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Sometimes, project's task require arguments which will be passed to another process by using command line. Ant allows command line arguments, even arguments which contains space characters.
It supports <arg> element to pass arguments and uses various attribute given below.
Attributes
| Attribute | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| value | It is a single line argument which may contain space characters. | No |
| file | A file which is passed as a single line argument. | No |
| path | A path passed as a single command-line argument. | Yes |
| pathref | It is a path reference. | No |
| line | A list of command-line arguments. | No |
| prefix | A fixed string to be placed in front of the argument. | No |
| suffix | A fixed string to be placed immediately after the argument. | No |
Ant treats command line and paths in Unix shell way and it is highly recommended to avoid the line attribute.
Example
It is a single line command line argument having space characters.
A command line argument with two separate options : -l and -a.
when we run only ant from command line without any argument, Ant look for the default file build.xml and execute target.
-build
This argument is used while running build file other than default build.xml.
Ex.
-find
It searches for build file, first into the current directory then in the parent directory and until the file is found.
It require filename, if not passed default build.xml is assumed.
Ex.
-Dproperty
It helps to set property value by using command line. Property is a name of property and value is a value associated to the property.
Ex.
-quiet
It is used to show less information to the console.
Ex.
Ant is a flexible, platform-independent build tool from Apache Ant Project. IntelliJ IDEA integrates with Ant to provide a comprehensive build process, that includes compilation, packaging with the documentation and source code, committing to version control and much more.
Ant integration is shipped with IntelliJ IDEA, and you do not need to perform any additional actions to install it. However, it is also possible to use the other Ant installations.
IntelliJ IDEA supports the latest stable Ant version.
Ant support in IntelliJ IDEA imposes certain prerequisites, and includes the following features:
IntelliJ IDEA implements the functionality with a bundled plugin, which can be completely disabled by clearing the checkbox on the the Plugins page of the Settings/PreferencesCtrl+Alt+S.
Dedicated tool window
Ant Build tool window enables adding Ant build scripts to IntelliJ IDEA project, control behavior of the build, and execute Ant build targets.
Ant build files
Ant works with the XML build file. Normally, the name of the build file is build.xml. Build file describes the steps, or build targets, required to build a project. The root element of the build file is <project>. IntelliJ IDEA makes it possible to work with existing build files, create new build files from scratch, or generate them automatically.
IntelliJ IDEA is aware of specific Ant syntax. However, you have to let IntelliJ IDEA know that a certain XML file is in fact an Ant build file. To be recognized as a build file and enable all advanced editing features, an Ant build file should meet at least one of the following requirements:
The file should be properly added to the project.
The
<project>root element should havedefaultattribute.
Otherwise such files are treated as regular XML files with basic editing support. Once a build file is added to a project, it can be used to run the build and modify its properties.
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Ant build target
A build target is identified with a unique name and defines a procedure that should be executed to accomplish a certain task, for example, create a JAR file, or generate API documentation. A target specified in the default attribute of the <project> element is considered the default target, which is executed when no other target is specified. This target is called the primary target, and is marked with bold font in the Ant Build tool window.
Coding assistance
Apache Ant 1.10.7
When editing Ant build files in IntelliJ IDEA, you can enjoy the following advanced editing features:
Syntax highlighting.
Code completion. In particular, code completion is provided for the properties of the File type.
Navigating to declaration Ctrl+B.
Using Structure view.
Rename refactoring.
Code folding.
Reformatting.
Validation.
Viewing parameter information Ctrl+P.
Viewing quick info Ctrl+Q. In particular, if classpath is defined as a path-like structures, the View Quick Info command for the
filesetordirsetdirectives displays the actual files and directories on the disk, to which these directives are resolved.
Path-like structures
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IntelliJ IDEA enables using path-like structures in the task definitions. If a classpath is defined as a path-like structure, the paths in the fileset and dirset directives are resolved into the actual files and directories on the disk. All JARs, required for performing the task, should be placed to the same place that contains the JAR with task definitions.