using "ant" for different build environments

[Satchit Talla]

I would like to know what kind of practices other developers use for building different environments like, development, certification and production. Currently I adopt using different directories under config consisting of sub directories dev, cert and prod consisting of environment related config files. Is there any better approach that I can use. If possible, please include a sample.
Thanks

[David Duran]

Too bad no one ever answered this question because I'm finding myself in the same boat.
At the current moment, I use a technique borrowed from the JGuru Ant FAQ. I opted for "-prod"/"-dev" in the filename rather than as separate directories. I only do it for one configuration file, a log4j config file, so it works even though it may not be the best solution.
http://www.jguru.com/faq/view.jsp?EID=535861
But now I'm finding myself needing different code implementation (same classes) for development/production environments and that I'm not sure how to implement.
I would hate to support two types of Java classes, -dev/-prod between environments. But in my limited experience, this seems like one of the obvious solutions. This is where I wish there was a pre-processor in Java so I could do things like #DEV or #PROD and have them excluded depending on the environment the code is going to be used in.
If anyone has feedback, I sure would appreciate it.

[Glenn Opdycke-Hansen]

Originally posted by Satchit Talla:
I would like to know what kind of practices other developers use for building different environments like, development, certification and production. Currently I adopt using different directories under config consisting of sub directories dev, cert and prod consisting of environment related config files. Is there any better approach that I can use. If possible, please include a sample.
Thanks

We have a similar sitation, deploying code for different systems/environments. The ant script packages and customizes the application in a dist subdirectory. It also records a log file which has information of the customization that was done. Finally, the dist directory and the log file are written to a zip file that has the environment name as part of the zip file name, "-dev-", "-local-", ...

[Ilja Preuss]

Originally posted by David Duran:
I would hate to support two types of Java classes, -dev/-prod between environments.

Could you make use of the Strategy design pattern?

[David Duran]

Originally posted by Ilja Preuss:

Could you make use of the Strategy design pattern?

Thanks Ilja. I'll read up on it because I've never heard of it

[bas duijzings]

use different targets for different environments and then use filters in the files where you want the variables to change
look at ant - filter

[Fred Grott]

Originally posted by David Duran:
Too bad no one ever answered this question because I'm finding myself in the same boat.
At the current moment, I use a technique borrowed from the JGuru Ant FAQ. I opted for "-prod"/"-dev" in the filename rather than as separate directories. I only do it for one configuration file, a log4j config file, so it works even though it may not be the best solution.
http://www.jguru.com/faq/view.jsp?EID=535861
But now I'm finding myself needing different code implementation (same classes) for development/production environments and that I'm not sure how to implement.
I would hate to support two types of Java classes, -dev/-prod between environments. But in my limited experience, this seems like one of the obvious solutions. This is where I wish there was a pre-processor in Java so I could do things like #DEV or #PROD and have them excluded depending on the environment the code is going to be used in.
If anyone has feedback, I sure would appreciate it.

David,
Have you tireed looking at VPP? Its hosted at sourceforge.net
Its a preprocessor for java that does not alter the source code base and uses a veloctiy template/macro engine.. I us ein J2me work its very handy!