Packages

Sudhir Talasila
Preeti Navale
 Introduction
• Packages are nothing more than the way we
organize files into different directories according
to their functionality, usability as well as category
they should belong to .

• A Java package is a Java programming language

mechanism for organizing classes into
namespaces.
Intoduction
• Java source files belonging to the same category or
providing similar functionality can include a package
statement at the top of the file to designate the
package for the classes the source file defines.
• Java packages can be stored in compressed files
called JAR files.
• An obvious example of packaging is the JDK
package from SUN (java.xxx.yyy) as shown below:
Introduction
Introduction
• Packaging also help us to avoid class name collision
when we use the same class name as that of others.
• For example, if we have a class name called
"Vector", its name would crash with the Vector class
from JDK. However, this never happens because
JDK uses java.util as a package name for the Vector
class (java.util.Vector ).
• Understanding the concept of a package will also
help us manage and use files stored in jar files in
more efficient ways.
Using Packages
• To use a package inside a Java source file, it
is convenient to import the classes from the
package with an import statement.
• import java.awt.event.*;
• The above statement imports all classes from
the java.awt.event package.
Package access protection
• Classes within a package can access classes
and members declared with default access
and class members declared with the
protected access modifier.
• Default access is enforced when neither the
public, protected nor private access modifier
is specified in the declaration.
Creation Of Jar Files
• In Java source files the package the file belongs to is
specified with the package keyword .
• package java.awt.event;
• JAR Files are created with the jar command-line
utility.
• The command “jar cf myPackage.jar *.class”
compresses all *.class files into the JAR file
myPackage.jar.
Package Naming Conventions

• Packages are usually defined using a

hierarchical naming pattern, with levels in the
hierarchy separated by periods (.) .
• Although packages lower in the naming
hierarchy are often referred to a
"subpackages" of the corresponding
packages higher in the hierarchy, there is no
semantic relationship between packages.
Organizational Package Naming
Conventions

• Package names should be all lowercase characters

whenever possible.
• Frequently a package name begins with the
top level domain name of the organization
and then the organization's domain and then
any subdomains listed in reverse order.
• The organization can then choose a specific name for
their package..
Package Design Guidelines

• Design Guideline Package Cohesion

– Only closely related classes should belong to the same
package.
– Classes that change together should belong to the same
package.
– Classes that are not reused together should not belong to
the same package.
Coding and compiling
• At the top of each of the source files (before
any imports or anything else other than
comments), you should have a package
declaration.
• For example, CompanyApp.java would start
with:
• package com.mycompanypackage;
Coding and Compiling
• At the top of each of your source files (before
any imports or anything else other than
comments), you should have a package
declaration. For example, CompanyApp.java
would start with: package
com.mycompanypackage;
Running the application
• Many people "accidentally" end up with their classes
in the right place, etc, just by luck, but then run into
errors like:
• java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: MyCompanyApp
(wrong name:
com/mycompanypackage/MyCompanyApp.
• c:\java\com\mycompanypackage> java
MyCompanyApp
Running the Application
• Here's how to avoid it:
• Stay in your "root" directory, eg c:\java
• Always use the fully qualified classname.
So, for example:
• c:\java> java
com.mycompanypackage.MyCompanyApp
Package Declaration
• Package declaration is file based;
– All classes in the same source file belong to the same
package.
– Each source file may contain an optional package
declaration in the following form.
Package packagename;
– Let us consider the source file ElevatorFrame.java, for
example.
Package elevator;
Public class ElevatorFrame
{ public double x; //……..}
Package Declaration
• The package declaration at the top of the source file declares
that the ElevatorFrame class belongs to the package named
elevator.
• When the package declaration is absent from a file, all the
classes contained in the file belong to unnamed package.
• A class in a named package can be referred in two ways.
Using Packages
– Class in a named package can be referred to in two
different ways
• Using the fully qualified name packagename.ClassName
• We can refer to the ElevatorPanel class in package elevator as
elevator.ElevatorPlanel
Importing a class in the package

• Importing the class using the simple class name

– We can import a class or all the classes in the designated
package using
Import packagename.ClassName;
Import packagename.*;
– The ElevatorPanel class in package elevator can simply be
referred to as elevator when either of the following import
clauses occurs at the top of source file
Import elevator.ElevatorPanel;
Import elevator.*;
Packages – Directory Paths

• The CLASSPATH
– List of directories and/or jar files. The compiler will look in
these directories for any precompiled files it needs.
– The CLASSPATH can be set as an environmental variable or
specified on the command line using –classpath option.
– The CLASSPATH is also used by the Java Virtual Machine
to load classes.
Compile Package Classes

• Compile the program

– To compile the program, we must change the working
directory to the source directory root, and issue the following
command
c:\project> javac -d . elevator\*.java
– By compiling everything, we get the recent version of all the
classes.
– Specify –d . option to tell the compiler to put the classes in a
package structure starting at the root.
Common Mistakes
• Common mistakes while running the program
– The directory structure for elevator program is
C:\Project\elevator.
– Run the program from elevator directory, and we will get the
following error message

c:\project\elevator>java ElevatorSimulation
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError:
ElevatorSimulation
– The program runs successfully by running the program from
c:\project directory.
Incorrect CLASSPATH
• Running the program with incorrect CLASSPATH
– Example: If the directory c:\project is not added to the
CLASSPATH, and if you run the program, we will get the
following error message

c:\project>java eElevator.ElevatorSimulation
Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError:
elevator/ElevatorSimulation
Solution
• Add c:\project to the CLASSPATH, and rerun the
program.
• The program is launched successfully without any
error messages.
References
• Object – Oriented Software Development
Using Java 2nd Edition – Xiaoping Jia
• Java Language Specifications - Chapter 7
Packages
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/second_edi
tion/html/packages.doc.html