prompt, if the terminal has the capability; turned # off by default to not distract the user: the focus in a terminal window # should be on the output of commands, not on the prompt #force_color_prompt=yes if [ -n "$force_color_prompt" ]; then    if [ -x /usr/bin/tput ] && tput setaf 1 >&/dev/null; then        # We have color support; assume it's compliant with Ecma-48        # (ISO/IEC-6429). (Lack of such support is extremely rare, and such        # a case would tend to support setf rather than setaf.)        color_prompt=yes    else        color_prompt=    fi fi if [ "$color_prompt" = yes ]; then    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[00m\]:\[\033[01;34m\]\w\[\033[00m\]\$ ' else    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h:\w\$ ' fi unset color_prompt force_color_prompt # If this is an xterm set the title to user@host:dir case "$TERM" in xterm*|rxvt*)    PS1="\[\e]0;${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h: \w\a\]$PS1"    ;; *)    ;; esac # enable color support of ls and also add handy aliases if [ -x /usr/bin/dircolors ]; then    test -r ~/.dircolors && eval "$(dircolors -b ~/.dircolors)" || eval "$(dircolors -b)"    alias ls='ls --color=auto'    #alias dir='dir --color=auto'    #alias vdir='vdir --color=auto'    alias grep='grep --color=auto'    alias fgrep='fgrep --color=auto'    alias egrep='egrep --color=auto' fi # colored GCC warnings and errors #export GCC_COLORS='error=01;31:warning=01;35:note=01;36:caret=01;32:locus=01:quote=01' # some more ls aliases alias ll='ls -alF' alias la='ls -A' alias l='ls -CF' # Add an "alert" alias for long running commands.  Use like so: #   sleep 10; alert alias alert='notify-send --urgency=low -i "$([ $? = 0 ] && echo terminal || echo error)" "$(history|tail -n1|sed -e '\''s/^\s*[0-9]\+\s*//;s/[;&|]\s*alert$//'\'')"' # Alias definitions. # You may want to put all your additions into a separate file like # ~/.bash_aliases, instead of adding them here directly. # See /usr/share/doc/bash-doc/examples in the bash-doc package. if [ -f ~/.bash_aliases ]; then    . ~/.bash_aliases fi # enable programmable completion features (you don't need to enable # this, if it's already enabled in /etc/bash.bashrc and /etc/profile # sources /etc/bash.bashrc). if ! shopt -oq posix; then  if [ -f /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion ]; then    . /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion  elif [ -f /etc/bash_completion ]; then    . /etc/bash_completion  fi fi

I removed the environment variables in the /usr/environment file and then ran unset $CLASSPATH because I still got the same error message "Error: Could not find or load main class HelloWorldApp" when I tried to run the program. Then I saw an empty line when I execute echo $CLASSPATH. So I tried to run the program again, and I still get the same error message.

After that, I removed the environment variables that I added to the .bashrc file, and investigated other ways to set the environment variables. I tried using these explanations on how to set environment varaibles, but I still get the same error:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/EnvironmentVariables#Setting_values_to_environment_variables
https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-read-and-set-environmental-and-shell-variables-on-a-linux-vps
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/newbie/4325-how-add-environment-variable-bashrc-file.html

I moved the environment variables to the bottom of the page, and added some export commands. Currently my .bashrc file looks like this:

