Given the large number of tasks available with Ant, it may be +difficult to get an overall view of what each task can do. The following +tables provide a short description of each task and a link to the complete +documentation.
+ +Archive Tasks| + +Archive Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| BUnzip2 | +Expands a file packed using GZip or BZip2. |
+
| BZip2 | +Packs a file using the GZip or BZip2 algorithm. This task + does not do any dependency checking; the output file is always + generated |
+
| Cab | +Creates Microsoft CAB archive files. It is invoked + similar to the Jar or + Zip tasks. This task will work on + Windows using the external cabarc tool (provided by Microsoft), + which must be located in your executable path. |
+
| Ear | +An extension of the Jar task with + special treatment for files that should end up in an + Enterprise Application archive. |
+
| GUnzip | +Expands a GZip file. |
+
| GZip | +GZips a set of files. |
+
| Jar | +Jars a set of files. |
+
| Jlink | +This task can be used to build jar and zip files, + similar to the Jar task. + However, Jlink provides options for controlling the way entries from + input files are added to the output file. Specifically, capabilities + for merging entries from multiple zip or jar files are available. |
+
| Manifest | +Creates a manifest file. |
+
| Rpm | +Invokes the rpm executable to build a Linux installation + file. This task currently only works on Linux or other Unix platforms + with RPM support. |
+
| SignJar | +Signs a jar or zip file with the javasign + command-line tool. |
+
| Tar | +Creates a tar archive. |
+
| Unjar | +Unzips a jarfile. |
+
| Untar | +Untars a tarfile. |
+
| Unwar | +Unzips a warfile. |
+
| Unzip | +Unzips a zipfile. |
+
| War | +An extension of the Jar task
+ with special treatment for files that should end up in the
+ |
+
| Zip | +Creates a zipfile. |
+
| + +Audit/Coverage Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| JDepend | +Invokes the + JDepend parser. This parser "traverses a set of Java source-file + directories and generates design-quality metrics for each Java + package". |
+
| JProbe | +These tasks run the tools from the + JProbe suite. This task was written + using JProbe Suite Server Side 3.0. |
+
| MMetrics | +Computes the metrics of a set of Java source files, using the + + Metamata Metrics/WebGain Quality Analyzer source-code analyzer, + and writes the results to an XML file. |
+
| Maudit | +Performs static analysis on a set of Java source-code and + byte-code files, using the + + Metamata Metrics/WebGain Quality Analyzer source-code + analyzer. |
+
| + +Compile Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| Depend | +Determines which classfiles are out-of-date with respect to their + source, removing the classfiles of any other classes that depend on the + out-of-date classes, forcing the re-compile of the removed classfiles. + Typically used in conjunction with the + Javac task. |
+
+
| Javac | +Compiles the specified source file(s) within the running
+ (Ant) VM, or in another VM if the |
+
| JspC | +Runs the JSP compiler. It can be used to precompile JSP pages + for fast initial invocation of JSP pages, deployment on a server without + the full JDK installed, or simply to syntax-check the pages without + deploying them. The Javac task + can be used to compile the generated Java source. + (For Weblogic JSP compiles, + see the Wljspc task.) |
+
| NetRexxC | +Compiles a + NetRexx + source tree within the running (Ant) VM. |
+
| Rmic | +Runs the rmic compiler on the specified file(s). |
+
| Wljspc | +Compiles JSP pages using Weblogic's JSP compiler, + weblogic.jspc. (For non-Weblogic JSP compiles, see the + JspC task. |
+
| + +EJB Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| EJB Tasks | +(See the documentation describing the EJB tasks.) |
+
| + +Documentation Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| Javadoc/Javadoc2 | +Generates code documentation using the javadoc tool. + The Javadoc2 task is deprecated; use the Javadoc task instead. |
+
| Stylebook | +Executes the Apache Stylebook documentation generator. + Unlike the command-line version of this tool, all three arguments + are required to run the Stylebook task. |
+
| + +Execution Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| Ant | +Runs Ant on a supplied buildfile, optionally + passing properties (with possibly new values). + This task can be used to build sub-projects. |
+
| AntCall | +Runs another target within the same buildfile, optionally + passing properties (with possibly new values). |
+
| Apply/ExecOn | +Executes a system command. When the |
+
| Dependset | +This task compares a set of source files with a set of target + files. If any of the source files is newer than any of + the target files, all the target files are removed. |
+
| Exec | +Executes a system command. When the |
+
| Java | +Executes a Java class within the running (Ant) VM, or in
+ another VM if the |
+
| Parallel | +A container task that can contain other Ant tasks.
