Create automatically JAR with ANT and Eclipse - java

I want to make the file build automatically using Eclipse. I need this file creates the JAR of the application. And if it were possible, I would like to insert the command to pass some test of JUnit. How can I do all of this automatically?

Generally to create jar files in Eclipse I do this things:
create an ant file with the necessary code to create the jar file I need
configure the ant file to be processed when something change in my project files: and to do this I open the project properties, I choose Builders, "New..." and I add a Ant builder that use my ant file
In the ant files I put for example something similar:
<project name="My Project" default="createjar">
<property name="projectHome" location="." />
<target name="createjar">
<jar destfile="${projectHome}/file.jar" basedir="${projectHome}/bin" />
</target>
</project>
You can add other instructions to the ant file and process whatever you need after the jar creation. But my suggestion is to not launch JUnit test on very file change, can be very ugly.

Related

Eclipse automation with ant

In Eclipse (Neon) a runnable .jar can be created via File > Export > Runnable jar > Next and interacting with the dialog that appears. I wanted to eliminate those steps. I automated the export of my .jar file by creating the following ant file which is called makeJar.xml and resides in the project directory.
<project name="makeJar" default="makeJarTarget" basedir=".">
<property name="jar" value="../export/ohana1/ohana1.jar"/>
<target name="makeJarTarget">
<jar destfile="${jar}" basedir="bin"/>
</target>
<target name="cleanTarget">
<delete file="${jar}"/>
</target>
</project>
This ant file is visible in the Project > Properties > Builders dialog. At the top of the list of builders is the default builder called Java Builder and next in the list is this additional builder which is the aforementioned ant file and it appears as makeJar.
Assume that at this point an edit to the Java source code happens. The first step of saving any code changes will cause .class files to be updated. The next step of clicking Build All will update the .jar file.
It would be more ideal if saving any code changes (without having to click Build All) had that same effect. Unfortunately it does not. Saving code changes results in only .class files being updated; the .jar will be unchanged (out-of-date).
It is possible to reason why this is the case. In the Eclipse Project menu, Build All is a choice that is distinct from Build Automatically. So if code changes are saved and Build Automatically was previously set (this menu item can "remember" a check mark setting) the .class files are updated but nothing more than that. There is no menu item to perform something like Build All Automatically. Is there any way to further automate so that saving code changes is sufficient to generate not only .class files but also the .jar?
EDIT: Caution: "Build All" has the effect of building all projects that are open. Before clicking "Build All" you might want to close any projects that you are merely browsing.
In the Navigator view double-click the file .project to open it and remove the line:
<triggers>full,incremental,</triggers>
After the Builder configuration is edited, this has to be done again.

Ant: Unable to get Ant to copy properties file to classes directory

I have a project which I can build and deploy correctly using Ant
I want to build a war file to deploy the project.
I can get everything working except I cannot get the properties file to appear in the classes directory.
My properties file is located here: /h/a/A/I/S/src/Serv/log4j.properties
This is the war section of my build file:
<war destfile="Int.war" webxml="web/WEB-INF/web.xml">
<lib dir="${libDir}" />
<classes dir="${outputDir}" includes="/h/a/A/I/S/src/Serv/log4j.properties"/>
<classes dir="${outputDir}" />
</war>
I have read the previously asked similar questions here and added the second classes element here which includes the properties file but it did'nt worked for me, any suggestions
In this line, path of .properties file will be assumed by ant as "${outputDir}/h/a/A/I/S/src/Serv/log4j.properties" which is an invalid path in your project..
Try using copy task for moving .properties file to '${outputDir}' directory and then perform war packaging.

