[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: >Hi folks, > >I am writing a common build script for 2 departments that build similar >products but have some slightly different requirements in terms of build >structure. > >My plan was to have modular independent functions so that the common >functionality could be used by both teams and the different functions can >be called as separate targets. > >In this case, is it generally considered preferable to use the antcall or >macrodef? If the answer is "it depends" what are the circumstances in which >one would be preferable over the other? > > a few general comments, all my own opinion;
- macrodef has generally better perf - macrodef and presetdef are indeed perfect for creating modular independent functions - constrain macrodefs to task level activity, going beyond this e.g. encapsulating an entire sequence of tasks in a macrodef means it cant easily participate in dependencies (using depends or std if/unless)...dont use a macrodef instead of a target as a reuse mechanism across dept. - macrodefs should be thought of as perfect reuse structures across different Ant projects...so it should be more generic in nature, use presetdefs if you are looking for intraproject 'comfort'...u should also put macrodefs seperate into antlibs - try to keep your 'differences' located in properties between departments and override by replacing/supplying different properties...u can achieve this by either using different property files, or giving a different run script wrapper to ant, which sets up env and supplies properties at ant commandline - parameterising your projects with properties is the first step of refactoring, the next steps are to ask questions like; are the differences between departments in dependencies (do they use different libs), are development environments different, do they work off same source code branch, do they deploy to different targets, Also if the projects are enterprise in scale, I would suggest just having 2 independent Ant builds at first...instead of trying to get some gains through reuse...you may find that trying to figure out the best way forward through the intersection of 2 projects more difficult to solve with effectively one build script, no doub this a magnitude more difficult chore then just having 2 scripts.....which perhaps over time converge every once in a while through refactoring; perhaps sharing a common antlib(s) and structure. you should take a look at the ant_in_anger document included in the manual for Ant.. gl, Jim Fuller --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
