title: Change string constant in a compiled class
body: <p>I need to change a string constant in a deployed Java program, i.e. the value inside the compiled <code>.class</code>-files. It can be restarted, but not easily recompiled (though it's an inconvenient option if this question yields no answers). Is this possible?</p>
  
  <p>Update: I just looked at the file with a hex editor and it looks like I can easily change the string there. Would that work, i.e. won't that invalidate some kind of signature of the file? The old and new string are both alphanumeric, and can be the same length if needed.</p>
  
  <p>Update 2: I fixed it. Because the specific class I needed to change is very small and didn't change in the new version of the project, I could just compile that and take the new class from there. Still interested in an answer that doesn't involve compilation though, for educational purposes.</p>