How to convert an Eclipse Android project to use Ant for build?

StackOverflow https://stackoverflow.com/questions/4454107

Question

I have an Android project in Eclipse I would like to convert to be built with Ant instead.

How can I achieve this? I have tried exporting an Ant build file but I'm pretty sure that's not going to work (nor does it when running ant with the exported file). I do not know much about Ant either so some explanation would also help.

EDIT: now I seem to have managed to create the needed build file but I need to add the projects libs like admob.jar to be seen by ant and used to build. as I am getting the following error 

        -dex:
     [echo] Converting compiled files and external libraries into C:\Users\Jason
\Documents\Programming\Android\Android SVN\trunk\GPSAlarm\BusSnooze\bin\classes.
dex...
    [apply]
    [apply] UNEXPECTED TOP-LEVEL EXCEPTION:
    [apply] com.android.dx.util.ExceptionWithContext
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.util.ExceptionWithContext.withContext(Exceptio
nWithContext.java:46)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.dex.cf.CfTranslator.processMethods(CfTranslato
r.java:340)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.dex.cf.CfTranslator.translate0(CfTranslator.ja
va:131)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.dex.cf.CfTranslator.translate(CfTranslator.jav
a:85)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.command.dexer.Main.processClass(Main.java:297)

    [apply]     at com.android.dx.command.dexer.Main.processFileBytes(Main.java:
276)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.command.dexer.Main.access$100(Main.java:56)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.command.dexer.Main$1.processFileBytes(Main.jav
a:228)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.cf.direct.ClassPathOpener.processArchive(Class
PathOpener.java:245)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.cf.direct.ClassPathOpener.processOne(ClassPath
Opener.java:130)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.cf.direct.ClassPathOpener.process(ClassPathOpe
ner.java:108)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.command.dexer.Main.processOne(Main.java:245)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.command.dexer.Main.processAllFiles(Main.java:1
83)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.command.dexer.Main.run(Main.java:139)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.command.dexer.Main.main(Main.java:120)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.command.Main.main(Main.java:87)
    [apply] Caused by: java.lang.NullPointerException
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.cf.code.ConcreteMethod.<init>(ConcreteMethod.j
ava:84)
    [apply]     at com.android.dx.dex.cf.CfTranslator.processMethods(CfTranslato
r.java:243)
    [apply]     ... 14 more
    [apply] ...while processing <init> ()V
    [apply] ...while processing com/google/android/apps/analytics/AnalyticsRecei
ver.class
    [apply]
    [apply] 1 error; aborting
Was it helpful?

Solution

Running android update project -p . on the command line, in the base folder of your project will create the necessary build.xml and supporting files for an Ant build.

OTHER TIPS

You can create ant build file directly from eclipse it self.. From File Menu

Here are the steps to create build.xml for any project in eclipse

File -> Export -> General -> Ant Buildfiles and choose required project to create a build file.

While there may be no "Run Configuration to Ant" feature you can still open the run configuration and view the settings.

The Android Developers site has a section on using "Other IDEs"; here they cover a little on using Ant to compile if you're familiar with Ant already.

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