Java 17 Recipes

1-2. Configuring the PATH
 Problem
You want to test the Java installation and compile Java from the command line.
 Solution
Add the JDK path to the PATH environment variable. You should have the jdk-17 folder 
at the root of your OS drive or a custom location.
In Windows, search and for select the control panel. Click the Advanced System 
settings and then Environment Variables. In the System Variables section, find the PATH 
environment variable and select it. In the Edit System Variable field or the New System 
Variable field, insert the text 
C:\jdk-17\bin; in the field “Variable value”. You can also set 
the JAVA_HOME with the value of C:\jdk-17 and, then, set in the Path the value %JAVA_
HOME%\bin). The semicolon at the end of the text is essential because it separates the 
new path from the existing ones. Do not insert additional spaces before or after.
In Unix and Linux systems, you edit the environment file and modify the PATH 
variable. In this case, you execute a command such as the following.
export PATH=/usr/local/jdk-17/ /bin
At last, to find out if the path is properly set, open a command-line window, go to the 
command prompt, and type the following command.
java -version.
If you see a screen like the one shown in Figure 
1-2
, the correct Java version is 
installed.
Note A 
terminal (or command prompt in windows) is a command-line interface 
that allows you to control your operating system by using a command prompt.
ChApteR 1 GettInG StARted wIth JAvA 17

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5
 How It Works
To compile and execute a Java program, you must add the JDK path to the PATH 
environment variable (a string of paths separated by semicolons in Windows and colons 
in Unix OS). All operating systems use the PATH environment variable to determine 
where executable files are located on your system to execute any stored or downloaded 
file on your personal computer. This variable tells the operating systems where the to- 
run programs reside when a user executes a file. The environment variables can also be 
stored information used by applications or operating systems.
PATH contains a string of directories separated by semicolons in Windows and 
colons in Unix OS. PATH is used because any executable file in the directories listed 
in PATH can be executed without specifying the full path to the file. This allows you 
to run those executables with only the file name from the command line or for other 
applications to run those executables without knowledge of their directory path.
So, when you execute a file, you need to specify the full path to that file, but if the 
command does not include the path, the OS uses the executable file that matches your 
file in the PATH.