If you put your text file inside the jar, you'll need the classes from the java.util.jar package to read them.
It's not because your program runs the same, no matter whether your classes come from the class files or from a jar, that any file can be found inside the jar automatically!
The classloader handles the difference between seperate class files and files in a jar, but for the text file you'll have to do it yourself ...
Regards,
G�nther
http://www.javacoding.net