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Trail: Getting Started
Lesson: Your First Cup of Java

Your First Cup of Java (for Microsoft Windows)

Detailed Instructions
for Your First Program

The following instructions will help you write your first program. These instructions are for users of Microsoft Windows platforms, which include Windows 95/98/2000/ME/XP/NT 4.0. We start with a checklist of what you need to write your first program. Next, we cover the steps to creating an application, steps to creating an applet, and explanations of error messages you may encounter.

1. A Checklist 2. Creating Your First Application
     a. Create a Java Source File
     b. Compile the Source File
     c. Run the Program
3. Creating Your First Applet 4. Where to Go from Here


1. A Checklist 

To write your first program, you need:
  1. The JavaTM 2 Platform, Standard Edition. You can download the SDK now (outside of the tutorial) and consult the installation instructions (outside of the tutorial). (Make sure you download the SDK, not the JRE.)
  2. A text editor. In this example, we'll use NotePad, the simple editor included with the Windows platforms. To find NotePad, from the Start menu select Programs > Accessories > NotePad. You can easily adapt these instructions if you use a different text editor. 
These two items are all you need to write your first Java program.
Note: You may want to consider using an IDE to help you write your programs. Java 2 SDK, Standard Edition v. 1.4, is available bundled with an IDE, the Sun™ ONE Studio 4, Community Edition (formerly known as the ForteTM for JavaTM, Community Edition). You can download this Sun ONE Studio bundle from the 1.4 download page (outside of the tutorial).

2. Creating Your First Application
 
Why Bytecodes are Cool

So, you've heard that with the Java programming language, you can "write once, run anywhere." This means that when you compile your program, you don't generate instructions for one specific platform. Instead, you generate Java bytecodes, which are instructions for the Java Virtual Machine (Java VM). If your platform--whether it's Windows, UNIX, MacOS, or an Internet browser--has the Java VM, it can understand those bytecodes.
 
Your first program, HelloWorldApp, will simply display the greeting "Hello world!". To create this program, you will: 
  • Create a source file. A source file contains text, written in the Java programming language, that you and other programmers can understand. You can use any text editor to create and edit source files.

    •  
  • Compile the source file into a bytecode file. The compiler, javac, takes your source file and translates its text into instructions that the Java Virtual Machine (Java VM) can understand. The compiler converts these instructions into a bytecode file.

    •  
  • Run the program contained in the bytecode file. The Java interpreter installed on your computer implements the Java VM. This interpreter takes your bytecode file and carries out the instructions by translating them into instructions that your computer can understand.

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a. Create a Source File.

To create a source file, you have two options:
  • You can save the file HelloWorldApp.java (in a .java source file) on your computer and avoid a lot of typing. Then, you can go straight to step b.

  • Or, you can follow these longer instructions:

1. Start NotePad. In a new document, type in the following code:

/**
 * The HelloWorldApp class implements an application that
 * displays "Hello World!" to the standard output.
 */
public class HelloWorldApp {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Display "Hello World!"
        System.out.println("Hello World!");
    }
}
 
 Be Careful When You Type

Type all code, commands, and file names exactly as shown. The Java compiler and interpreter are case-sensitive, so you must capitalize consistently.

HelloWorldApp  helloworldapp
2. Save this code to a file. From the menu bar, select File > Save As. In the Save As dialog box: 
    • Using the Save in drop-down menu, specify the folder (directory) where you'll save your file. In this example, the directory is java on the C drive.
    • In the File name text box, type "HelloWorldApp.java", including the double quotation marks.
    • From the Save as type drop-down menu, choose Text Document. 
When you're finished, the dialog box should look like this:

Now click Save, and exit NotePad.
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b. Compile the Source File.

From the Start menu, select the MS-DOS Prompt application (Windows 95/98) or Command Prompt application (Windows NT). When the application launches, it should look like this:

The prompt shows your current directory. When you bring up the prompt for Windows 95/98, your current directory is usually WINDOWS on your C drive (as shown above) or WINNT for Windows NT. To compile your source code file, change your current directory to the directory where your file is located. For example, if your source directory is java on the C drive, you would type the following command at the prompt and press Enter:

 cd c:\java 

Now the prompt should change to C:\java>.

