"class, interface, or enum expected." Error when compiling java files.

Question

First, the code in question:

package net.foo.server;

import at;
import ay;
import bi;
import bj;
import bl;
import ck;
import cw;
import da;
import dp;
import ds;
import dt;
import dw;
import ep;
import fa;
import fd;
import fi;
import fl;
import ge;
import ho;
import ht;
import java.awt.GraphicsEnvironment;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.PrintStream;
import java.net.InetAddress;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Collections;
import java.util.HashMap;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.Set;
import java.util.logging.Level;
import java.util.logging.Logger;

Next, the errors:

net\foo\server\fooServer.java:8: '.' expected
import at;
         ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:8: ';' expected
import at;
          ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:9: class, interface, or enum expected
import ay;
       ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:10: '.' expected
import bi;
         ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:10: ';' expected
import bi;
          ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:11: class, interface, or enum expected

import bj;
       ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:12: '.' expected
import bl;
         ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:12: ';' expected
import bl;
          ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:13: class, interface, or enum expected

import ck;
       ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:14: '.' expected
import cw;
         ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:14: ';' expected
import cw;
          ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:15: class, interface, or enum expected

import da;
       ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:16: '.' expected
import dp;
         ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:16: ';' expected
import dp;
          ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:17: class, interface, or enum expected

import ds;
       ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:18: '.' expected
import dt;
         ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:18: ';' expected
import dt;
          ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:19: class, interface, or enum expected

import dw;
       ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:20: '.' expected
import ep;
         ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:20: ';' expected
import ep;
          ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:21: class, interface, or enum expected

import fa;
       ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:22: '.' expected
import fd;
         ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:22: ';' expected
import fd;
          ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:23: class, interface, or enum expected

import fi;
       ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:24: '.' expected
import fl;
         ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:24: ';' expected
import fl;
          ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:25: class, interface, or enum expected

import ge;
       ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:26: '.' expected
import ho;
         ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:26: ';' expected
import ho;
          ^
net\foo\server\fooServer.java:27: class, interface, or enum expected

import ht;
       ^
30 errors

I have already made sure the the CLASSPATH variable includes the directory. Anybody have any clue? (Note: the compiler is only having trouble with my classes

Answer 1

For starters, you are importing a whole bunch of classes into a .java file that doesn't declare anything. That's what the class, interface, or enum expected message is about.

After all those imports, you would declare a class (or interface, or enum) like this:

package net.foo.server;

/*
 * import statements 
*/

public class MyClass {
    // fields, methods, etc. here
}

---

What are the randomly-named 2-letter packages you're importing?

Answer 2

You can't import classes like that unless they are part of a package outside the package this class is in. If these classes are outside, you are going to have to explicitly import them or use the * wildcard to import them all at the same time.

Answer 3

Import statements are used to import types. There's no concept of importing a package the way you've written your code.

You can import every type in a package using star-notation, e.g.,

import at.*;

But you cannot just import the package "at." This is the source of all the compiler issues you're seeing.

I'd further point out that completely undescriptive two-letter package names without any hierarchy whatsoever goes very much against well-established naming and organization conventions in Java. I refer you to a Wikipedia link on naming conventions found by simply Googling for "Java package names."

I recommend you become more familiar with the language conventions. These conventions are used because they make things a lot easier on you as well as anybody else who wants to read your code.