loading resources form a jar file

You can do

new ImageIcon(getClass().getResource("/res/myicon.gif"));

Or if you ensure your loadIcon method is overloaded to take a URL as a parameter then you'll also be fine with

loadIcon(getClass().getResource("/res/myicon.gif"));

what is getClass and whom do i call it upon ??
thanks

it kinda works. but getResource gives me an url and i can't make a file / filename out of that url (and that's what i need unfortunately). is it pssible to get a file or filename (or an uri) from an url  ?

Just use the URL as a filename string because a URL has a .toString() method.
Just check that the URL is not null.
;JOOP!

well, url.toString() or url.getFile() return a string which isn't my file's name, but a full name with protocol, host and everything. if i feed that string to a new File(String name) i get an exception. i guess the only way is to parse that string and extract my filename. but thanks anyways.

I cut this from one of my applications, why should it not work for you?

   /**
    * Safely get the path to a resource file via Class info.
    * <p>If the file is missing, assuming that the resource was an image file,<BR>
    * the packaged <b>MISSING.gif</b> icon is substituted,
    * using the class info <b>packageClass</b> retrieved elsewhere.</p>
    * @param  classinfo   a Class loaded from the root of relative pathname.
    * @param  filename    the relative pathname to the resource file.
    * @return             an URL to the resulting resource.
    */
   private static URL findResource(Class classInfo, String filename)
   {
   URL resourceURL;

      if(classInfo == null)
      {
         fatal("BAD CLASS INFO");
      }

      if((resourceURL = classInfo.getResource(filename)) == null)
      {
         error("RESOURCE FILE '" + filename + "' MISSING.");
         if((resourceURL
            = packageClass.getResource("res/MISSING.gif")) == null)
         {
            fatal("SUBSTITUTE IMAGE 'MISSING' NOT FOUND.");
         }
      }
      return(resourceURL);
   }


// And deploying this in my program elsewhere (assume JFrame mainFrame;   ):

   /**
    * Set the default icon on the program main JFrame.
    * <p>Can be used to reset the icon after calls with an argument.<BR>
    * The default icon should be <b>res/<program>.gif</b>.</p>
    */
   public static void setMainFrameIcon( )
   {
      mainFrame.setIconImage
      (
         Toolkit.getDefaultToolkit().getImage(findResource(this.getClass( ), "res/Application.gif"))
      );
   }


;JOOP!

that should work, i admit. but i need to open an inputStream on that file (which is not an icon, it's a properties file bundled with my resources) - and inputStream NEEDS a file. so i have to get a File from the url your method returns.

InputStream in = getClass().getResourceAsStream("/res/myicon.gif");

Sorry, missed this:

>>it's a properties file bundled with my resources

therefore

Properties props = new Properties();
props.load(getClass().getResourceAsStream("/res/myProps.properties"));

hapciu, next time ask your question right!
You didn't ask for file resources.
Anyway, the last answer by CEHJ is the one that deserves points.
;JOOP!

ok, so i didn't say the whole thing right from the start... :P
sorry for that and thanks for your help, both of you.