Java/Bukkit plugin & Fat Jar: ClassNotFoundError

Question

I can't get my Bukkit plugin to load.

Caused by: java.lang.ClassNotFoundException: com.thestratagemmc.aikenbot.chat.ChatMessage
[20:40:59 WARN]:        at java.net.URLClassLoader$1.run(URLClassLoader.java:366)
[20:40:59 WARN]:        at java.net.URLClassLoader$1.run(URLClassLoader.java:355)
[20:40:59 WARN]:        at java.security.AccessController.doPrivileged(Native Method)
[20:40:59 WARN]:        at java.net.URLClassLoader.findClass(URLClassLoader.java:354)
[20:40:59 WARN]:        at org.bukkit.plugin.java.PluginClassLoader.findClass(PluginClassLoader.java:101)
[20:40:59 WARN]:        at org.bukkit.plugin.java.PluginClassLoader.findClass(PluginClassLoader.java:86)
[20:40:59 WARN]:        at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:425)
[20:40:59 WARN]:        at java.lang.ClassLoader.loadClass(ClassLoader.java:358)
[20:40:59 WARN]:        ... 17 more

Now, I know this usually means the class doesn't exist. and ChatMessage.java is not a part of this project, I included it with maven shade.

But I know that it exists in the jar file that I am trying to load: Proof that the jar file actually contains com/thestratagemmc/aikenbot/chat/ChatMessage

This is all that ChatMessage.java is

package com.thestratagemmc.aikenbot.chat;

/**
* Created by axel on 11/29/15.
*/
public interface ChatMessage {
    public String getSender();
    public String getMessage();
    public void reply(String message);
    public void replySender(String message);
}

and this is the way it's being called

package com.thestratagemmc.aikenbot.providers.minecraft;

import com.dthielke.herochat.Channel;
import com.dthielke.herochat.ChannelChatEvent;
import com.thestratagemmc.aikenbot.chat.ChatMessage;
import org.bukkit.Bukkit;
import org.bukkit.ChatColor;
import org.bukkit.entity.Player;

/**
 * Created by axel on 11/29/15.
 */
public class MinecraftChatMessage implements ChatMessage {

public Channel channel;
public Player sender;
public String message;


public String getSender() {
    return sender.getName();
}

public String getMessage() {
    return message;
}

public MinecraftChatMessage(Channel channel, Player sender, String message) {
    this.channel = channel;
    this.sender = sender;
    this.message = message;
}

public void reply(String s) {
    synchronized (Bukkit.getServer()){
        if (channel == null) {
            sender.sendMessage(s);
        }
        else{
            channel.sendRawMessage(ChatColor.GREEN+"["+channel.getNick()+"] "+ ChatColor.WHITE + "TSMC Bot "+ChatColor.getByChar('7')+ChatColor.ITALIC+s);
        }
    }

}

public void replySender(String s) {
    synchronized(Bukkit.getServer()){
        sender.sendMessage(s);
    }
}
}

Answer 1

Found the issue, I just needed to restart the server...I was trying to load the plugin with /plugman reload.