I would like to learn how to use ANT -- pointers requested

[Janeice DelVecchio]

I will buy a book, if someone can recommend one....

but I'd rather be pointed to an easy to understand step by step guide on getting started building with ANT. I have been looking around the web and, well, I'm pretty technically inclined, but some of this stuff could be written in sanskrit and I wouldn't know the difference. The setup seems incredibly complex and I haven't gotten through enough literature to figure out how to use it once its ready to go. I have also read the FAQ here on JavaRanch... my brain just isn't making a connection.

Some of the guides I've found are pretty old, too.... I mean, how soon does this information go stale?

[Christophe Verré]

What about this one ? Once you grab the basic concepts of properties and taks, I think that using the online manual is enough.

[Janeice DelVecchio]

Okay, I checked out the link to the scribd article... this is kindof what I'm looking for ... I have already attempted to look at the manual. Totally not ready for that yet.
I suppose I should ask more questions.

So what's the deal with the build file? I make that (I suspect this), or it gets made by Ant and used for compilation? Do I need that before I start? Do I need one for each class or just one for the class with the main method?

And the ant home and java home properties.... I make those (there's no installer for Ant, I just unzip it, right?)? I've never made my own named property for an OS.... is it similar to setting Path and Classpath?

HeadFirst Servlets says I need a building environment.... with folders and a tree hierarchy. Does that mean I need to start using packages, or can I skip that and continue to put things in the same directories?

[Ulf Dittmer]

So what's the deal with the build file? I make that (I suspect this), or it gets made by Ant and used for compilation?

You create it, but it can be (and usually is) for lots more things than just compilation

Do I need that before I start? Do I need one for each class or just one for the class with the main method?

Yep, w/o it Ant won't know what to do. The compile task can compile all source files in a directory hierarchy in one go.

And the ant home and java home properties.... I make those (there's no installer for Ant, I just unzip it, right?)? I've never made my own named property for an OS.... is it similar to setting Path and Classpath?

Just unzip the Ant distribution, and point ANT_HOME to that directory. To be precise, ANT_HOME is an environment variable, not a property. JAVA_HOME should already be defined if you have a JDK installed.

HeadFirst Servlets says I need a building environment.... with folders and a tree hierarchy. Does that mean I need to start using packages, or can I skip that and continue to put things in the same directories?

You really should start using packages, although Ant doesn't require it. But since it takes a lot of the hassle out of dealing with directories, it makes the pain much less :-)

I'm attaching a basic build file that compiles all files in a directory hierarchy, and then bundles them all up in a double-clickable jar file.

[Peter Johnson]

I found the first edition of the current Ant in Action to be definitely worthwhile. It was required reading for my team.

And I echo the recommendation of using the Ant manual - I have set it up as a bookmark in my browser and it is one of my most often used bookmarks. (The bookmark is to a local copy of the manual in ant_home on my harddrive.)

[Janeice DelVecchio]

You guys have been awesomely helpful! I'm going to try to get this set up over the weekend... I'm sure I'll be back with more questions!