How do I decompile Java classes in Eclipse?
Author: Deron Eriksson
Description: This Java tutorial describes how to decompile Java classes in Eclipse using JAD.
Tutorial created using: Windows XP || JDK 1.5.0_09 || Eclipse Web Tools Platform 1.5.1


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One way to decompile javaSW classes is to use the JAD Java Decompiler, which you can download from http://www.kpdus.com/jad.html. Here it is shown, extracted to C:\jadnt158.

jad

I like to add the jadnt158 directory to the system path so that I can run it on the command line without a full path. You can add the directory to the system path by going to System Properties and clicking on Environmental Variables.

Environment Variables in System Properties

This brings up the Environmental Variables window. Go to the System variables section and click on Path and click the Edit Button. This brings up the Edit System Variable window, where you can add C:\jadnt158; to the system path. Note: Be careful editing your system path. It is a good idea to make a backup copy of the path before modifying it.

Edit System Variable

Open up a command prompt window and type 'jad' to make sure that the system path update worked. You should see the JAD help results that appear when you run JAD with no arguments. JAD can be very useful on the command line. For instance, if you download a jarW file with no source code but you'd really like to view readable Java versions of the classes, you can run JAD on a whole directory of classes to generate their Java source code equivalents. It doesn't always decompile things perfectly, but for the most part it does a really amazing job.

jad at command prompt

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