> -----Original Message----- > From: Conor MacNeill [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: May 31, 2000 8:34 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: Platform independent classpath in build.xml? > [...] > Previously my position was that I had wanted ant to be useable by people > using their native platform conventions. If a person has to provide a > classpath and they are used to providing it in a particular way, I wanted > ant to accept that. The resulting build files would still have been cross > platform, provided no absolute paths had been used. My view was based on > Unix and Windows style platforms and I guess that view may preclude other > platforms.
Sure... that would be a good feature, but why wouldn't you have an Ant way to represent the classpath? > > > There is also no reason that the system classpath can't work in > > conjunction > > with an "ant classpath"... once the ant classpath is converted > to a native > > path at runtime, the system classpath could be appended if desired. > > > > Not sure what you are getting at here. Ahh... what I mean is that Ant could use the systems classpath that its running in as well as its own... append it is you like. A little out of context I know :) > > > > Looks like it would work, but you have hard coded the path [...] > > As you can see, at no point do I use a hard-coded path separator... and > > because of that, this method should work on *any* java compliant OS, > > regardless of what unique path separators it uses... > > Your code is platform independent but it makes all build files platform > dependent. A build file which works on one platform will not work > on another > with a different separator. One of the major goals of ant is to > allow build > files to be platform independent. That's exactly my point... if you standardize the path separator, then the build file become platform independent. As it is now, you must use a separator from unix or windows... just because they are interchangeable does not make them platform independent. The fact that unix and windows separators are interchangeable at all, is really a convenience for those who are used to using a particular separator, but its not to someone who is familiar with an entirely different separator. > I suggest you have a read of the core.html document in the spec directory. > It discusses some of these issues. Right... ok... so basically you say that ":" is the ant path separator... this is what I want to hear... however my point still stands that it might not be obvious to someone who has never seen a unix style path separator... like myself (who does use unix btw) they are first going to try and use a comma, because most other lists in Ant use them. Its a natural assumption. - Brill Pappin