+ Each nested task specified within the |
+
| Sequential | +A container task that can contain other Ant tasks.
+ The nested tasks are simply executed in sequence. Its primary use is
+ to support the sequential execution of a subset of tasks within
+ the |
+
| Sleep | +A task for suspending execution for a specified period of time. + Useful when a build or deployment process requires an interval between + tasks. |
+
| Waitfor | +Blocks execution until a set of specified conditions become true. + This task is intended to be used with the + Parallel task to synchronize + a set of processes. |
+
| + +File Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| Checksum | +Generates a checksum for a file or set of files. This task can + also be used to perform checksum verifications. |
+
| Chmod | +Changes the permissions of a file or all files inside the + specified directories. Currently, it has effect only under Unix. + The permissions are also UNIX style, like the arguments for the + chmod command. |
+
| Copy | +Copies a file or Fileset to a new file or directory. |
+
| Copydir | +Deprecated. Use the + Copy task instead. |
+
| Copyfile | +Deprecated. Use the + Copy task instead. |
+
| Delete | +Deletes either a single file, all files and sub-directories + in a specified directory, or a set of files specified by one or more + FileSets. |
+
| Deltree | +Deprecated. Use the + Delete task instead. |
+
| Filter | +Sets a token filter for this project, or reads multiple token + filters from a specified file and sets these as filters. Token filters + are used by all tasks that perform file-copying operations. |
+
| FixCRLF | +Modifies a file to add or remove tabs, carriage returns, linefeeds, + and EOF characters. |
+
| Get | +Gets a file from a URL. |
+
| Mkdir | +Creates a directory. Non-existent parent directories are created, + when necessary. |
+
| Move | +Moves a file to a new file or directory, or a set(s) of file(s) to + a new directory. |
+
| Patch | +Applies a "diff" file to originals. |
+
| Rename | +Deprecated. Use the Move + task instead. |
+
| + RenameExtensions | +Deprecated. Use the Move + task with a glob mapper + instead. |
+
| Replace | +Replace is a directory-based task for replacing the occurrence + of a given string with another string in selected file. |
+
| + ReplaceRegExp | +Directory-based task for replacing the occurrence of a given + regular expression with a substitution pattern in a file or set of + files. |
+
| Touch | +Changes the modification time of a file and possibly creates it at + the same time. |
+
| + +Logging Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| Record | +Runs a listener that records the logging output of the + build-process events to a file. Several recorders can exist + at the same time. Each recorder is associated with a file. |
+
| + +Mail Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
A task to send SMTP email. |
+ |
| MimeMail | +Deprecated. Use the Mail + task instead. |
+
| + +Miscellaneous Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| Description | +Allows for a description of the project to be specified that
+ will be included in the output of the |
+
| Echo | +Echoes text to |
+
| Fail | +Exits the current build by throwing a BuildException, + optionally printing additional information. |
+
| GenKey | +Generates a key in keystore. |
+
| Input | +Allows user interaction during the build process by displaying a + message and reading a line of input from the console. |
+
| PathConvert | +Converts a nested path, path reference, or fileset reference + to the form usable on a specified platform and stores the result in + a given property. |
+
| Script | +Executes a script in a + BSF-supported language. |
+
| Sound | +Plays a sound file at the end of the build, according to whether + the build failed or succeeded. |
+
| Sql | +Executes a series of SQL statements via JDBC to a database.
