Installation

Before installing P4 API for Java, ensure you have met all the criteria of the prerequisites

Prerequisites

• Check your versions of Java and OS meet the requirements for P4 API for Java.

  • P4 API for Java requires Java 11 and above. Find which version of Java you are using by entering the following into the command line:

    java -version

• You will also need the compiler Javac, this is usually included in your Java installation package. Enter the following into the command line to check if you have Javac:

  javac -version

• Download P4 API for Java from the Perforce website.

• Download the following .jar files:

  File	Description	Download
  commons-lang3-3.18.0.jar	String and utility support	Link
  commons-io-2.20.0.jar	Stream helpers (BOMInputStream lives here)	Link
  commons-codec-1.15.jar	Encoding/crypto utilities (Base64, hashing, etc.)	Link
  jzlib-1.1.3.jar	Compression support	Link

Install P4 API for Java

1. Extract the downloaded P4 API for Java ZIP file.

2. Create a folder in a known location, such as C:\p4java

3. Move the extracted P4 API for Java files into C:\p4java.

4. Move the following .jar files into C:\p4java:

   • commons-lang3-3.18.0.jar

   • commons-io-2.20.0.jar

   • commons-codec-1.15.jar

   • jzlib-1.1.3.jar

5. Create an installation script file called P4Test.Java which:

   • Connects to a P4 Server

   • Authenticates the connection.

   • Selects a workspace

   • List the depot files

   • Syncs files to a local workspace

   Below is an example of this code. Update the code with your credentials:

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   import com.perforce.p4java.client.IClient;
   import com.perforce.p4java.core.file.IFileSpec;
   import com.perforce.p4java.core.file.FileSpecBuilder;
   import com.perforce.p4java.exception.P4JavaException;
   import com.perforce.p4java.server.IOptionsServer;
   import com.perforce.p4java.server.ServerFactory;
   
   import java.util.List;
   
   public class P4Test {
       public static void main(String[] args) {
           String serverUri = "p4java://perforce:1666"; // adjust if needed
           String user = "user.name";                     // your P4 user
           String password = "p@ssw0rd3000";            // set your password if needed
           String workspace = "workspace_main";         // your client workspace
   
           try {
               // Connect to the server
               IOptionsServer server = ServerFactory.getOptionsServer(serverUri, null);
               server.connect();
               System.out.println("Connected to: " + serverUri);
   
               // Login if needed
               server.setUserName(user);
               if (password != null && !password.isEmpty()) {
                   server.login(password);
                   System.out.println("Logged in as: " + user);
               }
   
               // Set workspace (client)
               IClient client = server.getClient(workspace);
               if (client == null) {
                   System.out.println("Workspace not found: " + workspace);
                   return;
               }
               server.setCurrentClient(client);
               System.out.println("Using workspace: " + workspace);
   
               // ---- Example 1: List depot files ----
               System.out.println("\nListing files in //depot/... :");
               List<IFileSpec> fileList = server.getDepotFiles(
                       FileSpecBuilder.makeFileSpecList("//depot/..."),
                       false
               );
               for (IFileSpec file : fileList) {
                   if (file != null && file.getDepotPathString() != null) {
                       System.out.println("  " + file.getDepotPathString());
                   }
               }
   
               // ---- Example 2: Sync workspace ----
               System.out.println("\nSyncing workspace...");
               List<IFileSpec> syncFiles = client.sync(
                       FileSpecBuilder.makeFileSpecList("//depot/..."),
                       null
               );
               for (IFileSpec file : syncFiles) {
                   if (file != null && file.getDepotPathString() != null) {
                       System.out.println("  Synced: " + file.getDepotPathString());
                   }
               }
   
               System.out.println("\nDone!");
               server.disconnect();
   
           } catch (P4JavaException e) {
               System.err.println("Perforce error: " + e.getMessage());
               e.printStackTrace();
           } catch (Exception e) {
               System.err.println("Unexpected error: " + e.getMessage());
               e.printStackTrace();
           }
       }
   }
   

6. Create a .bat (Windows) or .sh (macOS) file which uses a custom classpath to include required libraries, compiles a Java program (P4Test.java) and runs the compiled program (P4Test.class).

   See the following examples for a .bat or .sh file:

   runp4.bat

   Copy

   @echo off
   echo Compiling P4Test.java...
   
   set CP=.;C:\p4java\p4java-2025.1.2785811.jar;C:\p4java\commons-lang3-3.18.0.jar;C:\p4java\jzlib-1.1.3.jar;C:\p4java\commons-io-2.20.0.jar
   
   javac -cp "%CP%" P4Test.java
   
   echo Running P4Test...
   java -cp "%CP%" P4Test
   
   echo.
   pause

   runp4.sh

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   #!/bin/bash
   echo "Compiling P4Test.java..."
   
   # Define classpath (use : instead of ; on Unix systems)
   CP=".:/Users/<USERNAME>/p4java/p4java-2025.1.2785811.jar:/Users/<USERNAME>/p4java/commons-lang3-3.18.0.jar:/Users/<USERNAME>/p4java/jzlib-1.1.3.jar:/Users/<USERNAME>/p4java/commons-io-2.20.0.jar"
   # Compile the Java file
   javac -cp "$CP" P4Test.java
   
   # Check if compilation succeeded
   if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
     echo "Compilation failed!"
     exit 1
   fi
   
   echo "Running P4Test..."
   java -cp "$CP" P4Test
   
   echo
   read -p "Press Enter to continue..."

   Replace <USERNAME> with your macOS username.

7. Run the runp4.bat or runp4.sh in the command line. You should see a file list output into the terminal.