Ant Runner - Build Target Executer

A powerful VS Code extension that seamlessly integrates Apache Ant build targets into your development workflow. Browse, search, and execute Ant targets directly from the VS Code sidebar with an intuitive tree view interface.

Features

🎯 Interactive Target Tree View

• Visual Target List: All Ant targets from your build.xml displayed in a dedicated sidebar
• Smart Icons: Primary targets (with descriptions) marked with ⭐, secondary targets with ○
• One-Click Navigation: Click any target icon to jump to its definition in build.xml
• Target Descriptions: View target descriptions inline for better context

🚀 Flexible Execution

• Single Click: Select a target to view details
• Double Click: Execute the target immediately
• Inline Run Button: Click the ▶️ icon to run any target
• Terminal Integration: Commands execute in VS Code's integrated terminal
• Space Handling: Automatically handles target names with spaces (e.g., "all (Oracle-Dev)")
• Verbose Mode: Optionally run targets with Ant's -v flag for detailed output

⭐ Favourites

• Mark Favourites: Click the ☆ star icon next to any target to mark it as a favourite
• Visual Indicator: Favourited targets display a yellow ★ star; unfavourited targets show a ☆ outline star
• Pinned to Top: Favourite targets are always sorted to the top of the list
• Persistent: Favourites are saved per workspace and per build.xml file, surviving restarts

🔍 Smart Filtering & Search

• Primary Target Filter: Toggle between showing all targets or only primary targets (those with descriptions)
• Real-time Search: Search targets by name or description as you type
• Clear Search: Instantly reset search filters
• Combined Filters: Use primary filter and search simultaneously

⚙️ Easy Configuration

• Build File Selector: Quick file picker to select your build.xml
• Workspace Support: Handles both absolute and workspace-relative paths
• Auto-refresh: Manually refresh the target list when build.xml changes
• Persistent Settings: Configuration saved per workspace

Installation

Install from the VS Code Marketplace or search for "Ant Target Runner" in the Extensions view.

Usage

Initial Setup

1. Open the Ant Runner view in the sidebar (look for the ant icon 🐜)
2. Click "Configure Build File Path" in the toolbar
3. Select your build.xml file
4. Targets will automatically load and display

Running Targets

• Method 1: Double-click any target to execute it
• Method 2: Click the ▶️ (run) icon next to a target
• Method 3: Single-click to select, then use the run command

Viewing Target Source

• Click the 📄 (go-to-file) icon next to any target
• The build.xml file opens at the exact line where the target is defined

Filtering Targets

• Click the 🔍 (filter) icon to toggle between:
  • Primary targets only: Shows targets with description attributes (user-facing targets)
  • All targets: Shows every target including helper/internal targets

Searching Targets

1. Click the 🔍 (search) icon in the toolbar
2. Type your search query (searches both names and descriptions)
3. Press Enter to apply the filter
4. Click the ⨯ (clear) icon to remove the search filter

Refreshing

• Click the 🔄 (refresh) icon to reload targets from build.xml
• Useful after modifying your build file

Verbose Mode

1. Open File → Preferences → Settings (or Ctrl+,)
2. Search for antRunner.verboseMode
3. Enable the checkbox
4. All subsequent target runs will append -v to the ant command, producing detailed build output in the terminal

Favouriting Targets

• Add favourite: Hover over a target and click the ☆ (star-outline) inline icon — the target moves to the top with a yellow ★
• Remove favourite: Click the yellow ★ icon on a favourited target to unmark it
• Favourites are saved automatically and restored the next time VS Code opens the workspace

Toolbar Reference

The Ant Runner view provides the following toolbar buttons:

Inline Target Buttons

Requirements

• Apache Ant must be installed and available in your system PATH
• A valid build.xml file in your project

Installing Apache Ant

Windows:

choco install ant

macOS:

brew install ant

Linux:

sudo apt-get install ant  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo yum install ant      # CentOS/RHEL

Verify installation:

ant -version

Configuration

Settings

The extension adds the following workspace settings:

Example build.xml

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project name="MyProject" default="build">
    <!-- Primary targets (with descriptions) -->
    <target name="clean" description="Clean build directory">
        <delete dir="build"/>
    </target>
    
    <target name="build" description="Build the project">
        <mkdir dir="build"/>
        <javac srcdir="src" destdir="build"/>
    </target>
    
    <target name="test" description="Run tests">
        <junit printsummary="yes">
            <classpath>
                <pathelement path="build"/>
            </classpath>
        </junit>
    </target>
    
    <!-- Secondary targets (internal/helper) -->
    <target name="init">
        <mkdir dir="build"/>
    </target>
</project>

Tips & Tricks

1. Quick Access: Primary targets (with descriptions) are shown by default when using the filter - these are typically the targets you'll run most often

2. Keyboard Navigation: Use arrow keys to navigate targets, Enter to run selected target

3. Multiple Build Files: Switch between different build.xml files using the Configure Build File command

4. Search Shortcuts: Search supports partial matching - type "build" to find all targets containing "build"

5. Terminal History: All executed Ant commands appear in VS Code's terminal history for reference

Known Limitations

• Only one build.xml file can be active per workspace
• Targets spanning multiple lines may not parse correctly
• Complex target dependencies are not visualized (only shows direct depends attribute)

Release Notes

0.0.2

• Verbose mode: New antRunner.verboseMode setting appends -v to Ant commands for detailed terminal output
• Favourites: Mark/unmark targets as favourites via inline star buttons; favourites are pinned to the top of the list and persisted per workspace and build file

0.0.1 (Initial Release)

• Tree view for Ant targets
• Single-click selection, double-click execution
• Inline run and open-in-editor buttons
• Primary/secondary target differentiation with icons
• Search and filter functionality
• Workspace-relative and absolute path support
• Space handling in target names
• Custom ant icon

Contributing

Found a bug or have a feature request? Please file an issue on our GitHub repository.

License

This extension is licensed under the Apache-2.0 License.

Enjoy building with Ant! 🐜