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| <html> |
| |
| <head> |
| <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us"> |
| <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../stylesheets/style.css"> |
| <title>Ant Task</title> |
| </head> |
| |
| <body> |
| |
| <h2><a name="ant">Ant</a></h2> |
| <h3>Description</h3> |
| |
| <p>Runs Apache Ant on a supplied buildfile. This can be used to build |
| subprojects. <strong>This task must not be used outside of a |
| <code>target</code> if it invokes the same build file it is part |
| of.</strong></p> |
| |
| <p>When the <i>antfile</i> attribute is omitted, the file "build.xml" |
| in the supplied directory (<i>dir</i> attribute) is used.</p> |
| <p>If no target attribute is supplied, the default target of the new project is |
| used.</p> |
| <p>By default, all of the properties of the current project will be |
| available in the new project. Alternatively, you can set the |
| <i>inheritAll</i> attribute to <code>false</code> and only |
| "user" properties (i.e., those passed on the command-line) |
| will be passed to the new project. In either case, the set of |
| properties passed to the new project will override the properties that |
| are set in the new project (See also the <a |
| href="property.html">property task</a>).</p> |
| |
| <p>You can also set properties in the new project from the old project |
| by using nested property tags. These properties are always passed |
| to the new project and any project created in that project |
| regardless of the setting of <i>inheritAll</i>. This allows you to |
| parameterize your subprojects.</p> |
| |
| <p>When more than one nested <code><property></code> element |
| would set a property of the same name, the one declared last will |
| win. This is for backwards compatibility reasons even so it is |
| different from the way <code><property></code> tasks in build |
| files behave.</p> |
| |
| <p>Properties defined on the command line cannot be overridden by |
| nested <code><property></code> elements. <em>Since Ant |
| 1.8.0.</em> the same is true for nested structures |
| of <code><ant></code> tasks: if a build file <em>A</em> |
| invokes <em>B</em> via an <code><ant></code> task setting a |
| property with a nested <code><property></code> element |
| and <em>B</em> contains an <code><ant></code> tasks |
| invoking <em>C</em>, <em>C</em> will see the value set |
| in <em>A</em>, even if <em>B</em> used a |
| nested <code><property></code> element as well.</p> |
| |
| <p>References to data types can also be passed to the new project, but |
| by default they are not. If you set the inheritrefs attribute to |
| true, all references will be copied, but they will not override |
| references defined in the new project.</p> |
| |
| <p>Nested <a href="#reference"><i><code><reference></code></i></a> elements |
| can also be used to copy references from the calling project to the |
| new project, optionally under a different id. References taken from |
| nested elements will override existing references that have been |
| defined outside of targets in the new project - but not those defined |
| inside of targets.</p> |
| |
| <h3>Parameters</h3> |
| <table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top"><b>Attribute</b></td> |
| <td valign="top"><b>Description</b></td> |
| <td align="center" valign="top"><b>Required</b></td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">antfile</td> |
| <td valign="top">the buildfile to use. Defaults to |
| "build.xml". This file is expected to be a filename |
| relative to the dir attribute given.</td> |
| <td valign="top" align="center">No</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">dir</td> |
| <td valign="top">the directory to use as a basedir for the new Ant |
| project (unless useNativeBasedir is set to true). |
| Defaults to the current project's basedir, unless |
| inheritall has been set to false, in which case it doesn't |
| have a default value. This will override the basedir |
| setting of the called project.<br/> |
| Also serves as the directory to resolve the antfile and output |
| attribute's values (if any). |
| </td> |
| <td valign="top" align="center">No</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">target</td> |
| <td valign="top">the target of the new Ant project that should be executed. |
| Defaults to the new project's default target.</td> |
| <td valign="top" align="center">No</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">output</td> |
| <td valign="top">Filename to write the ant output to. This is |
| relative to the value of the dir attribute if it has been set or |
| to the base directory of the current project otherwise. |
| </td> |
| <td align="center" valign="top">No</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">inheritAll</td> |
| <td valign="top">If <code>true</code>, pass all properties to the |
| new Ant project. Defaults to <code>true</code>.</td> |
| <td align="center" valign="top">No</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">inheritRefs</td> |
