Can Wildcards Simplify Your Java Classpath?

Using Wildcards for Multiple JAR Files in Classpath

The ever-expanding number of third-party libraries can overwhelm your CLASSPATH, making it unwieldy and challenging to manage. Fortunately, there is a solution that simplifies this process: using wildcards (*).

According to official documentation from Java SE 6, class path entries can incorporate the wildcard character . This wildcard represents a list of all files in a directory with the extension .jar or .JAR. For instance, the entry "foo/" will encompass all JAR files within the "foo" directory.

To include all JAR files in the current directory, simply specify a classpath entry consisting of *. Interestingly, this wildcard functionality only seems to work in Java 6 and may not be supported in Java 5.

If you encounter issues using the wildcard, try enclosing the directory path in quotes, such as "foo/*". This notation may resolve any inconsistencies. By utilizing wildcards, you can effectively shorten your CLASSPATH, eliminating the need for enumerating individual JAR file paths.

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