Full Description
Soon after its launch, Ant succeeded in taking the Java world by storm, becoming the most widely used tool for building applications in Java environments. Like most popular technologies, Ant quickly went through a series of early revision cycles. With each new version, more functionality was added, and more complexity was introduced. Ant evolved from a simple-to-learn build tool into a full-fledged testing and deployment environment. Ant: The Definitive Guide has been reworked, revised and expanded upon to reflect this evolution. It documents the new ways that Ant is being applied, as well as the array of optional tasks that Ant supports. In fact, this new second edition covers everything about this extraordinary build management tool from downloading and installing, to using Ant to test code. Here are just of a few of the features you'll find detailed in this comprehensive, must-have guide:
Developing conditional builds, and handling error conditions
Automatically retrieving source code from version control systems
Using Ant with XML files
Using Ant with JavaServer Pages to build Web applications
Using Ant with Enterprise JavaBeans to build enterprise applications
Far exceeding its predecessor in terms of information and detail, Ant: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition is a must-have for Java developers unfamiliar with the latest advancements in Ant technology. With this book at your side, you'll soon be up to speed on the premiere tool for cross-platform development.
Author Steve Holzner is an award-winning author who s been writing about Java topics since the language first appeared; his books have sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide.
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Getting Started
Ant's Origins
Getting Ant
Ant at Work
Anatomy of a Build File
Running Ant
2. Using Properties and Types
Using Properties to Control Tasks
Using Property Files
Handling Data Using Types
3. Building Java Code
Compiling Code
Getting Input from the User
Calling Other Ant Tasks
Importing Other Build Files
Documenting Code
Creating JAR Files
Setting Build Numbers
Setting Timestamps
4. Deploying Builds
Packaging Applications for Deployment
Preparing to Deploy
Deploying Applications
Scheduling Automatic Builds
5. Testing Builds with JUnit
Using JUnit
Running Test Cases
Testing in Batches
Running the Build File
Extending JUnit
6. Getting Source Code from CVS Repositories
Source Control and Ant
Logging In
Working with the Server
Getting Version Data
Creating Change Logs
Finding Changes Between Versions
Creating Patches
7. Executing External Programs
Executing Java Code
Executing External Programs
Performing Batch Execution
Multithreading Tasks
Setting Execution Order
8. Developing for the Web
Creating WAR Archives
Creating CAB Files
Creating Simple Web Deployment
Deploying with SCP
Deploying to Tomcat
Compiling JSPs
Deploying to EJB Containers
9. XML and XDoclet
Validating XML Documents
Loading Properties from XML Files
Creating Ant Task DTDs
Transforming XML Using XSLT
Using XDoclet
Developing Enterprise JavaBeans
10. Optional Tasks
Using Sound
Creating Splash Screens
Subtituting Text Using Regular Expressions
Handling Dependencies
11. Integrating Ant with Eclipse
Introducing Eclipse
Running Ant Build Files
Using a Different Version of Ant
Using the Ant View
12. Extending Ant
Creating a Simple Custom Ant Task
Extending the Task Class
Creating Custom Listeners
Creating Custom Loggers
Creating Custom Filters
Creating Custom Selectors
Creating New Types
Index
