[java] Error: Could not find or load main class

I am having trouble compiling and running my Java code, intended to allow me to interface Java with a shared object for Vensim, a simulation modeling package.

The following code compiles without error:

javac -d . -cp ./apache-log4j-1.2.16/log4j-1.2.16.jar:./vensim.jar SpatialModel.java     VensimHelper.java VensimException.java VensimContextRepository.java

However, when I try to run the following:

java -cp ./apache-log4j-1.2.16/log4j-1.2.16.jar:./vensim.jar SpatialModel vars

I get the following error: "Error: Could not find or load main class SpatialModel ". My SpatialModel.java code does contain a 'main' method (below), so I'm not sure what the problem is - can anyone please help me out? Thanks.

import java.io.File;
import java.text.NumberFormat;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.List;

import org.apache.log4j.Logger;

public class SpatialModel {

    private VensimHelper vh;

    public static final String DLL_LIBNAME_PARAM = "vensim_lib_nam";

    public static final String MODEL_PATH_PARAM = "vensim_model_path";

    private final static int VENSIM_CONTEXT_CREATION_MAX_FAILURE_COUNT = 10;

    public SpatialModel() throws SpatialException {

        String libName = System.getProperty(DLL_LIBNAME_PARAM);
        String modelPath = System.getProperty(MODEL_PATH_PARAM);        

        if(libName == null || libName.trim().equals("")) {
            log.error("Vensim library name has to be set with -D" + DLL_LIBNAME_PARAM);
            throw new SpatialException("Vensim library name has to be set with -D" + DLL_LIBNAME_PARAM);
        }

        if(modelPath == null || modelPath.trim().equals("")) {
            log.error("Model path has to set with -D" + MODEL_PATH_PARAM);
            throw new SpatialException("Model path ahs to be set with -D" + MODEL_PATH_PARAM);
        }

        for (int i = 0; i < VENSIM_CONTEXT_CREATION_MAX_FAILURE_COUNT && vh == null; i++) {
            try {
                log.info("creating new vensim helper\n\tdll lib: " + libName + "\n\tmodel path: " + modelPath);
                vh = new VensimHelper(libName, modelPath);
            } catch (Throwable e) {
                log.error("An exception was thrown when initializing Vensim, try: " + i, e);
            }
        }
        if (vh == null) {
            throw new SpatialException("Can't initialize Vensim");
        }

    }

    public static void main(String[] args) throws VensimException {

        long before = System.currentTimeMillis();   
        String libName = System.getProperty(DLL_LIBNAME_PARAM);
        String modelPath = System.getProperty(MODEL_PATH_PARAM);

        if (libName == null) {
            libName = "libvensim";
        }
        if(modelPath == null) {
            modelPath = "~/BassModel.vmf";
        }

        System.setProperty(DLL_LIBNAME_PARAM, libName);
        System.setProperty(MODEL_PATH_PARAM, modelPath);

        if (args.length > 0 && args[0].equals("info")) {
            System.out.println(new VensimHelper(libName, modelPath).getVensimInfo());
        } else if (args.length > 0 && args[0].equals("vars")) {
            VensimHelper helper = new VensimHelper(libName, modelPath);
            String[] vars = helper.getVariables();
            for (String var : vars) {
                System.out.println(helper.getVariableInfo(var));
            }
        } else {

            File f = new File(".");
            System.out.println(f.getAbsolutePath());

            SpatialModel sm = new SpatialModel();
        }

        System.out.println("Execution time: " + (System.currentTimeMillis() - before));
    }

}

I was using Java 1.8, and this error suddenly occurred when I pressed "Build and clean" in NetBeans. I switched for a brief moment to 1.7 again, clicked OK, re-opened properties and switched back to 1.8, and everything worked perfectly.

I hope I can help someone out with this, as these errors can be quite time-consuming.

If so simple than many people think, me included :)

cd to Project Folder/src/package there you should see yourClass.java then run javac yourClass.java which will create yourClass.class then cd out of the src folder and into the build folder there you can run java package.youClass

I am using the Terminal on Mac or you can accomplish the same task using Command Prompt on windows

I believe you need to add the current directory to the Java classpath

java -cp .:./apache-log4j-1.2.16/log4j-1.2.16.jar:./vensim.jar SpatialModel vars

Problem is not about your main function. Check out for

javac -d . -cp ./apache-log4j-1.2.16/log4j-1.2.16.jar:./vensim.jar SpatialModel.java     VensimHelper.java VensimException.java VensimContextRepository.java

output and run it.

