Java Extreme Programming Cookbook

Running Ant

Problem

You want to run Ant.

Solution

The complete command-line syntax is as follows:

ant [options] [target [target2 [target3] ...]]

Discussion

Table 3-1 lists all of the Ant command-line options. This table applies to Ant Version 1.5.1.

Table 3-1. Ant command-line options

Option	Description
-buildfile file -f file -file file	Specify which buildfile to use. If omitted, Ant searches for a file named build.xml.
-D property = value	Pass name/value pairs as properties.
-debug	Write debugging information as the build progresses.
-diagnostics	Write diagnostic information as the build progresses.
-emacs	Write the log file in a way that Emacs understands.
-find file	Locate a buildfile. Start searching in this directory, then the parent directory, and so on until the file is found or the filesystem root is reached.
-help	Show these options.
-inputhandler classname	Use a custom input handler class.
-listener classname	Use a custom build listener class.
-logfile file -l file	Send messages to the specified file instead of the console.
-logger classname	Use a custom logger class.
-projecthelp	Show a list of all targets in the buildfile.
-propertyfile name	Load all of the properties in the specified file. Properties specified with -D take precedence.
-quiet -q	Suppress much of the output.
-verbose -v	Write more information as the build progresses.
-version	Show the version of Ant.

See Also

Type ant -help to see ...