RE: java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: com.ibm.as400.access.AS400

["Joe Pluta" <joepluta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> From: Robert Upshall
>
> That fixed it.   The thing I don't understand is why I haven't gotten this
> error before.  I was told that all classes in the VAJ workspace
> were in you
> classpath, this appeared to be the case until this situation.  The IBM
> Toolkit for java IS part of my workspace and I was using successfully in
> other applications, this was the only place I have experienced this error.
>
> Can  somebody clairify if that is supposed to be the case?

I can absolutely state that you need to use the Classpath button to set your
classpath in order to run an application.  During editing, the IDE will
search your workspace to resolve imported packages, but at runtime you must
specify the classpath.  In most cases, simply using "Compute Now" will work
just fine, since you are using packages in your workspace.  I wish that were
a default behavior, but it's not.  Whenever I teach VAJ, one of the first
things I teach my students is that "NoClassDefFound" is the "Compute Now"
error.  After a few repetitions, they remember.

I suppose that by allowing you to assign your own classpath, it would
conceivably allow you to compile locally (perhaps with a stub package) then
include actual runtime JAR files at execution time.  I can see where this
might be a good thing, but it's certainly confusing when you first start
using it.  I consider the "Compute Now" issue to be one of the two most
non-intuitive parts of the IDE, the other being that you must use the
right-click, Reorganize submenu to move, copy and rename methods, classes
and packages.  I'd really love the Windows Explorer interface of
cut/copy/paste.

Joe