• Using the main method.

Using the main method. The Main class has a main method. This is the classical way to invoke the batch compiler on a command-line.

• For example on a command-line:
  java -classpath jdtcore.jar org.eclipse.jdt.internal.compiler.batch.Main -classpath rt.jar A.java
  or:
  java -jar jdtcore.jar org.eclipse.jdt.internal.compiler.batch.Main -classpath rt.jar A.java
• For example in a java source:

org.eclipse.jdt.internal.compiler.batch.Main.main(new String[] {"-classpath", "rt.jar", "A.java"});

• Using the static compile(String) method.

The compile(String) method is a convenient method to invoke the batch compiler in a java application.
Instead of:

• org.eclipse.jdt.internal.compiler.batch.Main.main(new String[] {"-classpath", "rt.jar", "A.java"});
• you can simply write: org.eclipse.jdt.internal.compiler.batch.Main.compile("-classpath rt.jar A.java");

With the orange background, these are suggested options.

 

Name	Usage
Classpath options
-bootclasspath <dir 1>;<dir 2>;...;<dir P>	This is a list of directory or jar files used to bootstrap the class files used by the compiler. By default the libraries of the running VM are used. Entries are separated by the platform path separator.
-cp -classpath <dir 1>;<dir 2>;...;<dir P>	This is a list of directory or jar files used to compile the source files. The default value is the value of the property "java.class.path". Entries are separated by the platform path separator.
-extdirs <dir 1>;<dir 2>;...;<dir P>	This is a list of directory used to specify the location of extension zip/jar files. Entries are separated by the platform path separator.
-sourcepath <dir 1>;<dir 2>;...;<dir P>	This is a list of directory used to specify the source files. Entries are separated by the platform path separator.
-d <dir 1>|none	This is used to specify in which directory the generated .class files should be dumped. If it is omitted, no package directory structure is created. If you don't want to generate .class files, use -d none.
-encoding <encoding name>	Specify default source encoding format (custom encoding can also be specifed on a per file basis by suffixing each input source file/folder name with [encoding <encoding name>]).
Compliance options
-target 1.1|1.2|1.3|1.4|1.5|5|5.0	This specifies the classfile target setting. The possible value are: 1.1 (major version: 45 minor: 3) 1.2 (major version: 46 minor: 0) 1.3 (major version: 47 minor: 0) 1.4 (major version: 48 minor: 0) 1.5, 5 or 5.0 (major version: 49 minor: 0) Defaults are: 1.1 in -1.3 mode 1.2 in -1.4 mode 1.5 in -1.5 mode
-1.3	Set compliance level to 1.3. Implicit -source 1.3 -target 1.1.
-1.4	Set compliance level to 1.4 (default). Implicit -source 1.3 -target 1.2.
-1.5	Set compliance level to 1.5. Implicit -source 1.5 -target 1.5.
-source 1.3|1.4|1.5|5|5.0	This is used to enable the source level of the compiler. The possible value are: 1.3 1.4 1.5, 5 or 5.0 Defaults are: 1.3 in -1.3 mode 1.4 in -1.4 mode 1.5 in -1.5 mode In 1.4, assert is treated as a keyword. In 1.5, enum and assert are treated as a keyword.
Warning options
-warn: allDeprecation allJavadoc assertIdentifier boxing charConcat conditionAssign constructorName dep-ann deprecation emptyBlock enumSwitch fieldHiding finalBound finally hiding incomplete-switch indirectStatic intfAnnotation intfNonInherited javadoc localHiding maskedCatchBlocks nls noEffectAssign null over-ann pkgDefaultMethod semicolon serial specialParamHiding static-access staticReceiver suppress synthetic-access syntheticAccess tasks(<task1>|...|<taskN>) typeHiding unchecked unnecessaryElse unqualified-field-access unqualifiedField uselessTypeCheck unused unusedArgument unusedImport unusedLocal unusedPrivate unusedThrown varargsCast warningToken	Set warning level. e.g. -warn:unusedLocals,deprecation In red are the default settings. -warn:<warnings separated by ,> enable exactly the listed warnings -warn:+<warnings separated by ,> enable additional warnings -warn:-<warnings separated by ,> disable specific warnings allDeprecation deprecation even inside deprecated code allJavadoc invalid or missing javadoc assertIdentifier occurrence of assert used as identifier boxing autoboxing conversion charConcat when a char array is used in a string concatenation without being converted explicitely to a string conditionAssign possible accidental boolean assignment constructorName method with constructor name dep-ann missing @Deprecated annotation deprecation usage of deprecated type