Cannot find a symbol error in java when compiling from command prompt

Question

Hi I have created two Java file under a directory called Utility with as follow:

FileName.java

public class FileName {
  private String name;
  public FileName (String name) {
      //some code
  }
  String getName() {
      return name;
  }
}

FileNameReader.java

public class FileNameReader {

  public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
      FileName obj = new FileName("testfile.txt");
  }

}

Now, when i am comipling throw command prompt, compiler giving me error saying cannot file symbol at FileName obj = new FileName(); this line

Don't fix your code afterwards because it completely changes the context of the question. Right now, there shouldn't be any compiler error anymore, except for the missing import statement. — QBrute, May 01 '17 at 09:47
@QBrute, I've deleted my answer because it does not make sense anymore — Manuel Schmidt, May 01 '17 at 10:02

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered May 01 '17 at 08:32

Here:

public SearchFile(String name) {

That would be the constructor of a class called SearchFile.

But your class is named FileName; so you have have to rename everything (class and file name) to SearchFile; or you change the ctor to say public FileName(String name) instead.

Beyond that: that class only has a constructor taking a string argument. But your other class goes for new FileName() without providing an argument. That will not work either.

But the real answer here: such "subtle" details matter. You have to pay close attention to each and any line of code that you write down. And: you run the compiler immediately after you have "finished" something of which you think it should compile. You don't create 2, 3 files with 10, 20, 50 lines of code to then find out that you have a bunch of problems in each file!

Probably you have many different errors. Go file by file, start with those that don't depend on others. — GhostCat, May 01 '17 at 09:02

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered May 01 '17 at 08:50

You have to problems in your FileNameReader class:

You need to import the IOException by adding
```
import java.io.IOException;
```
You have created an explicit constructor for FileName with a String argument, so the implicit default constructor is no longer visible. You need to provide that String when creating a new instance:
```
FileName obj = new FileName("someString");
```

This FileNameReader.java compiles:

import java.io.IOException;

public class FileNameReader {

  public static void main(String[] args) throws IOException {
      FileName obj = new FileName("someString");
  }

}

Cannot find a symbol error in java when compiling from command prompt

2 Answers2