| <td valign="top">If <code>true</code>, pass all references to the |
| new Ant project. Defaults to <code>false</code>.</td> |
| <td align="center" valign="top">No</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">useNativeBasedir</td> |
| <td valign="top">If set to true, the child build will use the same |
| basedir as it would have used when run from the command line |
| (i.e. the basedir one would expect when looking at the child |
| build's buildfile). Defaults to <code>false</code>. <em>since |
| Ant 1.8.0</em></td> |
| <td valign="top" align="center">No</td> |
| </tr> |
| </table> |
| |
| <h3>Parameters specified as nested elements</h3> |
| |
| <h4>property</h4> |
| <p>See the description of the <a href="property.html">property |
| task</a>. <br> |
| These properties become equivalent to properties you define on |
| the command line. These are special properties and they will always get passed |
| down, even through additional <code><*ant*></code> tasks with inheritall set to |
| false (see above). <br> |
| Note that the <code>refid</code> attribute points to a |
| reference in the calling project, not in the new one.</p> |
| |
| <h4><a name="reference">reference</a></h4> |
| <p>Used to choose references that shall be copied into the new project, |
| optionally changing their id.</p> |
| |
| <table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top"><b>Attribute</b></td> |
| <td valign="top"><b>Description</b></td> |
| <td align="center" valign="top"><b>Required</b></td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">refid</td> |
| <td valign="top">The id of the reference in the calling project.</td> |
| <td valign="top" align="center">Yes</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">torefid</td> |
| <td valign="top">The id of the reference in the new project.</td> |
| <td valign="top" align="center">No, defaults to the value of refid.</td> |
| </tr> |
| </table> |
| |
| <h4>propertyset</h4> |
| |
| <p>You can specify a set of properties to be copied into the new |
| project with <a |
| href="../Types/propertyset.html">propertyset</a>s.</p> |
| |
| <p><em>since Ant 1.6</em>.</p> |
| |
| <h4>target</h4> |
| |
| <p>You can specify multiple targets using nested <code><target></code> elements |
| instead of using the target attribute. These will be executed as if |
| Ant had been invoked with a single target whose dependencies are the |
| targets so specified, in the order specified.</p> |
| <table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top"><b>Attribute</b></td> |
| <td valign="top"><b>Description</b></td> |
| <td align="center" valign="top"><b>Required</b></td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">name</td> |
| <td valign="top">The name of the called target.</td> |
| <td valign="top" align="center">Yes</td> |
| </tr> |
| </table> |
| <p><em>since Ant 1.6.3</em>.</p> |
| |
| <h3>Basedir of the new project</h3> |
| |
| <p>If you set <code>useNativeBasedir</code> to true, the basedir of |
| the new project will be whatever the basedir attribute of |
| the <code><project></code> element of the new project says (or |
| the new project's directory if the there is no basedir attribute) - |
| no matter what any other attribute of this task says and no matter |
| how deeply nested into levels of |
| <code><ant></code> invocations this task lives.</p> |
| |
| <p>If you haven't set <code>useNativeBasedir</code> or set it to |
| false, the following rules apply:</p> |
| |
| <p>The basedir value of the new project is affected by the two |
| attributes dir and inheritall as well as |
| the <code><ant></code> task's history. The current behaviour |
| is known to be confusing but cannot be changed without breaking |
| backwards compatibility in subtle ways.</p> |
| |
| <p>If the <code><ant></code> task is in a "top level" build |
| file, i.e. the project containing the <code><ant></code> task |
| has not itself been invoked as part of a |
| different <code><ant></code> (or <code><antcall></code>) |
| task "higher up", the following table shows the details:</p> |
| |
| <table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top"><b>dir attribute</b></td> |
| <td valign="top"><b>inheritAll attribute</b></td> |
| <td valign="top"><b>new project's basedir</b></td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">value provided</td> |
| <td valign="top">true</td> |
| <td valign="top">value of dir attribute</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">value provided</td> |
| <td valign="top">false</td> |
| <td valign="top">value of dir attribute</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">omitted</td> |
| <td valign="top">true</td> |
| <td valign="top">basedir of calling project (the one whose build |
| file contains the <code><ant></code> task).</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">omitted</td> |
| <td valign="top">false</td> |
| <td valign="top">basedir attribute of the <code><project></code> element |
| of the new project</td> |
| </tr> |
| </table> |
| |
| <p>If on the other hand the <code><ant></code> task is already |
