Question

_{(source: gyazo.com)}

The basic tutorial on the maven website only shows how to make a new project from scratch. I’m confused about using maven with an existing project

I just want to compile the .java files into bin, not package them into a jar

Answer 1

If you set up the default maven configuration, the compiled .class files will be placed in target/classes.

Note: make sure your project has the correct layout for maven to work (without additional hassle):

project root
  - pom.xml
  - src
    - main
      - java
        - <.java classes and directories for packages>