This line:
-keep public class * extends android.view.View ;
prevents a single class from being obfuscated, while this:
-keep public class * extends android.view.View {
public <init>(android.content.Context);
public <init>(android.content.Context, android.util.AttributeSet);
public <init>(android.content.Context, android.util.AttributeSet, int);
public void set*(...);
}
prevents (in this case) specific methods from being obfuscated. When there's brackets involved, it means the statement applies to multiple items. It can also be used to keep multiple classes, or something else where you'd keep multiple of something else. You can also use it for packages or and through that specific classes in packages. The entire system is flexible because of the wildcard. Basically:
-keep something;
means keep a single one, while:
- keep something {
somethingElse
}
specifies what to keep based on the parameter. Meaning it can specify multiple to keep. (commented version of that one:)
- keep something {//When something
somethingElse//keep somethingElse
//... and more as needed
}
It's to a certain degree comparable to an if-statement. You have two different ones:
if(something)
//single line for action
and:
if(something){
//Do multiple things
}
essentially:
-keep //keep if
public class * extends Something //the class extends something
and
-keep //if
public class * extends Something //the class extends something
{
field1//keep field1
//and whatever else is supplied
}
And your third example:
-keep public keepclassmembers * extends android.view.View {
public <init>(android.content.Context);
public <init>(android.content.Context, android.util.AttributeSet);
public <init>(android.content.Context, android.util.AttributeSet, int);
public void set*(...);
}
is wrong. keepclassmembers is something you use instead of -keep. I.e.:
-keepclassmembers public class * extends android.view.View {
public <init>(android.content.Context);
public <init>(android.content.Context, android.util.AttributeSet);
public <init>(android.content.Context, android.util.AttributeSet, int);
public void set*(...);
}
And -keepclassmembers keeps the class members, while -keep keeps the class members and classes themselves.
