Build profiles in Ant allow customization of the build process for various environments or deployment targets. They enable developers to define specific configurations, properties, and tasks based on the target environment.
To implement build profiles, use property files and conditional execution. Create separate property files for each profile (e.g., dev.properties, prod.properties) containing environment-specific settings. Load the appropriate file using the “property” task with a specified location.
Next, utilize the “if” and “unless” attributes in tasks to conditionally execute them based on defined properties. For example, include a debug task only if the “debug” property is set.
Example:
<property file="dev.properties"/>
<target name="compile">
<javac srcdir="src" destdir="build/classes"/>
</target>
<target name="debug" if="debug">
<javac srcdir="src" destdir="build/debug-classes" debug="true"/>
</target>
In this example, the “debug” target is executed only when the “debug” property is present in the loaded property file.