or member outside deprecated code emptyBlock undocumented empty block enumSwitch, incomplete-switch incomplete enum switch fieldHiding field hiding another variable finalBound type parameter with final bound finally finally block not completing normally hiding macro for fieldHiding, localHiding, typeHiding and maskedCatchBlock indirectStatic indirect reference to static member intfAnnotation annotation type used as super interface intfNonInherited interface non-inherited method compatibility javadoc invalid javadoc localHiding local variable hiding another variable maskedCatchBlocks hidden catch block nls non-nls string literals (lacking of tags //$NON-NLS-<n>) noEffectAssign for assignment with no effect null missing or redundant null check over-ann missing @Override annotation pkgDefaultMethod attempt to override package-default method serial missing serialVersionUID semicolon unnecessary semicolon or empty statement specialParamHiding constructor or setter parameter hiding another field static-access macro for indirectStatic and staticReceiver staticReceiver if a non static receiver is used to get a static field or call a static method suppress enable @SuppressWarnings syntheticAccess, synthetic-access when performing synthetic access for innerclass tasks enable support for tasks tags in source code typeHiding type parameter hiding another type unchecked unchecked type operation unnecessaryElse unnecessary else clause unqualified-field-access, unqualifiedField unqualified reference to field unused macro for unusedArgument, unusedImport, unusedLocal, unusedPrivate and unusedThrown unusedArgument unused method argument unusedImport unused import reference unusedLocal unused local variable unusedPrivate unused private member declaration unusedThrown unused declared thrown exception uselessTypeCheck unnecessary cast/instanceof operation varargsCast varargs argument need explicit cast warningToken unhandled warning token in @SuppressWarningsb
-nowarn	No warning (equivalent to -warn:none)
-deprecation	Equivalent to -warn:deprecation.
Debug options
-g[:none|:lines,vars,source]	Set the debug attributes level -g All debug info (equivalent to -g:lines,vars,source) -g:none No debug info -g:[lines,vars,source] Selective debug info
-preserveAllLocals	Explicitly request the compiler to preserve all local variables (for debug purpose). If omitted, the compiler will removed unused locals.
Advanced options
@<file>	Read command-line arguments from file
-maxProblems <n>	Max number of problems per compilation unit (100 by default)
-log <filename>	Specify a log file in which all output from the compiler will be dumped. This is really useful if you want to debug the batch compiler or get a file which contains all errors and warnings from a batch build. If the extension is .xml, the generated log will be a xml file.
-proceedOnError	Keep compiling when error, dumping class files with problem methods or problem types. This is recommanded only if you want to be able to run your application even if you have remaining errors.
-verbose	Print accessed/processed compilation units in the console or the log file if specified.
-referenceInfo	Compute reference info. This is useful only if connected to the builder. The reference infos are useless otherwise.
-progress	Show progress (only in -log mode)
-time	Display speed information
-noExit	Do not call System.exit(n) at end of compilation (n=0 if no error)
-repeat <n>	Repeat compilation process <n> times (perf analysis).
-inlineJSR	Inline JSR bytecode (implicit if target >= 1.5)
-enableJavadoc	Consider references inside javadoc
Helping options
-? -help	Display the help message
-v -version	Display the build number of the compiler. This is very useful to report a bug.
-showversion	Display the build number of the compiler and continue. This is very useful to report a bug.

d:\temp -classpath rt.jar -time -g -d d:/tmp	It compiles all source files in d:\temp and its subfolders. The classpath is simply rt.jar. It generates all debug attributes and all generated .class files are dumped in d:\tmp. The speed of the compiler will be displayed once the batch process is completed.
d:\temp\Test.java -classpath d:\temp;rt.jar -g:none	It compiles only Test.java and it will retrieve any dependant files from d:\temp. The classpath is rt.jar and d:\temp, which means that all necessary classes are searched first in d:\temp and then in rt.jar. It generates no debug attributes and all generated .class files are dumped in d:\tmp.