Launch4J - how to attach dependent jars to generated exe

I have a simple java project, which requires external jars.
I build this with netbeans and after Clean and Build command, I can find in dist directory the following structure:
-myApp.jar
-lib/
library1.jar
library2.jar
typical, I would say.
Now, I'd like to distribute myApp.jar with dependent libraries as one exe.
Is this possible? I am trying to use Launch4J. In the GUI I create the config file, there are some options in cp section
<cp>lib/swing-layout-1.0.4.jar</cp>
but it seems to be classpath, and it is the only place I can refer to my extra jars.
After exe file is created, I can't find dependend libs in the exe (exe can be opened with winrar) and thus my application crashes.
How can I make the exe file properly then?
Thanks for your help.
As it often happens being unable to solve the problem I published it on StackOverflow ... and pretty soon after publishing the question I got an idea.
So the answer to my question is:
Put all the dependent jars into one main jar.
It took me some time to find info how can I do that.
To help people I decided to publish detailed instruction here - they are based on Netbeans 7.4.
Following article from http://mavistechchannel.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/how-to-build-a-single-jar-file-with-external-libs/ I created the ant script that build one-jar-app for me.
I could then manually create exe via Launch4J
I then decided that I want more automated task, and I did that, Ant builds exe for me (via Launch4J)
Then I realized that I must do "clean and build" before my automated task (in point 2)/ I decided that I want clean and build to be done automatically before the exe build
Putting all together I am attaching my ant build script consisting of points 1,2,3:
It is required to edit build.xml and put the content found below before "project" end tag
<target name="package-for-launch4j" depends="clean,compile,jar">
<property name="launch4jexe.dir" location="C:\Program Files (x86)\Launch4j" />
<taskdef name="launch4j"
classname="net.sf.launch4j.ant.Launch4jTask"
classpath="${launch4jexe.dir}/launch4j.jar
:${launch4jexe.dir}/lib/xstream.jar" />
<property name="launch4j.jar.name" value="MyAppJarName"/>
<property name="launch4j.dir" value="exe"/>
<property name="launch4j.jar" value="${launch4j.dir}/${launch4j.jar.name}.jar"/>
<echo message="Packaging ${application.title} into a single JAR at ${launch4j.jar}"/>
<delete dir="${launch4j.dir}"/>
<mkdir dir="${launch4j.dir}"/>
<jar destfile="${launch4j.dir}/temp_final.jar" filesetmanifest="skip">
<zipgroupfileset dir="dist" includes="*.jar"/>
<zipgroupfileset dir="dist/lib" includes="*.jar"/>
<manifest>
<attribute name="Main-Class" value="${main.class}"/>
</manifest>
</jar>
<zip destfile="${launch4j.jar}">
<zipfileset src="${launch4j.dir}/temp_final.jar"
excludes="META-INF/*.SF, META-INF/*.DSA, META-INF/*.RSA"/>
</zip>
<delete file="${launch4j.dir}/temp_final.jar"/>
<launch4j configFile="misc/l4j-myapp.xml" />
</target>
then in Netbeans rightclick on the build.xml and choose:
Run Target / Other Targets / package-for-launch4j
exe file is ready in exe folder :-)
When you are converting your .jar file
Go to classpath tab
Check custom classpath
On main class select your .jar from your dist folder after building the project
On the classpath textarea add your libraries, you add them right below that
textarea writting the full path to the lib (of course including the
lib, ie "C:\folder\lib\file.jar")
I have spent hours on this issue. So here is my contribution.
The problem here: how to sucessfully put your external jars that your .JAR program needs INSIDE the .exe that you generate.
We assume that you already, and correctly, configured the external jars on eclipse/netbeans and ALL WORK FINE with the command: java -jar yourprogram.jar.
So the real problem is how to ensure that this .EXE file will contain the external jars, otherwise it will not work properly.
1) First of all, you need to forget Launch4J and anyother program.
2) Install JSmooth, I recommend that you use the windows version.
3) On the left menu there is a button "Application". Click on it.
4) You will see a tab "Classpath" panel. Click on the plus (+) and add your external .jar's files. And that is it!!
Don't forget to put your .jar application marking checkbox "use am embedded jar" and choose the main class properly. It will work.
I also faced the same issue while migrating my .jar to exe. I also had many dependent libraries as well. So These were the steps I performed :
Download and Install launch4j.
Open your project in netbeans. Clean and build the project.
Make sure you have a folder named 'dist' in the project directory. It will have your jar files with lib folder(containing the dependent libraries).
Open launch 4j.
Create output file in the dist folder. For example : OutputFile : D:******\My_App\dist\my_application.exe
Browse your jar file in the next row. For example : Jar : D:******\My_App\dist\my_application.jar
Go to classpath tab. Tick CustomClasspath. Press browse icon, and browse to your jar file which is located in the dist folder.
Specify Min Jre version in the JRE tab.
Save the configration.
Build the wrapper(by clicking the settings icon)
Your exe file will be generated in the dist folder.
Thats it :)
Putting different links of places which had helped me
How to include all dependent Jars within a single non-executable jar?
How can I create an executable JAR with dependencies using Maven?
http://www.mkyong.com/java/how-to-make-an-executable-jar-file/
and most importantly
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/deployment/jar/manifestindex.html
quick tut
http://www.mkyong.com/java/how-to-add-your-manifest-into-a-jar-file/
To include external libraries with Launch4j you have to have the ".jar" files of the external libraries near your .exe (mine are just in the same folder) then in "Classpath" you put in the path to the .jar files into "Edit Item: "
In launch4j go to the classpath tab. Tick the custom classpath field. In the edit field, enter the full path of each jar you want included and press accept. When finished type just the name of the main class into the separate field (ie MyProg). All the jars will now be included in the exe.
PS I have all the jars in the same directory. I'm using version 3.12

Can ant replace text in files inside a jar/ear/war?

