Using acm.jar

The ACM Java Task Force (JTF) created an API framework for Java programs which is distributed in the file acm.jar.

Programs using acm.jar may be compiled and executed from the command line, or within your favorite Java IDE (e.g., Netbeans, DrJava). It is also possible to run your JTF programs as an applet within a browser or via the appletviewer.

While the IDEs have their own way of incorporating the acm.jar file, if you want it included at those times you are compiling or running java at the command line you have three options:

-. manually add acm.jar each time

You can add ``-classpath .:/usr/share/java/acm.jar `` to your command as in: 

 javac -classpath .:/usr/share/java/acm.jar MyApplet.java

-. change your environment for the current session

You can add acm.jar to your classpath in your current bash shell (your terminal session) with the following command: 

test -z $CLASSPATH && export CLASSPATH=.:/usr/share/java/acm.jar || export CLASSPATH=.:/usr/share/java/acm.jar:$CLASSPATH

If you enter (or cut and paste) the above command in your terminal it will create a classpath for you if you don't have one, or it will add acm.jar to your existing classpath if you already have one.

-. Change your environment for all sessions

If you are going to be using acm.jar regularly, the easiest thing to do in the long run is to set your classpath in your .bashrc file. 1) If you do this then once the change is in place any time you open a terminal your classpath will be set for you.

To make this modification, edit the file ~/.bashrc and add the following lines to it at the end: 

#
# Added to include current directory and acm.jar to the CLASSPATH
#
 if [ -z "$CLASSPATH" ]; then
      export CLASSPATH=.:/usr/share/java/acm.jar
 else
      export CLASSPATH=$CLASSPATH.:/usr/share/java/acm.jar:$CLASSPATH
 fi

The lines above do the exact same thing as the ``test -z`` line in the previous section does, but they do it less opaquely and so are a better choice for your .bashrc file. Once you add these lines and save your .bashrc file, and time2) you open a terminal your classpath will be set for you.

Out of date information

The information that follows is largely obsolete, it is left here for reference purposes only

Here are Linux/Mac command line instructions for preparing your JTF programs to run as an applet:

  • Compile your program with acm.jar on the class path:

``javac -classpath acm.jar MyApplet.java`` (this creates the file MyApplet.class)

  • Create a copy of the acm.jar file:

``cp acm.jar MyApplet.jar``

  • Add your compiled class file(s) to your new jar file:

``jar uf MyApplet.jar MyApplet.class``

  • Create an HTML file containing the applet tag for your program. For example, here is MyApplet.html:
<html>
  <applet archive=MyApplet.jar
          code=MyApplet.class
          width=500 height=300>
  </applet>
</html>
  • Run your applet, either by opening MyApplet.html in your favorite browser, or via the appletviewer:

``appletviewer MyApplet.html``

1)
You didn't change your shell did you? Everyone here defaults to bash, if you changed it, then hopefully you know how to set variables in your new shell. If you are not sure, enter ``echo $SHELL`` at a prompt, it should come back with ``/bin/bash``.
2)
I hope someone is saying “But Greg, the .bashrc file is not always read, there are some circumstances where the .bash_login will be read instead!” True, but here at CS, your .bash_login sources (executes the lines in) your .bashrc and since these pages are for users of the CS system, those cases are accounted for. If you are trying to use this page for help and you are not on our system, add the line ``source ~/.bashrc`` to your .bash_login.