including other build files

[sv...@ubs.com]

I'd like to be able to include/import other ant build files into my build.xml

For example I am thinking of defining generar properties in a general.xml
and the project specific things in the build.xml file as usual. in build.xml
I'd like to somehow include/import general.xml.

Maybe it should be XML's job to handle things like this but I am not aware that
there is any support for this from XML. XSL for example allows this using it's
own xsl:import xsl:include tags.

One could even go further and include just a part of it by specifiying an XPATH.
Implementation should be rather easy when using the xpathapi class coming with
xalan.

any comments ?

- Sven

Re: including other build files

[Patrick Chanezon <ch...@netscape.com>]

Hi Sven,
on my project have the same need, ie accessing properties defined in a
generalbuild.xml from another build.xml.
We do this using scripting: in javascript we create an ant task on generalbuild.xml,
trigger the init task, then get a handle on the project object and get back the
properties we are interested in.
Then we set those properties in the current project object.

I didn't do it myself, but I put my colleague who did it in CC so that he can
correct me if I'm not accurate.
If I remember he had to modify the Project object. Not sure about this one.

P@

sven.ehrke@ubs.com wrote:

> I'd like to be able to include/import other ant build files into my build.xml
>
> For example I am thinking of defining generar properties in a general.xml
> and the project specific things in the build.xml file as usual. in build.xml
> I'd like to somehow include/import general.xml.
>
> Maybe it should be XML's job to handle things like this but I am not aware that
> there is any support for this from XML. XSL for example allows this using it's
> own xsl:import xsl:include tags.
>
> One could even go further and include just a part of it by specifiying an XPATH.
> Implementation should be rather easy when using the xpathapi class coming with
> xalan.
>
> any comments ?
>
> - Sven

--
Patrick Chanezon, iPlanet Market Maker- Portal/EServices Technical Lead
Netscape Communications Corp. - http://people.netscape.com/chanezon/
Opinions are my own.

"C@ in the H@

if you P@ the stomach
of a f@ C@,
it will look @ you,
and say I like th@"
Text by Dr. Seuss, Typesetting by Lawrence Steinman

The Junit task, suggestion to add "haltontimeout"

[Peter Nordlund <pe...@lentus.se>]

Hi,

I suggest that an attribute "haltontimeout" is added to the 
junit task
and to the nested junit tasks, test and batchtest.

The behaviour rigth now, if a test is not finished before
the timeout, is that the test silently is cancelled and
the build succeeds. (ant/2000-10-12)

At least for me, tests that are not finished in time are
regarded as failed tests. 

Any comments?


/Regards,
Peter

Re: including other build files

[Patrick Chanezon <ch...@netscape.com>]

Hi Sven,
on my project have the same need, ie accessing properties defined in a
generalbuild.xml from another build.xml.
We do this using scripting: in javascript we create an ant task on generalbuild.xml,
trigger the init task, then get a handle on the project object and get back the
properties we are interested in.
Then we set those properties in the current project object.

I didn't do it myself, but I put my colleague who did it in CC so that he can
correct me if I'm not accurate.
If I remember he had to modify the Project object. Not sure about this one.

P@

sven.ehrke@ubs.com wrote:

> I'd like to be able to include/import other ant build files into my build.xml
>
> For example I am thinking of defining generar properties in a general.xml
> and the project specific things in the build.xml file as usual. in build.xml
> I'd like to somehow include/import general.xml.
>
> Maybe it should be XML's job to handle things like this but I am not aware that
> there is any support for this from XML. XSL for example allows this using it's
> own xsl:import xsl:include tags.
>
> One could even go further and include just a part of it by specifiying an XPATH.
> Implementation should be rather easy when using the xpathapi class coming with
> xalan.
>
> any comments ?
>
> - Sven

--
Patrick Chanezon, iPlanet Market Maker- Portal/EServices Technical Lead
Netscape Communications Corp. - http://people.netscape.com/chanezon/
Opinions are my own.

"C@ in the H@

if you P@ the stomach
of a f@ C@,
it will look @ you,
and say I like th@"
Text by Dr. Seuss, Typesetting by Lawrence Steinman

Re: including other build files

[Stefan Bodewig <bo...@bost.de>]

I've added an entry for this to the FAQ but unfortuately it hasn't
been approved yet (I have no influence on this).

Stefan

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

How do I include another fragment of a buildfile?

You can use XML's way of including external files and let the parser
do the job for Ant:

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<!DOCTYPE project [
    <!ENTITY common SYSTEM "file:./common.xml">
]>

<project name="test" default="test" basedir=".">

  <target name="setup">
    ...
  </target>

  &common;

  ...

</project>

will literally include the contents of common.xml where you've placed
the &common; entity.

In combination with a DTD this would look like this:

<!DOCTYPE project PUBLIC "-//ANT//DTD project//EN" "file:./ant.dtd" [
   <!ENTITY include SYSTEM "file:./header.xml">
]>

Re: including other build files

[Peter Nordlund <pe...@lentus.se>]

sven.ehrke@ubs.com wrote:
> 
> I'd like to be able to include/import other ant build files into my build.xml
> 
> For example I am thinking of defining generar properties in a general.xml
> and the project specific things in the build.xml file as usual. in build.xml
> I'd like to somehow include/import general.xml.
> 
> Maybe it should be XML's job to handle things like this but I am not aware that
> there is any support for this from XML. XSL for example allows this using it's
> own xsl:import xsl:include tags.
> 
> One could even go further and include just a part of it by specifiying an XPATH.
> Implementation should be rather easy when using the xpathapi class coming with
> xalan.
> 
> any comments ?
> 
> - Sven


I like your suggestion, I have thougth about the same thing.

Right now I solve my similar problems by having a common
file with properties that I include in several places
something like
 <property file="${properties.common}" />
Then I also have an antfile with common targets that I call
with something like
 <target name="newenvfiles" depends="">
    <ant antfile="${buildfiles.dir}/build-common-targets.xml"
         target="newenvfiles" />
  </target>          

This is NOT an elegant solution.

If the features you propose were available I think it would
be possible to write ant-code that is easier to understand
and maintain.

If anyone has something to propose that is better than my 
current solution I am very interested in hearing from you!


/Regards,
Peter