Build project into a JAR automatically in Eclipse

Question

I have an Eclipse project where I want to keep my Java project built into a JAR automatically  I know I have an option to export the project into a JAR  if I do a right click  but what I am really looking for is  that like Eclipse automatically builds a project s  class files and put them in target folder  it should also build a JAR automatically and copy the latest JAR at some or a specific location   Is there a option to configure Eclipse in such a way  to build JARs automatically    Just to make it clear for guys  patient enough to answer my question  I am not looking at ANT as solution  as I already use it  but what I would like it something that gets initiated automatically either with a time based trigger or immediate build with change

User · Accepted Answer

Check out Apache Ant  It s possible to use Ant for automatic builds with eclipse  here s how

User · Answer

Create an Ant file and tell Eclipse to build it  There are only two steps and each is easy with the step-by-step instructions below     Step 1 Create a build xml file and add to package explorer    lt  xml version  1 0    gt   lt  -- Configuration of the Ant build system to generate a Jar file -- gt    lt project name  TestMain  default  CreateJar  gt     lt target name  CreateJar  description  Create Jar file  gt           lt jar jarfile  Test jar  basedir     includes    class    gt     lt  target gt   lt  project gt    Eclipse should looks something like the screenshot below  Note the Ant icon on build xml    Step 2 Right-click on the root node in the project   - Select Properties  - Select Builders  - Select New  - Select Ant Build  - In the Main tab  complete the path to the build xml file in the bin folder      Check the Output  The Eclipse output window  named Console  should show the following after a build   Buildfile   home  lt user gt  src Test build xml  CreateJar            jar  Building jar   home  lt user gt  src Test Test jar BUILD SUCCESSFUL Total time  152 milliseconds     EDIT  Some helpful comments by  yeoman and  betlista      yeoman I think the correct include would be   class  not   class  as most   people use packages and thus recursive search for class files makes   more sense than flat inclusion       betlista I would recomment to not to have build xml in src folder

User · Answer

This is possible by defining a custom Builder in eclipse  see the link in Peter s answer   However  unless your project is very small  it may slow down your workspace unacceptably  Autobuild for class files happens incrementally  i e  only those classes affected by a change are recompiled  but the JAR file will have to be rebuilt and copied completely  every time you save a change

User · Answer

You want a  jardesc file  They do not kick off automatically  but it s within 2 clicks    Right click on your project Choose Export  gt  Java  gt  JAR file Choose included files and name output JAR  then click Next Check  Save the description of this JAR in the workspace  and choose a name for the new  jardesc file   Now  all you have to do is right click on your  jardesc file and choose Create JAR and it will export it in the same spot

User · Answer

Creating a builder launcher is an issue since 2 projects cannot have the same external tool build name  Each name has to be unique  I am currently facing this issue to automate my build and copy the JAR to an external location   I am using IBM s Zip Builder  but that is just a help but not doing the real   People can try using IBM ZIP Creation plugin  http   www ibm com developerworks websphere library techarticles 0112 deboer deboer2 html download

User · Answer

Using Thomas Bratt s answer above  just make sure your build xml is configured properly     lt  xml version  1 0    gt   lt  -- Configuration of the Ant build system to generate a Jar file -- gt    lt project name  TestMain  default  CreateJar  gt     lt target name  CreateJar  description  Create Jar file  gt           lt jar jarfile  Test jar  basedir  bin   includes       class    gt     lt  target gt   lt  project gt     Notice the double asterisk - it will tell build to look for  class files in all sub-directories

User · Answer

Regarding to Peter s answer and Micheal s addition to it you may find How Do I Automatically Generate A  jar File In An Eclipse Java Project useful  Because even you have    jardesc  file on your project you have to run it manually  It may cools down your  eclipse click hassle  a bit

[java] Build project into a JAR automatically in Eclipse

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