"Trogdon, David" wrote:
> Well ... I have sucessfully used ANT and the ANT Visual Age fo Java Plugin.
> I have:
>
> moved projects to the workspace
> created directories
> exported projects in to the directories
> "jared" specific directories
> filtered the exported directories/jar files into the created directories
Yay! :-)
> All is well and good and I am to the point (more or less) of takeing my
> build and moveing it into InstallShield for the final disribution package.
>
> But I have some questions about the ANT and VAJ relationship that perhaps
> some one here will know.
>
> First ... it appears that the ANT plugin only deals at the project level. I
> am wondering if there is any support or planned support for Solutions? When
> you have 22 or so projects that can change from one version to the next, it
> is a pain to have to change the script to include the all the project
> versions that have changed. It would sure be nice if you could just move the
> latest Solution to the workspace and that would automatically pick up all
> the current projects.
Yes, that would be great, and I wanted just that functionality myself.
However, when Solutions were introduced, the Tool API wasn't updated to manage
them. I haven't used VAJ in a while (I left IBM in January), so they may have
updated the API since then. If thats the case, feel free to submit a new task
that loads Solutions into the Workspace.
> Next ... it would also be nice if you had the full functionality of the ANT
> command line. Specifically the -Dproperty=value option. With the ability to
> pass a property into the script from the GUI interface of the plugin, you
> should be able to use it to define a build directory structure that might
> include the version name and therefor prevent an older version from being
> overwritten. Again, the only way to work with this currently is to edit the
> script every time you do a new build. Anyone have any info on this?
The GUI is pretty simple (athough useful) so far, and doesn't support adding
properties from the "command line". Care to submit a patch? :-)
> Though I have not quiet gotten to this point yet I am hopeing to "kick
> start" InstallShield from the end of the ANT script and created the master
> installation files. IS has its own limitations in this reguard but I think
> it might be possible.
>
> The holy grail would be to place a CD-R in my burner, start an ANT script
> and come back in an hour or so with the master CD in the tray ready to go to
> manufacturing. This would be no small feat as our process from developer
> writeing code to the CD ROM burner involves at least 6 networked computers,
> but it would be awsome ;)
Go for it, and let us know how things turn out.
Glenn McAllister
SOMA Networks, Inc.
