On 2010-08-23, Michael Ludwig wrote: > I'm wondering what's the difference between <path> and <classpath>. > Why are there these two construct? Aren't they functionally identical?
Ant contains a type - a thing you can define outside of tasks - called <path>. This Ant type is backed by a Java class named Path. Some tasks support nested elements that are implemented by that same Java class. Some tasks class it <path>, others call it <classpath> and there are even more names used by tasks. This means that you can use <path id="foo"> somewhere outside of a task and use that via <classpath refid="foo"/> in a task that calls its nested element <classpath>. > Is it correct to say that the whole <path>/<classpath> thing can be > explained historically by reference to the <javac> task? Which sports > @classpath, @sourcepath, @bootclasspath and @extdirs, all <path> types? Not really. <javac> is a good example, it needs four different types of path structures so it needs four different names for them. For <exec> the name <path> is the natural one. For the thing you can define outside of tasks, we need only one name and <path> is the most generic one. > So are <path> and <classpath> interchangeable? Structurally, yes. But if the task calls its nested element <classpath> then you have to use that name and can't call it <path>. Stefan --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: user-unsubscr...@ant.apache.org For additional commands, e-mail: user-h...@ant.apache.org
