ant/docs/ant2/requested-features.txt

List of requirements for Ant2 split into categories. 

If you disagree with the category something has been put into, speak
up.

I. Things that don't affect the core but are requests for new tasks or
enhancements of existing tasks.
======================================================================

* make usage of particular filters/filtersets explicit in copy tasks

* make facade tasks for things like javac (JikesImpl, ModernImpl etc)

* unify multiple similar tasks to use similar forms (ie all the javacc
  type tools)

II. Abstract goals that need to be abstract until we get into design
decisions.
======================================================================

* remove magic properties if at all humanly possible

* remove as much dependency on native scripts as possible.

* clean object model (ie Project/Target/Task)

* good event model to integrate well with IDE/GUI/whatever

* use a consistent naming scheme for attributes across all tasks

* keep build file syntax as compatible to Ant1 as possible -
  i.e. don't break something just because we can.

* keep the interface for Tasks as similar to the one of Ant1 as
  possible - i.e. don't break something just because we can.

III. Things that are simple, easy to implement, where we expect the
committers to agree
======================================================================

* namespace support so different concerns can occupy different namespaces
  from ant (thus SAX2/JAXP1.1)

* Java2

* remove all deprecated methods, attributes, tasks

* allow all datatypes to be defined anywhere - i.e. as children of
  project as well as of target.

* make properties fully dynamic, i.e. allow their value to be reassigned

* unify the namespace of all data types (ie properties + filesets +
  patternset + filtersets).

IV. Things we probably agree upon but need to discuss the details or
decide between several possible options.
======================================================================

* The ability for GUI/IDE tools to integrate easily with object model
  without reinventing the wheel and writing their own parser (which
  antidote was forced to do). 

  Two suggested solutions were allowing GUI developers to extend
  object model (ie GUITask extends Task) or to have Task as interface
  (ie GUITask implements Task). This way the GUI tasks could be W3C
  DOM Elements, have property vetoers/listeners etc.

* support for numerous frontends - from command line over GUI to servlets

  corollary of the above?

* Fully interpreted at runtime. This almost requires some form of
  abstraction/proxy that stands in place of tasks till it is
  interpreted.  This can be hashtables/simple dom-like model/whatever

* provide utility classes to aid in building tasks. ie like up-to-date
  functionality abstracted

  Need to become more specific here.

* make ant-call a low cost operations so it can certain
  optional/template-like operations

  corollary of "fully interpreted at runtime"?

* allow facilities to build projects from multiple sources. ie CSS+xml
  or XSLT+ XML or database or from inside jars or normal build.xmls
  etc.

* move to a system that allows docs to be generated - doc snippets
  should be included with the tasks they document.

  Which DTD? Which tools for generation?

* allow tasks to be loaded from jars. tasks should be indicated by
  either xml file in TSK-INF/taskdefs.xml or manifest file.

* allow documentation to be stored in .tsk jars

  corollary of the two points above?

* better scripting/notification support so the hooks are available to
  send notifications at certain times.

  Which hooks and where?

* separate tasks into .tsk jars somehow. (Probably via function - ie
  java tasks, file tasks, ejb tasks).

  Decide on categories.

* make separate build files easy (ala AntFarm) and importing different
  projects a breeze

* provide support for user defined task configurations - i.e. give
  users the ability to specify a default value for attributes (always
  use debug="true" in <javac> unless something else has been
  specified). 

  Three ideas so far: a CSS like language, a <taskconfig> element,
  properties following a specific naming scheme.

* support more control over the properties that are going to be passed
  to subprojects (modules)

V. Things we probably don't agree on. 
======================================================================

* provide datatypes through property tag and remove need for separate free
  standing entities. ie
  <property name="foo">
    <fileset dir="blah">
     <include name="*/**.java" />
    </fileset>
  </property>

* make it possible to reuse taskengine for other things. ie
  Installshield type app, Peter's cron-server and other task based
  operations. 

* create the concept of workspace so that projects can be built in a
  DAG and thus enable projects like catalina/tomcat to have an easy
  build process. It also helps CJAN to a lesser degree and would
  partially solve the JARs in CVS thing.

* provide support for CJAN

  In what way?

* provide support for non-hardwired (ie loadable) converters.

  What is a converter? Is this an implementation detail?

* generate docs by anakia/XSLT

  Corollary of "move to a system that allows docs to be generated"?

* tasks provide some way to identify their attributes from the
  outside. 

  Possible solutions include a special method like getProperties(), an
  external describing file shipping with the task class or special
  javadoc comments parsed by a custom doclet.

* allow build file writers to modify logging (verbosity for example)
  on a target by target or task by task basis.