Note: To change to a directory on a different drive, you must type an extra command.
 
As shown here, to change to the java directory on the D drive, you must reenter the drive, d:

If you enter dir at the prompt, you should see your file.

Now you can compile. At the prompt, type the following command and press Enter:

 javac HelloWorldApp.java 

If your prompt reappears without error messages, congratulations. You have successfully compiled your program.

 
Error Explanation

Bad command or file name (Windows 95/98)

The name specified is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program or batch file (Windows NT)

If you receive this error, Windows cannot find the Java compiler, javac.

Here's one way to tell Windows where to find javac. Suppose you installed the Java 2 Software Development Kit in C:\jdk1.4. At the prompt you would type the following command and press Enter:  

C:\jdk1.4\bin\javac HelloWorldApp.java
Note: If you choose this option, each time you compile or run a program, you'll have to precede your javac and java commands with C:\jdk1.4\bin\. To avoid this extra typing, consult the section Update the PATH variable (outside of the tutorial) in the installation instructions.


The compiler has generated a Java bytecode file, HelloWorldApp.class. At the prompt, type dir to see the new file that was generated:

Now that you have a .class file, you can run your program.
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c. Run the Program.

In the same directory, enter at the prompt:
 java HelloWorldApp 
Now you should see:

Congratulations! Your program works.
 
Error Explanation

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: HelloWorldApp

If you receive this error, java cannot find your bytecode file, HelloWorldApp.class.

One of the places java tries to find your bytecode file is your current directory. So, if your bytecode file is in C:\java, you should change your current directory to that. To change your directory, type the following command at the prompt and press Enter: 

cd c:\java
The prompt should change to C:\java>. If you enter dir at the prompt, you should see your .java and .class files. Now enter java HelloWorldApp again.

If you still have problems, you might have to change your CLASSPATH variable. To see if this is necessary, try "clobbering" the classpath with the following command: 

set CLASSPATH=
Now enter java HelloWorldApp again. If the program works now, you'll have to change your CLASSPATH variable. For more information, consult the section 5. Update the PATH variable (outside of the tutorial) in the installation instructions.
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3. Creating Your First Applet

HelloWorldApp is an example of a Java application, a standalone program. Now you will create a Java applet called HelloWorld, which also displays the greeting "Hello world!". Unlike HelloWorldApp, however, the applet runs in a Java-enabled Web browser such as HotJava, Netscape Navigator, or Microsoft Internet Explorer.

To create this applet, you'll perform the basic steps as before: create a Java source file; compile the source file; and run the program.

a. Create a Java Source File.

Again, you have two options:

  • You can save the files HelloWorld.java (in a .java source file) and Hello.html on your computer and avoid a lot of typing. Then, you can go straight to step b.

  • Or, you can follow these instructions:

1. Start NotePad. Type the following code into a new document: 

import java.applet.*;
import java.awt.*;
 
/**
 * The HelloWorld class implements an applet that
 * simply displays "Hello World!".
 */
public class HelloWorld extends Applet {
    public void paint(Graphics g) {
        // Display "Hello World!"
        g.drawString("Hello world!", 50, 25);
    }
}

Save this code to a file called HelloWorld.java.

2. You also need an HTML file to accompany your applet. Type the following code into a new NotePad document:

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>A Simple Program</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
Here is the output of my program:
<APPLET CODE="HelloWorld.class" WIDTH=150 HEIGHT=25>
</APPLET>
</BODY>
</HTML>

Save this code to a file called Hello.html.

b. Compile the Source File.

At the prompt, type the following command and press Return:

 javac HelloWorld.java

The compiler should generate a Java bytecode file, HelloWorld.class.

c. Run the Program.

Although you can view your applets using a Web browser, you may find it easier to test your applets using the simple appletviewer application that comes with the JavaTM Platform. To view the HelloWorld applet using appletviewer, enter at the prompt:

 appletviewer Hello.html

Now you should see:

Congratulations! Your applet works.

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4. Where to Go from Here

To continue your introduction to the Java programming language, check out these trails:

  Getting Started (in the Getting Started trail)
  Learning the Java Language (in the Getting Started trail)

If you have feedback on these instructions -- whether you love them or had trouble following them -- please tell us.

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