From rubys@us.ibm.com Thu Mar 2 10:52:26 2000 Return-Path: Mailing-List: contact ant-dev-help@jakarta.apache.org; run by ezmlm Delivered-To: mailing list ant-dev@jakarta.apache.org Received: (qmail 50032 invoked from network); 2 Mar 2000 10:52:26 -0000 Received: from e22.nc.us.ibm.com (32.97.136.228) by locus.apache.org with SMTP; 2 Mar 2000 10:52:26 -0000 Received: from southrelay02.raleigh.ibm.com (southrelay02.raleigh.ibm.com [9.37.3.209]) by e22.nc.us.ibm.com (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id FAA19010 for ; Thu, 2 Mar 2000 05:34:57 -0600 From: rubys@us.ibm.com Received: from d54mta04.raleigh.ibm.com (d54mta04.raleigh.ibm.com [9.67.228.36]) by southrelay02.raleigh.ibm.com (8.8.8m2/NCO v2.06) with SMTP id FAA27094 for ; Thu, 2 Mar 2000 05:52:05 -0500 Received: by d54mta04.raleigh.ibm.com(Lotus SMTP MTA v4.6.5 (863.2 5-20-1999)) id 85256896.003BBA43 ; Thu, 2 Mar 2000 05:52:23 -0500 X-Lotus-FromDomain: IBMUS To: ant-dev@jakarta.apache.org Message-ID: <85256896.003BB7D7.00@d54mta04.raleigh.ibm.com> Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2000 05:47:05 -0500 Subject: Re: What flavour of scripting? Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline X-Spam-Rating: locus.apache.org 1.6.2 0/1000/N > The only thing I need? A small modification to the javac task: > > depends="whatever" > requires="org.apache.myclass.TheOneINeedToCompile > action"[fail/ignore]"/> Sound to me that what you are asking for is a modification to target, not javac. It also sounds to me like you already have what you need, though perhaps not in the form that you describe. Here's how you would do it today: Note: I'm not sure why you need an action="[fail/ignore]", care to enlighten me? The problem I have (or had) is that the javac task is too powerful. For a while, I couldn't build ant because javac would pick up all java files it found, including ApacheParser. The solution I opted for at the time was to fix ApacheParser to use introspection. A much better solution, IMHO, based on what can be done with Ant today would be to add the following to ant's build.xml. I'm hoping that with the above concrete example, you will have an "AHA!" experience, and decide that this is not merely a "useless complication". - Sam Ruby P.S. All kidding aside, I would be greatly troubled if you chose to grab a version of the ant.jar and drop out. For two reasons: 1) A number of changes being discussed here are not backwards compatible. Example: Duncan and Stefano are advocating making properties defined inside a target local to that target. The net is that over time you will likely find it more difficult to share your build instructions with others. 2) Your dropping out would mean a significant reduction in the number of ideas in the gene pool (or meme pool). It would be all too easy for us to go off the deep end, either by steadily accumulating tasks that were needed to get the job done or by getting too enraptured in the power of one feature or design pattern. One of ant's main attractions is that it is simple. Keep keeping us honest. Just remember that (and I believe that this is one of Murphy's laws), when all is said and done, a hell of a lot more is said than done. As applied here (and as Martha Stewart would say), "It's a good thing!".