Informally, a Location corresponds to a "search path", such as a class path or module path, as used by command-line tools that use the default file system.

Some locations are typically used to identify a place in which a tool can find files to be read; others are typically used to identify a place where a tool can write files. If a location is used to identify a place for reading files, those files may be organized in a simple package/class hierarchy: such locations are described as package-oriented. Alternatively, the files may be organized in a module/package/class hierarchy: such locations are described as module-oriented. If a location is typically used to identify a place where a tool can write files, it is up to the tool that writes the files to specify how those files will be organized.

You can access the classes in a package-oriented location using methods like JavaFileManager.getJavaFileForInput(javax.tools.JavaFileManager.Location, java.lang.String, javax.tools.JavaFileObject.Kind) or JavaFileManager.list(javax.tools.JavaFileManager.Location, java.lang.String, java.util.Set<javax.tools.JavaFileObject.Kind>, boolean). It is not possible to directly list the classes in a module-oriented location. Instead, you can get a package-oriented location for any specific module using methods like JavaFileManager.getLocationForModule(javax.tools.JavaFileManager.Location, java.lang.String) or JavaFileManager.listLocationsForModules(javax.tools.JavaFileManager.Location).