Compile Java with Jikes

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created 2001 · complexity advanced · author scott · version 5.7

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Here is how you use Vim to compile your Java on PCs.

1. While I'm sure this works with javac, javac is slow slow slow. So download the Jikes compiler first. (Jikes is from IBM, search on Google for jikes and you will find it.)

2. Add the following to your vimrc:

set makeprg=jikes\ -nowarn\ -Xstdout\ +E\ %
set errorformat=%f:%l:%c:%*\\d:%*\\d:%*\\s%m

3. When you are editing a java file type :make and it will compile the current file and jump you to the first error in the file (if any). Read :help quickfix for how to move between errors.

To setup your classpath environment either launch gvim from a shell that has your classpath/path setup or use the "let" command to configure it in your vimrc.

References

• :help quickfix
• :help 'efm'
• :help 'makeprg'

Comments

You also may want to try using ant as your makeprg as follows:

set makeprg=ant.bat " Use ant as the makefile (remove .bat on *nix machines)

You can get ant from reference below. Then set your errorformat to:

"For ant (http://jakarta.apache.org/) the above errorformat has to be modified
"to honour the leading [javac] in front of each javac output line:
set errorformat=%A%*\s%[javac%\] %f:%l: %m,%Z%*\s%[javac%\] symbol%*\s: %m

Put both of these in your .vimrc, use the :cn and :cp commands and have fun.

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Another quick way of getting :make to work with ant is to add the following line to your .vimrc file

makeprg=ant\ -emacs

The -emacs option converts Java formatted error messages to C-like error messages. This way you don't have to mess with the errorformat (efm) string (which I was never able to get to work).

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None of the solutions above let you specify a classpath for jikes. I currently have the following in my .vimrc:

set makeprg=jikes\ -nowarn\ -Xstdout\ +E\ -classpath\ $CLASSPATH\ %
set errorformat=%f:%l:%c:%*\\d:%*\\d:%*\\s%m

However, the $CLASSPATH isn't expanded. Is there some trick to this?

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Use the following to expand $CLASSPATH

<C-R>=$CLASSPATH<CR>

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I'm using "slow" ;) javac too. I have only this in my .vimrc:

linux:

set makeprg=javac\ %
set errorformat=%A%f:%l:\ %m,%-Z%p^,%-C%.%#

win:

set makeprg=cmd\ /c\ \"cmd\ \/c\ javac\ %\ 2>&1\"
errorformat is the same

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On the windows machine... the following works Download stderr from http://www.teaser.fr/~amajorel/stderr/ and add it to your path

set shell=cmd
set makeprg=stderr\ javac\ %
set errorformat=%A%f:%l:\ %m,%-Z%p^,%-C%.%#

To browse through the errors use

:cl
:cn
:cp

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I use ant for full builds, but when I am refactoring, and thus compiling small changes frequently, ant is way too slow. When compiling frequently I want to use jikes directly, so I have this in my .vimrc (note that makejhess is simply a script that executes ant with the right command line options for me for me):

nmap <F6> :set makeprg=jikes\ -d\ $JHESS_HOME/build\ -deprecation\ -Xstdout\ +E\ % <CR> :make <CR> :set makeprg=makejhess <CR> :cc <CR>

Thus hitting F6 changes my makeprg to jikes, executes jikes, and then switches makeprg back to ant. It takes less than a second to build my project with jikes. It take roughly 4 seconds to build it with ant, so I get a huge speed up!

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Some of you might have had problems setting up SUN's software to work with VIM correctly with WIN32. As far as compilation is concerned, most of the problems have been solved (mentioned above). However, I had problems whenever I tried to create a mapping allowing me to "execute" my new classes. Typing:

java c:\somejavaprojectsdir\MyCompiledClass

would return an error. However, using

java -cp c:\somejavaprojectsdir MyCompiledClass

would be okay.

I realized it was good enough, if I changed the working path of the file. One of the tips I found:

cd %:p:h

So, the final thing was to add something like:

augroup filetypedetect
au BufNewFile,BufRead,BufEnter *.java
 \ map <F9> :w<CR>:!javac "%"<CR> |
 \ map <F6> :!java -cp %:p:h %:t:r<CR>
augroup END

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Windows 2000 and XP support redirecting stderr.

Just do:

:set shellpipe=>\ %s\ 2>&1

Then, :make will be expanded to {makeprg} > {errorfile} 2>&1 and you'll see all the output from the make program!

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FYI if you are getting an e40 error (remember, :help e40:

:!jikes +E aka.java > C:/DOCUM~1/dhazel/LOCALS~1/Temp/VIe31f.tmp 2>&1
shell returned 1
E40: Can't open error file ...

do what the help doc says and check to make sure your mkprg, sh, etc. are all set correctly. This is probably due to a path issue (like to where your shell is).

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This is my script. i think is great because use MAPS and i can see correctly the javac error message:

set makeprg=javac\ %
set errorformat=%A%f:%l:\ %m,%-Z%p^,%-C%.%#
colorscheme oceandeep
map <F9> :make <CR>
map <F6> :!java -cp %:p:h %:t:r<CR>

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The Ant is the tool to compile Java. It is necessary when you compile multiple packages or when you use some .jar libraries. This is how I invoke the Ant:

jikes:

ant -emacs -Dbuild.compiler=jikes -Dbuild.compiler.emacs=true

javac:

ant -emacs

ejc:

ant -emacs -Dbuild.compiler=org.eclipse.jdt.core.JDTCompilerAdapter

And this is my errorformat for the all three compilers:

set efm=%f:%l:%v:%*\\d:%*\\d:%*\\s%m,%f:%l:%m,%A%*\\d.\ %t%.%#\ in\ %f,%C\ (at\ line\ %l),%-C\ %.%#,%Z%m

Note that there is tab in the last but one format.

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See the second errorformat example at :help errorformat-javac. That will print complete javac error report.

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