1. Copy the JARs you'll be using to your project if you haven't done so already. Here's how it's conventionally done:
1. Create a new folder named
lib
in your project folder. This stands for "libraries" and will contain all the JARs you'll be using for that project.
2. Copy the JARs you need to
lib
.
3. 
Copied JARs to the project.
Refresh your project by right clicking the project name and selecting Refresh. The
lib
folder will now be visible in Eclipse with the JARs inside.
2. Complete either of the following to finish configuring your build path.
1. Expand
lib
in Eclipse and select all the JARs you need.
2. Right click the JARs and navigate to
Build Path
.
3. Select
Add to Build Path
. The JARs will disappear from
lib
and reappear in
Referenced Libraries
.
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|
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1. Right click the project name and navigate to
Build Path
.
2. Select
Configure Build Path...
and the project properties window will appear showing your build path configurations.
3. Select the
Libraries
tab.
4. Click
Add JARs...
5. Locate and select the JARs you want and click OK. The JARs will now appear in the list of libraries in the build path.
6. Click OK to close the properties window. The JARs will now be in
Referenced Libraries
instead of
lib
.
Note: It is much better to reference jars that exist in your project or in other projects - this allows you to check in all of your dependencies to your version control system. (You are using version control, right?)
Use one of the following methods.
This is the preferred method, as it allows different developers of a common project to locate their external jars in different places.
1. Right click the project name and navigate to
Build Path
.
2. Select
Configure Build Path...
and the project properties window will appear showing your build path configurations.
3. Click
Add Variable...
4. Click
Configure Variables...
5. Click
New...
6. Type a name for the new variable. For example, if these are jars for Tomcat, perhaps call it TOMCAT_JARS
7. Browse to the directory that contains the jar for the path. (You can also select a specific jar file for the variable, if you prefer.)
8. Click
Ok
to define the variable
9. Click
Ok
to close the preferences dialog
10. Select the variable from the list
11. Click
Extend...
12. Select the jar(s) that you want to add to the classpath
13. Click
Ok
to close the extend dialog
14. Click
Ok
to close the new classpath variable dialog
15. Click
Ok
to close the build path setup dialog
If you share the project with someone else, they must also define the variable. They can define it under
Preferences->Java->Build Path->Classpath Variables">Window->Preferences->Java->Build Path->Classpath Variables
Note that if you use this method, the external jar will need to be in the same location on the hard drive for anyone who uses this project. This can make sharing a common project more difficult.
1. Right click the project name and navigate to
Build Path
.
2. Select
Add External Archives...
3. Locate and select the JARs you want and click
Open
. The JARs will now appear in
Referenced Libraries
.
Note that if you use this method, the external jar will need to be in the same location on the hard drive for anyone who uses this project. This can make sharing a common project more difficult.
1. Right click the project name and navigate to
Build Path
.
2. Select
Configure Build Path...
and the project properties window will appear showing your build path configurations.
3. Select the
Libraries
tab.
4. Click
Add External JARs...
5. Locate and select the JARs you want and click
Open
. The JARs will now appear in the list of libraries in the build path.
6. Click OK to close the properties window. The JARs will now be in
Referenced Libraries
.
