Java Development with Ant

by Erik Hatcher, Steve Loughran, Matthew Robinson, et al.

Book Overview

Encompassing Java-centric software project best practices for designing and automating build, test, and deployment processes using ANT, this book is written for developers using Java in large software projects and those who have reached the limits of classic IDE development systems. Benefiting developers who apply extreme programming methodology to Java projects, this resource provides detailed coverage of ANT and explains how to use it in large projects...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1930110588
• ISBN13: 9781930110588
• Release Date: August 2002
• Publisher: Manning Publications
• Length: 672 Pages
• Weight: 2.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 7.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

One of my top 5 Java books

Ant is a great tool that lets you pretty much automate any process- whether Java build-related or not. This book is then THE one-and-only book to buy - it serves as a tutorial AND a reference. The author's breadth of knowledge on Ant is amazing and the examples he presents are wonderful. The key areas I found the book very helpful on were 1) JUnit integration & report creation (using XDoclet /JUnitReport) 2) Deployment-related activities 3) Breaking out commonly used Ant targets for reuse But there is so much more - my edition has been well thumbed and has many yellow post-it notes for quick lookup. Based on what I've learned in this book I've been able to quickly and easily integrate the following components into my build process 1) Checkstyle (syntax checker) 2) PMD ("bad practice" checker) 3) JUnit & Clover (code coverage) 4) JDepend (Class interdependcy reporting) 5) Javadoc 6) An automated nightly build of the code and deployment to WebSphere I can't say enough about this book - but I would be lost without it and thus am loathe to lend it. If you use Ant or WANT to use Ant then buy this book.

Simply put, the best Ant coverage anywhere

Being a long-time fan of computer books with animals on the cover, I had bought a certain other Ant book before I got this one. But after I got this book, I've not cracked open the other book even once. Meanwhile, I'm considering getting another copy of JDwA because the one I have now is starting to look ragged from all of the use I've gotten out of it!This book covers everything there is to know about Ant 1.5. It takes you from basic build steps such as compiling right up to more advanced topics such as code generation with XDoclet and on to packaging up web, enterprise, and web-service applications. And if that isn't enough, you'll also learn how to extend Ant with custom tasks.If you're using Ant to build your Java projects, then you *need* this book. If you're not using Ant to build your projects, then why aren't you? Get this book and find out how to streamline your builds. Don't waste your time or money on any other Ant book. This is the best Ant book, bar-none.

Great for Ant AND great for other obscure utilities

I never would have known about such time savers as Middlegen if I hadn't read this book.It has better documentation on some of these other utilities than do the utilities themselves. For example, read this book instead of the CruiseControl documentation, if you need CruiseControl on your project.It's also very well-written and organized, with just the right amount of examples - no tedious 10-page listings.Much better than the O'Reilly lizard book. What's up with the lizard anyway? They had a ready-made animal cover in Ant, and they ignored it.

Elegant denseness - Like all the other Manning books

I can generally say all Manning books are very well written,well checked for errors, and contain a lot of information.The authors are all very knowledgeable in their fields with a lot of practical experience which shows in the books.The books are very readable and comprehensive.You will come back to these books again and again.As for this book: I have been using Ant in my java projects for at least two years now. I have barely started reading this book and it has already helped me do many new things.It will end up by your side whenever you work on Ant -- regardless of your level of experience (newbie to expert).You will be doing new things quickly and working wonders with Ant.Easily explore the full potential of this beautiful tool.An indispensable resource for any Java developer.A grateful thank you to two excellent authors for a very comprehensive Ant tutorial-cum-reference.

Without question, the best Ant book so far

...and perhaps ever. I can't imagine it getting much better than this.There are some weaknesses in the book, for instance, they refrain from printing a lot of build files and talk about "evolving" some mysterious file you don't get to see until chapter 8. But it's not a fatal error.I bought the other two books that mention Ant, and would strongly recommend AGAINST getting Ant: The Definitive Guide. I can't believe there are people that recommended that over this.