Gradle Beyond the Basics

Preface

Welcome to Gradle Beyond the Basics, the second book in the O’Reilly Gradle series. This book picks up from its predecessor, Building and Testing with Gradle, and takes you further into the Gradle programming model. We offer the recipes, techniques, and syntax that make Gradle more than just free-form scripting, and place your build instead on the foundation of a strong domain model. The difference is, it is your domain model, not a generic one from some build tool that is ignorant of the specifics of your project.

Having introduced you to the basic elements of Gradle in the first book, we can begin to explore the tool’s capabilities a bit more deeply. We will cover four discrete areas of Gradle functionality: file operations, custom Gradle plug-ins, build lifecycle hooks, and dependency management. We assume that you are familiar with the basics of how to use Gradle, and with a keen respect of your time and interest, offer no further introduction to the mechanics of simple Gradle builds. If you are brand new to the topic, you should definitely read Building and Testing first.

The Gradle APIs are rich, the possibilities for DSLs matching your domain are abundant, and the path towards finally having a build system that conforms to your product is clear. Let’s move forward.

Conventions Used in This Book

The following typographical conventions are used in this book:

Italic

Indicates new terms, URLs, email addresses, filenames, and file extensions.

Constant width

Used for program listings, as well as within paragraphs to refer to program elements such as variable or function names, databases, data types, environment variables, statements, and keywords.

Constant width bold

Shows commands or other text that should be typed literally by the user.

Constant width italic

Shows text that should be replaced with user-supplied values or by values determined by context.

Tip

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Warning

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Acknowledgments

I would like to extend my thanks to my team of excellent tech editors who contributed ably to the quality of this book: Jason Porter, Spencer Allain, Darin Pope, and Rod Hilton. Special thanks go to Luke Daley, who didn’t just edit, but provided significant rewrites to the chapter on dependency management when the original version didn’t quite capture the spirit of the subject matter. Luke was also a willing helper on the other end of a Skype chat window on more than one occasion when I had a technical question about some Gradle internal or other. He is a valued friend with whom I look forward to more collaboration in the future.

Additional thanks go to my friend, Matthew McCullough, for his early contributions to the chapter on Build Hooks. Matthew has a long history in the build tool space, and his insights into build metaprogramming were no small help in getting that chapter right.

Thanks of course to the longsuffering Hans Docktor, who waited perhaps a year longer than expected to get this book. It is likewise always a pleasure to work with him and to call him my friend.

I am obligated to acknowledge my editor, Meghan Blanchette, but in this case the obligation is one I receive willingly. If Meghan and I work together on another book, she may want to create some automation around the emails she sends to me asking if I am going to keep my latest deadline, so frequent are those checkups. I will still enjoy hearing from her.

I tend to write very early in the morning, so my wife, Kari, never actually saw me work on this volume. She did, however, experience more than one spate of her husband falling asleep at 9:00 pm for many days on end so he could wake up early the next day and write. My thanks, and her name in print, is the least I can offer.

To Hannah and Sarah: Proverbs 14:26.