What is the difference between Class Path and Build Path

Question

I\'m confused with these two terms.

Also what should I do to create a file under the src folder of a Spring MVC Project? When I create using a File object it create

Answer 1

I would like to add to Andreas_D's answer to explain that the build path is required by the IDE/compiler to locate external packages and classes used by your code. We sometimes refer to these as 'dependencies'.

NB: These external packages may be packaged inside a compressed .jar file or indeed, there may be several jar files packaged inside a 'library'. A library or group of libraries often make up a 'framework'.

If your code requires code written by others, you can import them into your class using the import command. However, this command on its own is insufficient as the compiler or IDE needs to know where those classes are located. You specify this in the build path.

The classpath on the other hand tells the JVM running your application where to find any dependencies during the actual execution of your code.

Also to note: Classpath is for use by the JVM.

Buildpath is for use by the IDE/compiler and is a means to construct the classpath from your development environment. When you configure your buildpath via your IDE, you are also configuring a hidden file in your project called .classpath. This is used to provide the classpath to JVM at deployment.