Getting Started: Compiling,Running, and Debugging - Java - page 36

Automating Dependencies, Compilation, Testing, and
Deployment with Gradle

Problem

You want a build tool that doesn't make you use a lot of XML in your configuration file.

Solution

Use Gradle's simple build file with “strong, yet flexible conventions.”

Discussion

Gradle is the latest in the succession of build tools ( make , ant , and Maven). Gradle bills it-
self as “the enterprise automation tool,” and has integration with the other build tools and
IDEs.

Unlike the other Java-based tools, Gradle doesn't use XML as its scripting language, but
rather a domain-specific language (DSL) based on the JVM-based and Java-based scripting
language Groovy .

You can install Gradle by downloading from the Gradle website , unpacking the ZIP, and
adding its bin subdirectory to your path.

Then you can begin to use Gradle. Assuming you use the “standard” source directory ( src/
main/java , src/main/test ) that is shared by Maven and Gradle among other tools, the example
build.gradle file in Example 1-2 will build your app and run your unit tests.

Example 1-2. Example build.gradle file
# Simple Gradle Build for

for the Java - based DataVis project

apply plugin: 'java'
# Set up mappings for for Eclipse project too

apply plugin: 'eclipse'

# The version of Java to use
sourceCompatibility = 1.7
# The version of my project
version = '1.0.3'
# Configure JAR file packaging
jar {
manifest {