Question

How do you create a custom Ant task, and when would you choose to do so?

Answer 1

To create a custom Ant task, follow these steps:

1. Extend org.apache.tools.ant.Task class.
2. Override the execute() method with your desired functionality.
3. Compile and package the class into a JAR file.
4. Reference the JAR in your build.xml using element.

Example:

import org.apache.tools.ant.BuildException;

import org.apache.tools.ant.Task;

public class CustomTask extends Task {

@Override

public void execute() throws BuildException {

// Your custom logic here

}

}

In build.xml:

<taskdef name="customtask" classname="com.example.CustomTask" classpath="path/to/customtask.jar"/>

<customtask/>

Choose to create a custom Ant task when existing tasks don’t fulfill specific requirements or to encapsulate complex operations for reusability and maintainability.