# ~/.bashrc: executed by bash(1) for non-login shells. # see /usr/share/doc/bash/examples/startup-files (in the package bash-doc) # for examples # If not running interactively, don't do anything case $- in    *i*) ;;      *) return;; esac # don't put duplicate lines or lines starting with space in the history. # See bash(1) for more options HISTCONTROL=ignoreboth # append to the history file, don't overwrite it shopt -s histappend # for setting history length see HISTSIZE and HISTFILESIZE in bash(1) HISTSIZE=1000 HISTFILESIZE=2000 # check the window size after each command and, if necessary, # update the values of LINES and COLUMNS. shopt -s checkwinsize # If set, the pattern "**" used in a pathname expansion context will # match all files and zero or more directories and subdirectories. #shopt -s globstar # make less more friendly for non-text input files, see lesspipe(1) [ -x /usr/bin/lesspipe ] && eval "$(SHELL=/bin/sh lesspipe)" # set variable identifying the chroot you work in (used in the prompt below) if [ -z "${debian_chroot:-}" ] && [ -r /etc/debian_chroot ]; then    debian_chroot=$(cat /etc/debian_chroot) fi # set a fancy prompt (non-color, unless we know we "want" color) case "$TERM" in    xterm-color|*-256color) color_prompt=yes;; esac # uncomment for a colored prompt, if the terminal has the capability; turned # off by default to not distract the user: the focus in a terminal window # should be on the output of commands, not on the prompt #force_color_prompt=yes if [ -n "$force_color_prompt" ]; then    if [ -x /usr/bin/tput ] && tput setaf 1 >&/dev/null; then        # We have color support; assume it's compliant with Ecma-48        # (ISO/IEC-6429). (Lack of such support is extremely rare, and such        # a case would tend to support setf rather than setaf.)        color_prompt=yes    else        color_prompt=    fi fi if [ "$color_prompt" = yes ]; then    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\[\033[01;32m\]\u@\h\[\033[00m\]:\[\033[01;34m\]\w\[\033[00m\]\$ ' else    PS1='${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h:\w\$ ' fi unset color_prompt force_color_prompt # If this is an xterm set the title to user@host:dir case "$TERM" in xterm*|rxvt*)    PS1="\[\e]0;${debian_chroot:+($debian_chroot)}\u@\h: \w\a\]$PS1"    ;; *)    ;; esac # enable color support of ls and also add handy aliases if [ -x /usr/bin/dircolors ]; then    test -r ~/.dircolors && eval "$(dircolors -b ~/.dircolors)" || eval "$(dircolors -b)"    alias ls='ls --color=auto'    #alias dir='dir --color=auto'    #alias vdir='vdir --color=auto'    alias grep='grep --color=auto'    alias fgrep='fgrep --color=auto'    alias egrep='egrep --color=auto' fi # colored GCC warnings and errors #export GCC_COLORS='error=01;31:warning=01;35:note=01;36:caret=01;32:locus=01:quote=01' # some more ls aliases alias ll='ls -alF' alias la='ls -A' alias l='ls -CF' # Add an "alert" alias for long running commands.  Use like so: #   sleep 10; alert alias alert='notify-send --urgency=low -i "$([ $? = 0 ] && echo terminal || echo error)" "$(history|tail -n1|sed -e '\''s/^\s*[0-9]\+\s*//;s/[;&|]\s*alert$//'\'')"' # Alias definitions. # You may want to put all your additions into a separate file like # ~/.bash_aliases, instead of adding them here directly. # See /usr/share/doc/bash-doc/examples in the bash-doc package. if [ -f ~/.bash_aliases ]; then    . ~/.bash_aliases fi # enable programmable completion features (you don't need to enable # this, if it's already enabled in /etc/bash.bashrc and /etc/profile # sources /etc/bash.bashrc). if ! shopt -oq posix; then  if [ -f /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion ]; then    . /usr/share/bash-completion/bash_completion  elif [ -f /etc/bash_completion ]; then    . /etc/bash_completion  fi fi PATH="/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/bin" JAVA_HOME="/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle" WILDFLY_HOME="/home/bbernales/Env/wildfly-10.1.0.Final" export PATH export JAVA_HOME export WILDFLY_HOME

Do you know what I can try next?

[Dave Tolls]

What files are in the directory you are trying to run that HelloWorldApp?
Can you list them here?

What command(s) are you running?
Can you copy/paste them here as well, along with the output?

That should help us figure out what's going on.

[Campbell Ritchie]

In .bashrc, it shou‍ld read
export PATH=/usr/bin:etc
Don't simply copy the PATH you have in /etc/environment. You don't need the same PATH twice. You shou‍ld probably miss out the quote marks in the PATH and XYZ_HOME variables, and they need export too.# PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:... export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle export WILDFLY_HOME=/home/bbernales/Env/wildfly-10.1.0.Final ...I have commented out the PATH with a # sign and shortened it for reasons explained here.
You can change your PATH temporarily by writing a similar export instruction at a terminal. If that directory actually existed, I could use Java9 for the lifetime of the current terminal with this instruction:-export PATH=/home/campbell/jdk1.9.0_999/bin:$PATHBecause Java9 precedes Java8 in the new PATH, it will take precedence over Java8.

Have you got the problem about Hello World sorted out?

[Campbell Ritchie]

Dave Tolls is right: tell us which directory you are in (pwd) and whether those files are in the same location (ls). If there are both HelloWorldApp.java and HelloWorldApp.class in your current location, show us the entire text of the .java file.

