Command Line

The main benefit of using JClass JarMaster to create JARs from the command prompt is that you can include it in your build scripts. You can call the JarMaster command in your scripts in the same way you would use the JDK's jar command. However, with JarMaster you can take advantage of its functiontality and create a streamlined JAR.

Please see Creating a JAR from the Command Prompt for information about this procedure.

Using JarMaster as an Apache Ant Task

JClass JarMaster includes a class called JarMasterAntTask which allows users to easily incorporate JarMaster into a build system that uses Apache Ant. JarMasterAntTask extends org.apache.tools.ant.Task, and thus can be used in the same way as any normal Ant task.

Note:In order to use JarMaster as an Ant task, one must be using Apache Ant 1.5 or later and have jcjarmaster.jar on their classpath when running Ant.

The following example builds a JAR named MyJar.jar, which includes all the classes in the current directory, their direct dependencies, and the indirect dependencies as specified in the manifest file (manifest.txt):

<!-- ##################################################################### -->
<!------------------------------ JClass JarMaster Ant Task Example ------------------------------------------>
<!-- ##################################################################### -->
<project name="jarmaster" default="jar">

    <!-- JarMaster Ant Task Definition -->
    <taskdef resource="com/klg/jclass/jarmaster/taskdef.properties" />

    <!-- Building MyJar.jar -->
    <target name="jar" description="Build jar">

        <jarmaster manifest="manifest.txt"
                   clearDefaults="yes"
                   compressionLevel="9"
                   output="MyJar.jar">

            <!-- Classpath settings follow the standard Ant classpath rules -->
            <classpath>
                <pathelement path="."/>
            </classpath>

            <!-- Excluded packages can be either class names or package names -->
            <excludepackage name="org/apache/batik"/>
            <excludepackage name="org/apache/tools/ant"/>
            <excludepackage name="java"/>
            <excludepackage name="javax"/>
            <excludepackage name="sun"/>

            <!-- Files to include in the JAR are specified using a standard Ant fileset -->
            <fileset dir="." >
                <include name="*.class"/>
            </fileset>

        </jarmaster>
    </target>
</project>

JarMaster Ant Task Definition

• You can use taskdef.properties properties file, as seen in the previous example, to associate the JarMaster task with the correct class name. This methods will work even if, for some reason, the class name changes in a subsequent release; thus, it is the recommended method. Also, when using this method, if more tasks are added you do not need to define a separate task element for each class.
• You can define the task using the actual class:

  <taskdef name="jarmaster" classname="com/klg/jclass/jarmaster/JarMasterAntTask" />

JarMaster Ant Task Properties