| nested into another invocation, the parent invocation's settings |
| affect the outcome of the basedir value. The current task's dir |
| attribute will always win, but if the dir attribute has been omitted |
| an even more complex situation arises:</p> |
| |
| <table border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0"> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top"><b>parent dir attribute</b></td> |
| <td valign="top"><b>parent inheritAll attribute</b></td> |
| <td valign="top"><b>current inheritAll attribute</b></td> |
| <td valign="top"><b>new project's basedir</b></td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">value provided</td> |
| <td valign="top">any</td> |
| <td valign="top">any</td> |
| <td valign="top">value of parent's dir attribute</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">omitted</td> |
| <td valign="top">true</td> |
| <td valign="top">true</td> |
| <td valign="top">basedir of parent project (the one whose build |
| file called the build file that contains |
| the current <code><ant></code> task).</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">omitted</td> |
| <td valign="top">true</td> |
| <td valign="top">false</td> |
| <td valign="top">basedir of parent project (the one whose build |
| file called the build file that contains |
| the current <code><ant></code> task).</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">omitted</td> |
| <td valign="top">false</td> |
| <td valign="top">true</td> |
| <td valign="top">basedir of calling project (the one whose build |
| file contains the current <code><ant></code> task).</td> |
| </tr> |
| <tr> |
| <td valign="top">omitted</td> |
| <td valign="top">false</td> |
| <td valign="top">false</td> |
| <td valign="top">basedir attribute of the <code><project></code> element |
| of the new project</td> |
| </tr> |
| </table> |
| |
| <p>If you add even deeper levels of nesting, things get even more |
| complicated and you need to apply the above table recursively.</p> |
| |
| <p>If the basedir of the outer most build has been specified as a |
| property on the command line (i.e. <code>-Dbasedir=some-value</code> |
| or a <code>-propertyfile</code> argument) the value provided will |
| get an even higher priority. For any <code><ant></code> task |
| that doesn't specify a dir attribute, the new project's basedir will |
| be the value specified on the command line - no matter how deeply |
| nested into layers of build files the task may be.</p> |
| |
| <p>The same happens if the basedir is specified as a |
| nested <code><property></code> of an <code><ant></code> |
| task. The basedir of build files started at deeper levels will be |
| set to the specified value of the property element unless the |
| corresponding Ant tasks set the dir attribute explicitly.</p> |
| |
| <h3>Examples</h3> |
| <blockquote><pre> |
| <ant antfile="subproject/subbuild.xml" target="compile"/> |
| |
| <ant dir="subproject"/> |
| |
| <ant antfile="subproject/property_based_subbuild.xml"> |
| <property name="param1" value="version 1.x"/> |
| <property file="config/subproject/default.properties"/> |
| </ant> |
| |
| <ant inheritAll="false" antfile="subproject/subbuild.xml"> |
| <property name="output.type" value="html"/> |
| </ant> |
| </pre></blockquote> |
| |
| <p>These lines invoke the same build file:</p> |
| <blockquote><pre> |
| <ant antfile="sub1/sub2/build.xml" /> |
| <ant antfile="sub2/build.xml" dir="sub1" /> |
| <ant antfile="build.xml" dir="sub1/sub2" /> |
| </pre></blockquote> |
| |
| <p>The build file of the calling project defines some |
| <code><path></code> elements like this:</p> |
| |
| <blockquote><pre> |
| <path id="path1"> |
| ... |
| </path> |
| <path id="path2"> |
| ... |
| </path> |
| </pre></blockquote> |
| |
| <p>and the called build file (<code>subbuild.xml</code>) also defines |
| a <code><path></code> with the id <code>path1</code>, but |
| <code>path2</code> is not defined:</p> |
| |
| <blockquote><pre> |
| <ant antfile="subbuild.xml" inheritrefs="true"/> |
| </pre></blockquote> |
| |
| <p>will not override <code>subbuild</code>'s definition of |
| <code>path1</code>, but make the parent's definition of |
| <code>path2</code> available in the subbuild.</p> |
| |
| <blockquote><pre> |
| <ant antfile="subbuild.xml"/> |
| </pre></blockquote> |
| |
| <p>as well as</p> |
| |
| <blockquote><pre> |
| <ant antfile="subbuild.xml" inheritrefs="false"/> |
| </pre></blockquote> |
| |
| <p>will neither override <code>path1</code> nor copy |
| <code>path2</code>.</p> |
| |
| <blockquote><pre> |
| <ant antfile="subbuild.xml" inheritrefs="false"> |
| <reference refid="path1"/> |
| </ant> |
| </pre></blockquote> |
| |
| <p>will override <code>subbuild</code>'s definition of |
| <code>path1</code>.</p> |
| |
| <blockquote><pre> |
| <ant antfile="subbuild.xml" inheritrefs="false"> |
| <reference refid="path1" torefid="path2"/> |
| </ant> |
| </pre></blockquote> |
| |
| <p>will copy the parent's definition of <code>path1</code> into the |
| new project using the id <code>path2</code>.</p> |
| |
| |
| |
| </body> |
| </html> |