+ Statements can either be read in from a text file using the
+ |
+
| Taskdef | +Adds a task definition to the current project, such that this + new task can be used in the current project. |
+
| TStamp | +Sets the |
+
| Typedef | +Adds a data-type definition to the current project, such that this + new type can be used in the current project. |
+
| XmlValidate | +Checks that XML files are valid (or only well-formed). This task + uses the Crimson SAX2 parser implementation by default, but any SAX1/2 + parser can be specified, if needed. |
+
| + +.NET Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| .NET Tasks | +(See the documentation describing the .NET tasks.) |
+
| + +Pre-process Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| ANTLR | +Invokes the ANTLR + Translator generator on a grammar file. |
+
| AntStructure | +Generates a DTD for Ant buildfiles that contains information + about all tasks currently known to Ant. |
+
| IContract | +Instruments Java classes using the + iContract DBC + preprocessor. This task can generate a properties file for + iControl, + a graphical user interface that lets you turn on/off assertions. |
+
| JavaCC | +Invokes the + + JavaCC compiler-compiler on a grammar file. |
+
| Javah | +Generates JNI headers from a Java class. |
+
| JJTree | +Invokes the + JJTree preprocessor for the JavaCC compiler-compiler. It inserts + parse-tree building actions at various places in the JavaCC source that + it generates. The output of JJTree is run through JavaCC to create the + parser. This task only invokes JJTree if the grammar file is newer than + the generated JavaCC file. |
+
| MParse | +Invokes the Metamata + MParse compiler-compiler on a grammar file. |
+
| + Native2Ascii | +Converts files from native encodings to ASCII with escaped Unicode. + A common usage is to convert source files maintained in a native + operating system encoding to ASCII, prior to compilation. |
+
| Translate | +Identifies keys in files, delimited by special tokens, and + translates them with values read from resource bundles. |
+
| Style | +Processes a set of documents via XSLT. |
+
| + +Property Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| Available | +Sets a property if a specified file, directory, class in the + classpath, or JVM system resource is available at runtime. |
+
| Condition | +Sets a property if a certain condition holds true - this is a + generalization of Available and + Uptodate. |
+
| LoadFile | +Loads a file into a property |
+
| Property | +Sets a property (by name and value), or set of properties + (from a file or resource) in the project. |
+
| + PropertyFile | +Creates or modifies property files. Useful when wanting to make + unattended modifications to configuration files for application + servers and applications. Typically used for things such as + automatically generating a build number and saving it to a build + properties file, or doing date manipulation. |
+
| Uptodate | +Sets a property if a given target file is newer than a set of + source files. |
+
| + +Remote Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| FTP | +Implements a basic FTP client that can send, receive, + list, and delete files, and create directories. |
+
| Telnet | +Task to automate a remote telnet session. This task uses
+ nested |
+
| + +SCM Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| Cvs | +Handles packages/modules retrieved from a + CVS + repository. |
+
| CVSPass | +Adds entries to a .cvspass file. Adding entries to this file + has the same affect as a cvs login command. |
+
| ClearCase | +Tasks to perform the ClearCase cccheckin, cccheckout, + ccuncheckout, and ccupdate commands. |
+
| Continuus/Synergy | +Tasks to perform the Continuus ccmcheckin, + ccmcheckout, ccmcheckintask, ccmreconfigure, and + ccmcreateTask commands. |
+
| + Microsoft Visual SourceSafe | +Tasks to perform the Visual SourceSafe vssget, + vsslabel, vsshistory, vsscheckin, and + vsscheckout commands. |
+
| Perforce | +Tasks to perform the Perforce p4sync, p4change, + p4edit, p4submit, p4have, p4label, + p4counter, p4reopen, p4revert, and p4add + commands. |
+
| Pvcs | +Allows the user extract the latest edition of the source code + from a PVCS repository. |
+
| SourceOffSite | +Tasks to perform the SourceOffSite sosget, soslabel, + soscheckin, and soscheckout commands. |
+
| StarTeam | +Tasks to perform the StarTeam stcheckout, stcheckin, + stlabel, and stlist commands. The + Starteam task + is deprecated; use + STCheckout + instead. |
+
| + +Testing Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| Junit | +Runs tests from the Junit + testing framework. This task has been tested with JUnit 3.0 up to + JUnit 3.7; it won't work with versions prior to JUnit 3.0. |
+
| JunitReport | +Merges the individual XML files generated by the + Junit task and applies a + stylesheet on the resulting merged document to provide a browsable + report of the testcases results. |
+
| Test | +Executes a unit test in the |
+
| + +Visual Age for Java Tasks | + + +[Back to top] | + +
|---|
| Task Name | +Description | +
|---|---|
| + Visual Age for Java Tasks | +(See the documentation describing the Visual Age for Java + tasks.) |
+
Copyright © 2001-2002 Apache Software Foundation. +All rights Reserved.
+ + +