How can I build up an AntBuilder call programmatically in Groovy?

Question

Lets say I have this Groovy code:

ant.exec(executable:"cmd",osfamily:"windows",dir:bin) {
    arg(value: "/c")
    arg(value: "add-user.bat")
    arg(value: user)
    arg(value: pw)
    arg(value: "--silent")                                                                                                      
}

I have such exec calls often in my code with different number of arguments, so I tought it could be a function with an object array parameter:

private void execute(Object... argumens) {
    ant.sequential {
        exec(executable:"cmd",osfamily:"windows",dir:bin) {
            arg(value: "/c")
            //What should I do here
        }
    }
}

//It would be called like this:
execute("add-user.bat",user,pw,"--silent");

What should I write inside the exec element? Is it possible at all to have an iteration inside that exec?

Please be patient with me, I am a Java guy, who wants to write some script in Maven, so I did not understand the magic, which happens in the AntBuilder of Groovy. If you have some easy to understand explanation about how AntBuilder in Groovy works, it is appreciated.

BTW, for java guy: `arg(value: "/c")` is calling a method `arg(Map)` with map `key="value"` and `value="/c"` on `delegate` object. — daggett, Mar 08 '18 at 16:43
If you're a Java guy and you want to write a new class for this why not just use Process or ProcessBuilder directly? — CAustin, Mar 08 '18 at 17:37
@CAustin if I do so, then I have to write the whole Ant functionality and boilerplate alone, which I do not like. I think Ant is still a great tool for file manipulations if you need freedom. It just does not have any conventions, so it is not a good build tool. Together with the groovy syntax it is even confortable. — Gábor Lipták, Mar 09 '18 at 21:56
I'm not saying you should rewrite every Ant step in your script, just the exec part, which is barely even using Ant in the first place. All ant is really doing here is calling java's `Process` class with some configuration. — CAustin, Mar 09 '18 at 22:17

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 08 '18 at 17:33

You should be able to do:

private void execute(Object... argumens) {
    ant.sequential {
        exec(executable:"cmd",osfamily:"windows",dir:bin) {
            arg(value: "/c")
            argumens.each {
                arg(value: it)
            }
        }
    }
}

How can I build up an AntBuilder call programmatically in Groovy?

1 Answers1