Java JAR can't find file

Question

I am running a program in eclipse that references a file in the program's source folder. However, when I export the program into a runnable JAR, the program cannot seem to find the file. Essentially, the program works perfect in eclipse but doesn't do so when it's a standalone program.

I've attached a photo of how I reference the file in the program.

Answer 1

Once it's in the jar, you can't find it using new File() -- it's now a class path resource. You need to use this.getClass().getResourceAsStream("/TestFileFolder/TRANSFER.xls"); (or, if your method is static, you need to use the className.class in place of getClass()).

this is actually a feature -- if for any reason you need to change the TRANSFER.xls resource, you can do so by shadowing it in the classpath without repacking the jar.