[Brian Jones Jr.]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:In .bashrc, it shou‍ld read
export PATH=/usr/bin:etc

Ok, so my export statements look like this.

PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/bin
JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle
WILDFLY_HOME=/home/bbernales/Env/wildfly-10.1.0.Final
export PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/games:/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle/bin
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle
export WILDFLY_HOME=/home/bbernales/Env/wildfly-10.1.0.Final

Campbell Ritchie wrote:
Don't simply copy the PATH you have in /etc/environment. You don't need the same PATH twice.

I removed the PATH variable definition from /etc/environment, and moved it to .bashrc. Should the PATH variable definition be in /etc/environment or in .bashrc?

Campbell Ritchie wrote:
You shou‍ld probably miss out the quote marks in the PATH and XYZ_HOME variables, and they need export too.

I removed the quote marks from all of the environment variables, and added export too.

Campbell Ritchie wrote:
# You shou‍ld probably miss out the quote marks in the PATH and XYZ_HOME variables, and they need export too.[code=bash]# PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:... export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle export WILDFLY_HOME=/home/bbernales/Env/wildfly-10.1.0.Final ...I have commented out the PATH with a # sign and shortened it for reasons explained here.
You can change your PATH temporarily by writing a similar export instruction at a terminal. If that directory actually existed, I could use Java9 for the lifetime of the current terminal with this instruction:-export PATH=/home/campbell/jdk1.9.0_999/bin:$PATHBecause Java9 precedes Java8 in the new PATH, it will take precedence over Java8.

I don't know too much about the PATH variable. I only know that I need to set it when I want to install JDK, and I just read a little about it on wikipedia. Do you think that this might be part of the problem? Can I leave my PATH variable like it is for now, and get back to this later? I rather do more research on this later, and keep it separate from this post.

Campbell Ritchie wrote:
Have you got the problem about Hello World sorted out?

No, not yet.

[Brian Jones Jr.]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:
Dave Tolls is right: tell us which directory you are in (pwd) and whether those files are in the same location (ls)

Dave Tolls wrote:
What files are in the directory you are trying to run that HelloWorldApp? Can you list them here?

These files are in the directory where I am trying to run the HelloWorldApp:
HelloWorldApp.java
HelloWorldApp.class

I used pwd from inside the folder containing these files:
/home/bbernales/workspace/HelloWorldApp

Dave Tolls wrote:
What command(s) are you running? Can you copy/paste them here as well, along with the output?

From /home/bbernales/workspace/HelloWorldApp I run the following commands and I received this output:
bbernales@ubuntu:~/workspace/HelloWorldApp$ java HelloWorldApp
Error: Could not find or load main class HelloWorldApp

I think I should include this. When I type the following, the code runs correctly:
$ java -cp . HelloWorldApp
Hello World!

Campbell Ritchie wrote:
If there are both HelloWorldApp.java and HelloWorldApp.class in your current location, show us the entire text of the .java file.

/*
 * Copyright (c) 1995, 2008, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
 *
 * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
 * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
 * are met:
 *
 *   - Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
 *     notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
 *
 *   - Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
 *     notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
 *     documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.
 *
 *   - Neither the name of Oracle or the names of its
 *     contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived
 *     from this software without specific prior written permission.
 *
 * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS
 * IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
 * THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
 * PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR
 * CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL,
 * EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO,
 * PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR
 * PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF
 * LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING
 * NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS
 * SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
 */

/** 
 * The HelloWorldApp class implements an application that
 * simply prints "Hello World!" to standard output.
 */
class HelloWorldApp {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello World!"); // Display the string.
    }
}

[Dave Tolls]

Since this works:
java -cp . HelloWorldApp

that means you have a CLASSPATH defined that is overriding the default that the java command uses.

That is the only issue now.

Your PATH is fine, since you can use the javac and java commands.
So something, somewhere is setting CLASSPATH.

[Brian Jones Jr.]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:I have commented out the PATH with a # sign and shortened it for reasons explained here.?

Ok, I just read the post. From what I understand, I should remove unnecessary details from the code. I'll make the adjustments. Thanks.

[Brian Jones Jr.]

Thanks Dave and Campbell! I will look for where this CLASSPATH variable is being set, and I'll remove it.

[Campbell Ritchie]

Brian Jones Jr. wrote:. . . Ok, so my export statements look like this.

PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/...
JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle
WILDFLY_HOME=/home/bbernales/Env/wildfly-10.1.0.Final
export PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/...
export JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-oracle
export WILDFLY_HOME=/home/bbernales/Env/wildfly-10.1.0.Final

Remove the top three lines, which only appear to be duplicates of lines 4‑6.

. . . . Should the PATH variable definition be in /etc/environment or in .bashrc?

The general PATH should be in /etc/environment. Only use .bashrc for something you installed for your own use. Otherwise any other users can't use any programs from the terminal. I think you shou‍ld restore the PATH in /etc/environment. That doesn't appear to need export.

. . . I don't know too much about the PATH variable. . . .

It is an important resource for the OS (=operating system). Whenever there is an instruction to run a program, the OS goes through the PATH looking for something with the same name.

Do you think that this might be part of the problem? Can I leave my PATH variable like it is for now, and get back to this later? . . .

No, nonononononono, no, no no, spelt y‑e‑s. I think you ought to restore the PATH to its original location, but if you are getting your terminal to run, you can get away with continuing like that for a little.
How did you install Java®? If it has settled in /usr/lib/... you probably used sudo for installation. Did you use the special technique for Ubuntu linked to from here or the .rpm installer? If you move the PATH back to /etc/environment you probably don't need a PATH in .bashrc.

If java still can't find the Hello World program, and ls has no problem finding it, that looks like a CLASSPATH problem as DT said. The code you posted looks all right. Try running it with
java -cp . HelloWorldApp
There is a contradiction between your seeing an empty line for CLASSPATH and your failing to execute the Hello World app. DT is right that something is setting a CLASSPATH. Try unset CLASSPATH without the dollar sign.
In a fit of desperation I shall suggest a couple of things, but we really are scraping the bottom of the barrel here:-

1: cd / then sudo grep -R "CLASSPATH=" * which shou‍ld find any files where you have set a CLASSPATH and forgotten.

2: export CLASSPATH=~/Documents:$CLASSPATH:~/Documents then echo $CLASSPATH
That will really mess up your CLASSPATH, but if you set it at the terminal, it won't affect other terminals. See whether you have somehow got the CLASSPATH set to whitespace only.

[Campbell Ritchie]

You can read about environment variables in the Java™ Tutorials.

[Brian Jones Jr.]

Campbell Ritchie wrote:
Remove the top three lines, which only appear to be duplicates of lines 4‑6.

OK, I made the changes.

Campbell Ritchie wrote:
I think you shou‍ld restore the PATH in /etc/environment.

I restored the PATH in /etc/environment. Removing the PATH from there ruined my OS. I had to restore from a backup lol.

Campbell Ritchie wrote:
How did you install Java®?

I was trying to learn how to install Java from command line. I think it would be helpful for use with Docker. I think I used this website:
Java CLI installation

Campbell Ritchie wrote:
In a fit of desperation I shall suggest a couple of things, but we really are scraping the bottom of the barrel here:-

1: cd / then sudo grep -R "CLASSPATH=" * which shou‍ld find any files where you have set a CLASSPATH and forgotten.

2: export CLASSPATH=~/Documents:$CLASSPATH:~/Documents then echo $CLASSPATH
That will really mess up your CLASSPATH, but if you set it at the terminal, it won't affect other terminals. See whether you have somehow got the CLASSPATH set to whitespace only.

I did the unset CLASSPATH. Now I don't see a CLASSPATH when I do an echo $CLASSPATH. The CLASSPATH doesn't get set when I close and open a new terminal. My best guess is that reinstalling the old image fixed things. I must have done something funky in the last week when I tried to set the CLASSPATH.

Thanks Campbell and Dave. I learned a lot!

[Campbell Ritchie]

Brian Jones Jr. wrote:. . . I was trying to learn how to install Java from command line. I think it would be helpful for use with Docker. I think I used this website:
Java CLI installation . . .

Our FAQ includes a link to webupd8team which seems to give instructions about the same product, but simpler than what you quoted.

What I do is to create a folder in /usr (root privileges) called java, then change its ownership
...usr$ sudo chown critchie java
and unzip the latest .tar.gz from Oracle into it. That means I need a PATH set:
export PATH=/usr/java/jdk1.8.0_121/bin:$PATH
which of course goes in .bashrc.

Thanks Campbell and Dave. I learned a lot!

Our pleasure

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