Resolving the Error: can not find or load main class com.briar.Agent in Java Applications

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Project Structure Overview

Let’s start with a brief overview of the project structure based on the provided details:

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The Problem Explained

Incorrect MANIFEST.MF configuration in the JAR file.

The absence of the specified class in the JAR file.

A misconfigured classpath.

Checking the MANIFEST.MF File

The MANIFEST.MF file embedded within the JAR specifies critical metadata about the application, including the Main-Class attribute. This attribute tells the Java runtime which class contains the main method to kickstart the execution.

In this case, after examining the MANIFEST.MF file, it was confirmed that the Main-Class entry was present. However, the presence of a classpath configuration was leading to issues.

Solution: Correcting the Manifest File

The main issue identified was a misconfiguration in the MANIFEST.MF file, particularly the classpath attribute. Follow these steps to correct this issue to successfully run your application:

Locate the transformers section within the Shade Plugin configuration. The goal here is to remove the classpath attribute from the manifest entries. Here’s how to do it:

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Remove the Class-Path entry - Ensure you do not include a Class-Path entry in this section, as it can lead to class loading problems (as seen in your error).

Rebuild your project by running:

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Ensure to clean the previous builds to avoid carrying over potential errors.

Navigate to the target directory and run your JAR file again:

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Confirm execution - If configured correctly, your application should start without throwing the initial error.

Conclusion

If you ever face this issue again, keep this solution at hand, and you’ll be able to debug effectively.

Happy coding!