If the class is in a package

package thepackagename;

public class TheClassName {
  public static final void main(String[] cmd_lineParams)  {
     System.out.println("Hello World!");
  } 
}

Then calling:

java -classpath . TheClassName

results in Error: Could not find or load main class TheClassName. This is because it must be called with its fully-qualified name:

java -classpath . thepackagename.TheClassName

And this thepackagename directory must exist in the classpath. In this example, ., meaning the current directory, is the entirety of classpath. Therefore this particular example must be called from the directory in which thepackagename exists.

To be clear, the name of this class is not TheClassName, It's thepackagename.TheClassName. Attempting to execute TheClassName does not work, because no class having that name exists. Not on the current classpath anyway.

Finally, note that the compiled (.class) version is executed, not the source code (.java) version. Hence “CLASSPATH.”

I have a similar problem in Windows, it's related to the classpath. From the command line, navigate until the directory where it's located your Java file (*.java and *.class), then try again with your commands.

You have to include classpath to your javac and java commands

javac -cp . PackageName/*.java
java -cp . PackageName/ClassName_Having_main

suppose you have the following

Package Named: com.test Class Name: Hello (Having main) file is located inside "src/com/test/Hello.java"

from outside directory:

$ cd src
$ javac -cp . com/test/*.java
$ java -cp . com/test/Hello

• In windows the same thing will be working too, I already tried

I got this error because I was trying to run

javac HelloWorld.java && java HelloWorld.class

when I should have removed .class:

javac HelloWorld.java && java HelloWorld

If you are using Eclipse... I renamed my main class file and got that error. I went to "Run As" configurator and under the class path for that project, it had listed both files in the class path. I removed old class that I renamed and left the class that had the new name and it compiled and ran just fine.

I know this question was tagged with linux, but on windows, you might need to separate your cp args with a ; instead of a :.

java -cp ./apache-log4j-1.2.16/log4j-1.2.16.jar;./vensim.jar SpatialModel vars

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/7/docs/technotes/tools/windows/classpath.html

Check your BuildPath, it could be that you are referencing a library that does not exist anymore.

If you're getting this error and you are using Maven to build your Jars, then there is a good chance that you simply do not have your Java classes in src/main/java/.

In my case I created my project in Eclipse which defaults to src (rather than src/main/java/.

So I ended up with something like mypackage.morepackage.myclass and a directory structure looking like src/mypackage/morepackage/myclass, which inherently has nothing wrong. But when you run mvn clean install it will look for src/main/java/mypackage/morepackage/myclass. It will not find the class but it won't error either. So it will successfully build and you when you run your outputted Jar the result is:

Error: Could not find or load main class mypackage.morepackage.myclass

Because it simply never included your class in the packaged Jar.

java -verbose:class HelloWorld might help you understand which classes are being loaded.

Also, as mentioned before, remember to call the full qualified name (i.e. include package).

This problem occurred for me when I imported an existing project into eclipse. What happens is it copied all the files not in the package, but outside the package. Hence, when I tried run > run configurations, it couldn't find the main method because it was not in the package. All I did was copy the files into the package and Eclipse was then able to detect the main method. So ultimately make sure that Eclipse can find your main method, by making sure that your java files are in the right package.

If you work in Eclipse, just make a cleanup (project\clean.. clean all projects) of the project.

I use Anypoint Studio (an Eclipse based IDE). In my case everything worked well, until I found out that while running the java code, something totally different is executed. Then I have deleted the .class files. After this point I got the error message from this question's title. Cleaning the project didn't solve the problem.

After restarting the IDE everything worked well again.

You can try these two when you are getting the error: 'could not find or load main class'

If your class file is saved in following directory with HelloWorld program name d:\sample

1. java -cp d:\sample HelloWorld
2. java -cp . HelloWorld

Project > Clean and then make sure BuildPath > Libraries has the correct Library.

You have to set the classpath if you get the error:

Could not find or load main class XYZ

For example:

E:\>set path="c:\programfiles\Java\jdk1.7.0_17\bin"
E:\>set classpath=%classpath%;.;
E:\>javac XYZ.java
E:\>java XYZ

If you try to run a java application which needs JDK 1.6 and you are trying to run on JDK 1.4, you will come across this error. In general, trying to run a Java application on old JRE may fail. Try installing new JRE/JDK.

This solved the issue for me today:

cd /path/to/project
cd build
rm -r classes

Then clean&build it and run the individual files you need.