Does java -jar option alter classpath options

Question

I have a jar file which mentions the main class in the manifest. When I try to execute the jar using the following command

java -cp .;./* com.foo.MainClass
<         


        

Answer 1

Here is a good discussion on this issue.

Answer 2

You will need your own classloader to deal with this. -jar only respects the information in the Manifest and wildcards are not allowed there.

You might find the example of a reloadable class useful: http://www.exampledepot.com/egs/java.lang/ReloadClass.html

Answer 3

From this,

An executable JAR must reference all the other dependent JARs it requires through the Class-Path header of the manifest file. The environment variable CLASSPATH and any class path specified on the command line is ignored by the JVM if the -jar option is used.