RE: Environment variables

[Peter Vogel]

Title: RE: Environment variables

Yeah, I knew I could do what you indicate below (though I do appreciate the syntax sample)

but It seems a little ridiculous to have to copy all these "env" elements into EVERY task

(granted, there are fewer tasks in ant than there would be in make) to make things work.  I'd

like to be able to do something like this:

 

<target name="init">

<tstamp/>

<env id="build.env">

   <import env> <!-- get whole system environment -->

   <key="PATH" value="build.path"> <!-- override PATH -->

   <key="JAVA_HOME" value="c:/jdk1.">

   <key="WL_HOME" value="c:/weblogic5.1">

</env>

</target>

 

And then be able to do this:

 

<target name="compile" depends="init">

    <javac srcdir="${src}" destdir="${dest}" env="build.env"/>

</target>

 

For now, I guess I'll muddle along...

 

-Peter

-----Original Message-----
From: Peterson, Lance [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2001 2:48 PM
To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
Subject: RE: Environment variables

We use property files.  Example:

<property file="build.properties" />

This imports build-time settings from a local file.  I set classpath, java_home, source path settings in this file.  If I need to set environment variables for a task, I use the task's attributes.  Or for exec tasks, I use <env> nested attributes.  Example:

# set classpath, java_home, ejb_home properties
<property file="build.properties" />

<target name="stub">
  <exec executable="java2iiop">
    <env key="PATH" value="build.path" />
    <env key="CLASSPATH" value="build.classpath" />
    <arg value="-VBJclasspath" />
    <arg value="build.vbjclasspath" />
    <arg value="-root_dir" />
    <arg value="build.destdir" />
    <arg value="-compile" />
  </exec>
</target>

The <env> nested attribute allows me to set environment variables for running the executable (java2iiop in this case).  This works for the exec task, I don't know if there's a way to do it for other built-in tasks like javac or jar.  But for those tasks, I can set classpath and compiler options through task attributes.

Hope this helps,
Lance Peterson
Verticore Technologies Inc.

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Vogel [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Friday, May 11, 2001 2:57 PM
To: '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
Subject: Environment variables

Hi Guys,

The more ant builds I look at, the more I see the common element
of a "setenv.bat" that sets common variables like CLASSPATH
and JAVA_HOME, etc. 

When I have architected builds in the past, I try to encapsulate
all of the environment settings into the makefile itself, with
the makefile checking the user environment for overrides.  This
works with modern "make" systems like GnuMake because I can export
a Make variable to an environment variable (for all processes
invoked by Make) using the export keyword.

I'd like to do the same in ant, it just offends my sensibilities
to have to run a "SetEnv.bat" file first.  I'm aware of the "env"
nested directive (though it isn't in the documentation) for javac
and exec (where it is in the documentation).  But they aren't quite
what I'm looking for.  I'd like to define a property and specify that
it should be exported into the environment of all the subprocesses
spawned by ant.

Any suggestions?

Thanks,
-Peter

--
Peter A. Vogel
Manager+consultant, Configuration Management
Arsin Corporation, Professional Services
http://www.arsin.com