I want to build my ear file once and then use ant to change some settings in application.xml, property files etc.
Is there way to do this with ant?
[edit] Just found this
How do I modify a file in a jar file using ANT?
The only way you can modify a file inside your jar or ear is to use the <unzip> task, use the <replace> task to modify the fields in the file, and then rezip the file back up with either the <zip> or <jar>/<ear> task.
There are several ways you can handle this without having to unzip and rezip your ear/jar/war files:
The preferred method is to setup your application server, so it can find your properties outside of the ear itself. It is also possible to configure the application.xml file not to use relative directories when specifying locations instead of specifying locations from the root of the machine. By removing embedded environment information from your ear, you can use the same earfile on all of your environments.
We, unfortunately, are unable to do the above and must provide separate ear files for each environment. We use Jenkins as our continuous build server. When Jenkins does our builds, we build multiple ears, one for each environment, at the same time. This way, as we move from Dev to QA to STAGE to Production, we can at least refer to the same build number. We compile once, then use the AntContrib <foreach> task to ear up the earfile with the correct properties file settings and the correct application.xml file. We use <filterset> in our <copy> task to modify the properties and application.xml as we build the ear.
You can do something like this
<zip destfile="tmp.jar" >
<zipfileset src="lib/myjar.jar" excludes="org/example/My*.class" />
<zipfileset dir="bin" includes="org/example/My*.class" />
</zip>
<move file="tmp.jar" tofile="lib/myjar.jar"/>
In this example we create a tmp.jar using myjar.jar as the source but excluding all classees beginning My in the org/example directory. We then add our new version in from the bin directory. We then replace the jar file with our new version.

Build project into a JAR automatically in Eclipse

I have an Eclipse project where I want to keep my Java project built into a JAR automatically. I know I have an option to export the project into a JAR; if I do a right click; but what I am really looking for is, that like Eclipse automatically builds a project's .class files and put them in target folder; it should also build a JAR automatically and copy the latest JAR at some or a specific location.
Is there a option to configure Eclipse in such a way, to build JARs automatically?
Just to make it clear for guys, patient enough to answer my question; I am not looking at ANT as solution; as I already use it, but what I would like it something that gets initiated automatically either with a time based trigger or immediate build with change.
You want a .jardesc file. They do not kick off automatically, but it's within 2 clicks.
Right click on your project
Choose Export > Java > JAR file
Choose included files and name output JAR, then click Next
Check "Save the description of this JAR in the workspace" and choose a name for the new .jardesc file
Now, all you have to do is right click on your .jardesc file and choose Create JAR and it will export it in the same spot.
Create an Ant file and tell Eclipse to build it. There are only two steps and each is easy with the step-by-step instructions below.
Step 1
Create a build.xml file and add to package explorer:
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!-- Configuration of the Ant build system to generate a Jar file -->
<project name="TestMain" default="CreateJar">
<target name="CreateJar" description="Create Jar file">
<jar jarfile="Test.jar" basedir="." includes="*.class" />
</target>
</project>
Eclipse should looks something like the screenshot below. Note the Ant icon on build.xml.
Step 2
Right-click on the root node in the project.
- Select Properties
- Select Builders
- Select New
- Select Ant Build
- In the Main tab, complete the path to the build.xml file in the bin folder.
Check the Output
The Eclipse output window (named Console) should show the following after a build:
Buildfile: /home/<user>/src/Test/build.xml
CreateJar:
[jar] Building jar: /home/<user>/src/Test/Test.jar
BUILD SUCCESSFUL
Total time: 152 milliseconds
EDIT: Some helpful comments by #yeoman and #betlista
#yeoman I think the correct include would be /.class, not *.class, as most
people use packages and thus recursive search for class files makes
more sense than flat inclusion
#betlista I would recomment to not to have build.xml in src folder
Check out Apache Ant
It's possible to use Ant for automatic builds with eclipse, here's how
This is possible by defining a custom Builder in eclipse (see the link in Peter's answer). However, unless your project is very small, it may slow down your workspace unacceptably. Autobuild for class files happens incrementally, i.e. only those classes affected by a change are recompiled, but the JAR file will have to be rebuilt and copied completely, every time you save a change.
Regarding to Peter's answer and Micheal's addition to it you may find How Do I Automatically Generate A .jar File In An Eclipse Java Project useful. Because even you have "*.jardesc" file on your project you have to run it manually. It may cools down your "eclipse click hassle" a bit.
Using Thomas Bratt's answer above, just make sure your build.xml is configured properly :
<?xml version="1.0" ?>
<!-- Configuration of the Ant build system to generate a Jar file -->
<project name="TestMain" default="CreateJar">
<target name="CreateJar" description="Create Jar file">
<jar jarfile="Test.jar" basedir="bin/" includes="**/*.class" />
</target>
</project>
(Notice the double asterisk - it will tell build to look for .class files in all sub-directories.)
Creating a builder launcher is an issue since 2 projects cannot have the same external tool build name. Each name has to be unique. I am currently facing this issue to automate my build and copy the JAR to an external location.
I am using IBM's Zip Builder, but that is just a help but not doing the real.
People can try using IBM ZIP Creation plugin.
http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/websphere/library/techarticles/0112_deboer/deboer2.html#download

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