--- Jesse Tilly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Am I the only person that thinks conditional flow > control using XML is just > a Bad Thing(tm)? Flow control == processing and we > already have excellent > processing languages.
Build scripting is all ABOUT conditional processing - i.e. "if source file A is newer than object file B, compile source file A." This low-level conditional checking is built into Ant (and make) so that you don't have to see it - and that is the primary advantage of build tools over scripting tools - it simplifies the required instruction set. This does not, however, eliminate the need for conditionals at a higher level of abstraction. Also, I have several times had to use the uptodate task paired with the if/unless conditions to achieve checks that are *not* built into Ant - and this is conceptually at the *same* level of abstraction of the .java/.class checks. So you don't need conditional checks in your scripts. How does that make them bad for everyone? You have not adequately justified your position. Just because you do not need the feature is no reason to cut the rest of us off at the knees. There are many cases where this feature is indeed necessary - including the script that builds Ant itself. Live and let live. Roger Vaughn __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Auctions - buy the things you want at great prices http://auctions.yahoo.com/
