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bad name in value for --add-modules when trying to compile through ant

I am trying to include the javafx.controls module in my project and compile it through ant, rather then use javaFX javac --module-path "..\lib\javafx-sdk-17.0.2\lib" --add-modules javafx.controls App.java
java --module-path "..\lib\javafx-sdk-17.0.2\lib" --add-modules javafx.controls App commands to compile the file(s).
This is how my ant build.xml looks like right now:
<project name="projectName" default="dist">
<property file="build.properties"/>
<property file="${user.home}/build.properties"/>
<path id="run.classpath">
<fileset dir="${dist.dir}">
<include name="${project.name}.jar"/>
</fileset>
</path>
<target name="compile">
<mkdir dir="${build.dir}"/>
<javac srcdir="${src.dir}"
destdir="${build.dir}"
debug="${compile.debug}"
deprecation="${compile.deprecation}"
optimize="${compile.optimize}"
includeantruntime="false">
<classpath>
<fileset dir="${lib.dir}/javafx-sdk-17.0.2/lib">
<include name="**/*.jar" />
</fileset>
</classpath>
<compilerarg line="--add-modules ${lib.dir}/javafx-sdk-17.0.2/lib/javafx.controls"/>
</javac>
</target>
<target name="dist" depends="compile">
<mkdir dir="${dist.dir}"/>
<jar jarfile="${dist.dir}/${project.name}.jar"
basedir="${build.dir}"
manifest="${src.dir}/Manifest.mf">
<zipgroupfileset dir="${lib.dir}/javafx-sdk-17.0.2/lib" includes="**/*.jar"/>
</jar>
</target>
<target name="build" depends="dist">
<java jar="${dist.dir}/${project.name}.jar" fork="true">
</java>
</target>
<target name="clean">
<delete dir="${build.dir}"/>
<delete dir="${dist.dir}"/>
</target>
</project>
The error I keep on getting is: error: bad name in value for --add-modules option: 'C:\xampp\htdocs\projectName/lib/javafx-sdk-17.0.2/lib/javafx.controls'. I have looked up the error, but the answers are very vague in my opinion and have not helped me get more knowledge in regards to the error.

What you are doing wrong
You are providing an incorrect value to --add-modules.
You are not providing a string to ant that matches the example command in your question.
In your question, for the example javac command, you have:
--module-path "..\lib\javafx-sdk-17.0.2\lib" --add-modules javafx.controls
but in your ant script you have
--add-modules ${lib.dir}/javafx-sdk-17.0.2/lib/javafx.controls
You have tried to compress the --module-path argument with the --add-modules argument. Those arguments must remain separate and have different values.
ant javac support for the Java Platform Module System
The ant javac task has a few parameters for working with the Java module system, you should use appropriate ones:
modulepath
Use this to reference the directory set containing your JavaFX modules (e.g. the SDK lib directory).
Do not put the JavaFX libraries on the class path, they are modules and belong on the module path.
Specific changes required for your ant script
I am not familiar enough with the ant argument syntax to provide the exact ant XML elements for the correct definitions of the arguments for your case.
If somebody knows the exact values required in ant element syntax, they can edit this answer and put the values here.
Background info
Read the javac man page if you want to understand what the --module-path and --add-modules arguments are, what data should be supplied to them, and the format required for that data.
Also review understanding java 9 modules.
Alternate approach: defining module info
As an alternative to adding modules via the --add-modules VM argument, you can instead define a module-info.java file in your application to make it modular and require the modules there.
This will work fine if you aren't depending on non-modular code.
Even if you define a module-info.java file, you still need to set the --module-path for the compiler and runtime so that it can find the module implementations. Build tools such as Maven will do this automatically for defined dependencies.
However, ant isn't aware of build dependencies and needs manual help with parameters to support the module system. You will need to set the module path manually via modulepath arguments to the compiler. Similarly, you will need to set VM arguments for runtime module support if you have a java execution task in ant.
solution
<target name="compile">
<mkdir dir="${build.dir}"/>
<javac srcdir="${src.dir}"
destdir="${build.dir}"
debug="${compile.debug}"
deprecation="${compile.deprecation}"
optimize="${compile.optimize}"
includeantruntime="false">
<classpath>
<fileset dir="${lib.dir}/javafx-sdk-17.0.2/lib">
<include name="**/*.jar" />
</fileset>
</classpath>
<compilerarg line="--module-path ${lib.dir}/javafx-sdk-17.0.2/lib/"/>
<compilerarg line="--add-modules javafx.controls"/>
</javac>
</target>
<target name="build" depends="dist">
<java jar="${dist.dir}/${project.name}.jar" fork="true">
<jvmarg line="--module-path ${lib.dir}/javafx-sdk-17.0.2/lib/"/>
<jvmarg line="--add-modules javafx.controls"/>
</java>
</target>
First use the compilerarg with the line, to indicate what you want to compile during the javac process.
<compilerarg line="--module-path ${lib.dir}/javafx-sdk-17.0.2/lib/"/>
<compilerarg line="--add-modules javafx.controls"/>
You then provide these lines within the java process as well.
<jvmarg line="--module-path ${lib.dir}/javafx-sdk-17.0.2/lib/"/>
<jvmarg line="--add-modules javafx.controls"/>

Compiling 1 file with Javac / Ant also compiles imported file/class in specified file

The task at hand is to separately compile Java classes and their associated JUnit 'Test' classes using Ant-script.
The regular classes are stored in 'src', while the test classes are stored in 'test/src'. Regular classes should be compiled to 'bin' and test classes to 'test/bin'. Both are in the same package.
My Ant script looks as follows:
<javac
includeantruntime="false"
classpathref="master-classpath"
destdir="${test.class.build.dir}"
>
<src path="${src.dir}"/>
<src path="${test.class.dir}"/>
<include name="**/*Test*.java"/>
</javac>
And running the script shows me only one file will be compiled:
[javac] Compiling 1 source file to C:\Users\AK_Flex\Desktop\HW01\test\bin
However, the test class as well as the regular class it imports (already compiled in 'bin') are being compiled and outputted to the 'test/bin' folder.
The regular classes do not import the test classes, so 'bin' looks as desired. (code not depicted)
Is there any way to circumvent this behavior of the compiler?

