Ant Tool

11.    Introduction to Ant(Another Neat Tool)

Ant is an open source build technology developed by Apache intended to build processes in Java Environment. It is a similar kind of tool like make, but it does not use shell commands to extend the functionality. The use of shell commands in make brings about the integrity with other languages too but this also makes it platform specific. In contract, Ant is based on XML and uses java classes in automatic generation of build processes that makes it platform independent. It is applicable to any integrated development environment (IDE) that uses Java. A build file is generally named as build.xml.

The best features of the Ant Technology can be summarized as bellow

·       Easy to Use: It is not a programming language; it is an XML based scripting tool, therefore easy to understand and implement.

·       Portable and Cross-Platform based: Use of Java Classes makes it portable, i.e. it can be run on any operating system.

·       Extended Functionality: Ant is based on java platform, that’s why its functionality can be extended to any development environment based on java. It is easier to implement than any specific IDE because it is automated.

·       Build Automation: Ant provides automated build process that is faster and more efficient than manual procedures and other build tools can also be integrated with it.

·       Compilation of Source Code: Ant can use and compile source code from a variety of version controls and packaging of the compiled code and resources can also be done.

·       Handling Dependencies between Targets: An Ant project describes the target and takes associated with it and also handle dependencies between various targets tasks.

        Ant Definition

                   Apache Ant is an open source cross-platform based build tool that is used to describe a build process and its dependencies and implemented in XML scripts using java classes that ensures its extensibility to any development environment (based on java) and is integrity with other build tools.

2.    Ant  Installation:

Ant is free and open source build tool, written in java, helps in automating the entire build process of a java development project.

·       Ant uses XML build files.

·       By default, Ant looks for a build file named build.xml.

·       The build file contains information about how to build a particular project.

·       Each project contains multiple targets like creating directory, compiling source codes.

·       Target can depend on other targets.

·       Behind each task is a Java class that performs the described work.

To install Ant follow the steps given below.

aa)    Down  ant latest or required version from Apache Foundation website

http://ant.apache.org/bindownload.cgi

b)    Extract Zip file to your local Disk say “E:” drive

D:\apache-ant-1.8.2

c)    Set the ANT_HOME environment variable to point to the ant installation directory.

ANT_HOME=E:\apache-ant-1.8.2

d)    Set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to point to the JDK location.

JAVA_HOME=E: \JDK1.5

e)    Add ANT_HOME/bin and JAVA_HOME/bin to your system’s PATH environment variable.

PATH=E:\apache-ant-1.8.2\bin; D:\JDK1.5\bin;.

To make sure the installation is proper, go to command prompt and execute the command ant.

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