JAR Cart 🛒 (SA)

The sovereign dependency manager for no-build Java projects.

Search, select, and sync JAR dependencies directly into your project's lib/ folder — without Maven, Gradle, or heavyweight build tooling.

Designed for:

• No-build Java workflows
• Student assignments
• Rapid prototyping
• Lightweight desktop apps
• Legacy Java projects
• Developers who want direct control over their classpath

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🎥 Tutorial

Quick walkthrough:

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✨ Features

📦 Dependency Management

• Search libraries directly from Maven Central
• Select exact versions or latest releases
• Download dependencies directly into lib/
• Supports recursive transitive dependency resolution

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🔄 Dual Manifest Support

Choose between:

• jar-cart.json
• jar-cart.xml

Convert between formats anytime using:

JAR Cart: Switch Manifest Format

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🌳 Recursive Dependency Trees

Use:

Include All Dependencies

to automatically resolve and store the full dependency graph from Maven POM metadata.

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✂️ Selective Dependency Pruning

Edit your manifest manually to remove unwanted sub-dependencies before syncing.

This allows tighter control over:

• JAR size
• Duplicate libraries
• Logging frameworks
• Legacy transitive dependencies

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🧹 Auto-Clean Sync

Sync ensures your lib/ folder mirrors your manifest exactly.

Unused JARs are automatically removed to prevent:

• stale dependencies
• duplicate versions
• classpath pollution

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⚡ Lightweight Workflow

No:

• Gradle
• Maven wrappers
• daemon processes
• hidden caches
• generated build folders

Just:

manifest -> sync -> lib/

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🚀 Getting Started

1. Install the Extension

From VS Code Marketplace:

JAR Cart SA

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2. Add Dependencies

Press:

Windows / Linux / macOS

Ctrl + Shift + J

Search for a library and select a version.

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3. Choose Resolution Strategy

Direct JARs Only

Downloads only the selected dependency.

Include All Dependencies

Resolves and downloads the full transitive dependency tree.

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4. Review Manifest

Example:

JSON

{
  "project": "Backend-Stress-Test",
  "strategy": "Include All Dependencies",
  "dependencies": [
    {
      "group": "org.slf4j",
      "library": "slf4j-api",
      "version": "2.0.9",
      "dependencies": []
    }
  ]
}

XML

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<jarCart>
  <project>Backend-Stress-Test</project>

  <strategy>Include All Dependencies</strategy>

  <dependencies>
    <dependency>
      <group>org.slf4j</group>
      <library>slf4j-api</library>
      <version>2.0.9</version>
    </dependency>
  </dependencies>

</jarCart>

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5. Sync Dependencies

Run:

JAR Cart: Sync Dependencies (lib/)

This downloads all required JARs into:

/lib

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⚙️ Extension Settings

jar-cart.manifestFormat

Choose the default manifest format.

Supported values: json/xml

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📁 Example Project Structure

project/
├── lib/
│   ├── slf4j-api-2.0.9.jar
│   └── ...
│
├── src/
│   └── Main.java
│
├── jar-cart.json
└── jar-cart.xml

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🛠️ Development Setup

Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/Sudhanshu-Ambastha/java-no-build-tools.git

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Install Dependencies

npm install

Dependencies used:

• axios
• fs-extra
• xml2js
• vscode API

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Launch Extension

1. Open project in VS Code
2. Press:

F5

This opens the Extension Development Host.

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Package Extension

Install VSCE:

npm install -g @vscode/vsce

Build extension:

vsce package

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🧠 Design Philosophy

JAR Cart focuses on:

• simplicity
• reproducibility
• direct dependency control
• no hidden build systems
• transparent classpaths

The goal is to make Java dependency management lightweight and understandable again.

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⚖️ License

Licensed under the Apache License 2.0.

See:

LICENSE

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🌟 Support

If JAR Cart helps your workflow, consider supporting development:

You can also help by:

• Starring the repository
• Reporting issues
• Suggesting features
• Contributing improvements

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Built with 💻 for the Java community.