Since you want compiled classes in two different folders, you need two compilation steps.
<javac includeantruntime="false"
srcdir="src"
destdir="bin"
classpathref="master-classpath">
</javac>
<javac includeantruntime="false"
srcdir="test/src"
destdir="test/bin">
<classpath>
<pathelement location="bin"/>
<path refid="master-classpath"/>
</classpath>
</javac>

Include libs folder containing .jars for compilation

I have the following file structure:
ServerCode <- src , libs, bin
I am trying to compile all the code in src. Src has a couple of .java files at the top level and sub-directories. libs contains all the .jar files which are required to build my project.
I wrote the following build.xml but when I try to compile it, the compiler throws errors cannot find symbol errors for the libraries I am including.
<project default="compile">
<target name="compile">
<mkdir dir="bin"/>
<javac srcdir="src" destdir="bin" classpath="libs/*.jar">
</target>
</project>

Define class path to include all jars like this
<target name="compile" depends="" description="compile the java source files">
<javac srcdir="." destdir="${build}">
<classpath>
<fileset dir="${lib}">
<include name="**/*.jar" />
</fileset>
<fileset dir="${test_lib}">
<include name="**/*.jar" />
</fileset>
</classpath>
</javac>

I don't think you can use a pattern in the classpath attribute. I could be wrong about this. You should run ant in verbose mode (the -v option) to see how it's using your classpath attribute. I suspect it's passing it to javac as a literal string.
Here's what I do:
<javac target="${javac.target}" source="${javac.source}" destdir="${validator.output.dir}" debug="on"
nowarn="off"
memorymaximumsize="128m" fork="true">
<classpath refid="validator.module.production.classpath"/>
<src>
<dirset dir="Validator">
<include name="src"/>
</dirset>
</src>
</javac>
...
<path id="validator.module.production.classpath">
<fileset dir="Validator/lib/-validator" includes="**/*.jar"/>
</path>
Some of this code is generated by my IDE so it's a little verbose, but you get the idea.

Try this as mentioned at http://ant.apache.org/manual/using.html instead of giving classPath attribute alongwith javac
<classpath>
<pathelement location="libs/*.jar"/>
</classpath>
There are other ways also which you can glance thru the link mentioned above

Package Problem with Ant

I'm having a problem getting the javac used by Ant to find and use certain packages. When I invoke javac directly from the command line the packages are found and used.
The .jar files are located in my home directory under lib/java. This is my classpath:
/home/bliskovs/lib/java/*:/home/bliskovs/vendor/cytoscape-v2.7.0/cytoscape.jar
This is the relevant section in my build.xml:
<target name="compile">
<javac srcdir="." debug="true"/>
<javac srcdir="tools/" debug="true"/>
<javac srcdir="core/" debug="true"/>
</target>
How can I get Ant to recognize these packages?

Check out this.
<property name="build.classes.dir" location="build/classes"/>
<path id="compile.classpath">
<fileset dir="lib"/>
<pathelement location="/home/bliskovs/vendor/cytoscape-v2.7.0"/>
</path>
<target name="compile" description="Compile src dir">
<javac destdir="${build.classes.dir}" debug="true" includeantruntime="true">
<src location="src"/>
<classpath refid="compile.classpath"/>
</javac>
</target>

Define a classpath for the javac task. Relying on the CLASSPATH environment variable is a bad practice. It's even more true for the build process of a project, which should work without having to setup a whole lot of environment variables. If you start developing three or four projects at once, you'll understand why using a single CLASSPATH env variable is a bad idea.
See http://ant.apache.org/manual/Tasks/javac.html to know how to define a classpath inside the build.xml and use it in the javac task.

Ant build fail - because ant forgets property?

I am getting the following build error-
BUILD FAILED
C:\eclipse\workspace\ContinuousTesting\build.xml:55:
C:\eclipse\workspace\ContinuousTesting\${lib.dir}
Here is the build.properties file:
src.dir=./src
build.dir=./bin
lib.dir=./lib
This is the whole task
<target name="compile" depends="properties, create.build.dir, xmlmapping.jar.import" description="Perfom compilation">
<!-- Compile the java code -->
<echo message="[compile] compiling sources with lib ${lib.dir} to ${build.dir} source dir ${basedir}" />
<javac srcdir="${src.dir}" destdir="${build.dir}" listfiles="no" debug="true" classpathref="build.classpath" fork="true" memoryInitialSize="128m" memoryMaximumSize="512m" />
<antcall target="backup" />
</target>
and it generates the following output
compile:
[echo] [compile] compiling sources with lib ./lib to ./bin source dir C:\eclipse\workspace\ContinuousTesting
[javac] Compiling 42 source files to C:\eclipse\workspace\ContinuousTesting\bin
What is my build.classpath I hear you ask....
<path id="build.classpath">
<fileset dir="${lib.dir}">
<include name="**/*.jar" />
</fileset>
<pathelement path="${build.dir}" />
</path>
I am running this through eclipse.
What am I missing?
Thanks!
Azriel

Problem is down to the fact that classpath variable is being evaluated prior to the build.properties file being loaded.
This is resolved by not using configurable lib.dir, as it is quite constant.
thanks for your time and help