Ant Task

## Ant

### Description

Runs Ant on a supplied buildfile. This can be used to build subprojects. This task must not be used outside of a `target` if it invokes the same build file it is part of.

When the antfile attribute is omitted, the file "build.xml" in the supplied directory (dir attribute) is used.

If no target attribute is supplied, the default target of the new project is used.

By default, all of the properties of the current project will be available in the new project. Alternatively, you can set the inheritAll attribute to `false` and only "user" properties (i.e., those passed on the command-line) will be passed to the new project. In either case, the set of properties passed to the new project will override the properties that are set in the new project (See also the property task).

You can also set properties in the new project from the old project by using nested property tags. These properties are always passed to the new project and any project created in that project regardless of the setting of inheritAll. This allows you to parameterize your subprojects. Properties defined on the command line cannot be overridden by nested `<property>` elements.

References to data types can also be passed to the new project, but by default they are not. If you set the inheritrefs attribute to true, all references will be copied, but they will not override references defined in the new project.

Nested `<reference>` elements can also be used to copy references from the calling project to the new project, optionally under a different id. References taken from nested elements will override existing references that have been defined outside of targets in the new project - but not those defined inside of targets.

### Parameters

Attribute | Description | Required
antfile | the buildfile to use. Defaults to "build.xml". This file is expected to be a filename relative to the dir attribute given. | No
dir | the directory to use as a basedir for the new Ant project. Defaults to the current project's basedir, unless inheritall has been set to false, in which case it doesn't have a default value. This will override the basedir setting of the called project. | No
target | the target of the new Ant project that should be executed. Defaults to the new project's default target. | No
output | Filename to write the ant output to. This is relative to the value of the dir attribute if it has been set or to the base directory of the current project otherwise. | No
inheritAll | If `true`, pass all properties to the new Ant project. Defaults to `true`. | No
inheritRefs | If `true`, pass all references to the new Ant project. Defaults to `false`. | No

### Parameters specified as nested elements

#### property

See the description of the property task.
These properties become equivalent to properties you define on the command line. These are special properties and they will always get passed down, even through additional `<*ant*>` tasks with inheritall set to false (see above).
Note that the `refid` attribute points to a reference in the calling project, not in the new one.

#### reference

Used to choose references that shall be copied into the new project, optionally changing their id.

Attribute | Description | Required
refid | The id of the reference in the calling project. | Yes
torefid | The id of the reference in the new project. | No, defaults to the value of refid.

#### propertyset

You can specify a set of properties to be copied into the new project with propertysets.

since Ant 1.6.

#### target

You can specify multiple targets using nested `<target>` elements instead of using the target attribute. These will be executed as if Ant had been invoked with a single target whose dependencies are the targets so specified, in the order specified.

Attribute | Description | Required
name | The name of the called target. | Yes

since Ant 1.6.3.

### Basedir of the new project

The basedir value of the new project is affected by the two attributes dir and inheritall, see the following table for details:

dir attribute | inheritAll attribute | new project's basedir
value provided | true | value of dir attribute
value provided | false | value of dir attribute
omitted | true | basedir of calling project (the one whose build file contains the `<ant>` task).
omitted | false | basedir attribute of the `<project>` element of the new project

### Examples

>     <ant antfile="subproject/subbuild.xml" target="compile"/>

>     <ant dir="subproject"/>

>     <ant antfile="subproject/property_based_subbuild.xml">
>       <property name="param1" value="version 1.x"/>
>       <property file="config/subproject/default.properties"/>
>     </ant>

>     <ant inheritAll="false" antfile="subproject/subbuild.xml">
>       <property name="output.type" value="html"/>
>     </ant>

These lines invoke the same build file:

>     <ant antfile="sub1/sub2/build.xml" />
>     <ant antfile="sub2/build.xml" dir="sub1" />
>     <ant antfile="build.xml" dir="sub1/sub2" />

The build file of the calling project defines some `<path>` elements like this:

>     <path id="path1">
>         ...
>     </path>
>     <path id="path2">
>         ...
>     </path>

and the called build file (`subbuild.xml`) also defines a `<path>` with the id `path1`, but `path2` is not defined:

>     <ant antfile="subbuild.xml" inheritrefs="true"/>

will not override `subbuild`'s definition of `path1`, but make the parent's definition of `path2` available in the subbuild.

>     <ant antfile="subbuild.xml"/>

as well as

>     <ant antfile="subbuild.xml" inheritrefs="false"/>

will neither override `path1` nor copy `path2`.

>     <ant antfile="subbuild.xml" inheritrefs="false">
>       <reference refid="path1"/>
>     </ant>

will override `subbuild`'s definition of `path1`.

>     <ant antfile="subbuild.xml" inheritrefs="false">
>       <reference refid="path1" torefid="path2"/>
>     </ant>

will copy the parent's definition of `path1` into the new project using the id `path2`.