# Combining/Resolving Two Repository Types in Gradle **URL:** \ **Category:** Help/Discuss\ **Created:** [July 5, 2016, 10:21am UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/combining-resolving-two-repository-types-in-gradle/18344 "2016-07-05T10:21:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WilDempsey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a183cd/32.png) [@WilDempsey](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/WilDempsey)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 10:21am UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/combining-resolving-two-repository-types-in-gradle/18344/1 "2016-07-05T10:21:23Z")
In my Gradle (2.14) project, I need to define two types of repositories: a flat directory and a Maven repository (a local Nexus server). I can get both working separately, but can’t get them to play nicely together. Ideally, I would have Gradle look at the local directory first, then at the Maven repository. **Current Setup** I have defined the repositories in my `build.gradle` like this: ```gradle repositories { flatDir dirs: "${rootProject.projectDir}/libs" flatDir dirs: "${rootProject.projectDir}/test.libs" maven { credentials { username nexus_username password nexus_password } url "http://nexus-server/nexus/content/groups/public" } } ``` In the `libs` (and `test.libs`) directory, the jar file names may or may not have versioning (but when using a `flatDir` repository, I believe that is irrelevant): ```gradle libs\activation.jar libs\imap.jar .... libs\.jar .... libs\gson-2.2.4.jar libs\stax-utils.jar ..... ``` The reason I can’t use our local Nexus server for everything is because of `.jar`; most of the dependencies in the `libs` folder come packaged with that distribution, and I can’t reliably get the version information to pull them from Nexus. Now, one of the other teams is publishing their jars to the Nexus server and I’d like to be able to pull their jars from Nexus, so I have (re)defined my dependencies in my `build.gradle`: ```gradle dependencies { // Grab other-team jar files from Nexus server compile "other-team-group:other-team-jar-1:version" compile "other-team-group:other-team-jar-2:version" compile "other-team-group:other-team-jar-3:version" // Grab everything else from 'flatDir' compile name: 'activation' compile name: 'imap' ... compile name: 'gson-2.2.4' compile name: 'stax-utils' ..... } ``` **The Problem** So now comes my problem. I had expected Gradle would search the `repositories` in the order specified in my `build.gradle`; meaning that it would look to the local `libs` folder first and then go to Nexus if it can’t find it locally. What I’m seeing instead is that Gradle is looking at the Nexus server for the jar files already in the local `libs` folder. Obviously, this is slowing down my build (I have ~30 dependencies defined). **Some Info** Output from `gradle properties` command, to show repository information: ```gradle ..... repositories: [org.gradle.api.internal.artifacts.repositories.DefaultFlatDirArtifactRepository_Decorated@18814b1b, org.gradle.api.internal.artifacts.repositories.DefaultMavenArtifactRepository_Decorated@6dff028] ..... ``` Output from `gradle --info compileJava`, to show that Gradle is doing a lookup to Nexus: ```gradle ..... // Successfully find the other team jar files in Nexus, this is okay Download http://nexus-server/nexus/content/groups/public/other-team-group/other-team-jar-1/version/other-team-jar-1-version.pom Download http://nexus-server/nexus/content/groups/public/other-team-group/other-team-jar-2/version/other-team-jar-2-version.pom Download http://nexus-server/nexus/content/groups/public/other-team-group/other-team-jar-3/version/other-team-jar-3-version.pom ..... // Continues looking in Nexus for jar files that should be found in local libs folder Resource missing. [HTTP GET: http://nexus-server/nexus/content/groups/public//activation//activation-.pom] Resource missing. [HTTP HEAD: http://nexus-server/nexus/content/groups/public//activation//activation-.jar] Resource missing. [HTTP GET: http://nexus-server/nexus/content/groups/public///imap//imap-.pom] Resource missing. [HTTP HEAD: http://nexus-server/nexus/content/groups/public//imap//imap-.jar] ..... ``` **Bottom Line** How can I get Gradle to stop looking at the Maven repository for jar files that I know it will only find locally? ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Java](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/gradle/user_avatar/discuss.gradle.org/lance_java/32/787_2.png) [@Lance\_Java](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Lance_Java)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2016, 10:42am UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/combining-resolving-two-repository-types-in-gradle/18344/2 "2016-07-05T10:42:10Z")
Gradle will prefer an artifact with an pom/ivy descriptor over an artifact without. I think this is why gradle continues searching after it finds a match in the `flatDir` repository. This may or may not solve your problem, but you could use a [FileCollectionDependency](https://docs.gradle.org/current/javadoc/org/gradle/api/artifacts/FileCollectionDependency.html) instead of a [ModuleDependency](https://docs.gradle.org/current/javadoc/org/gradle/api/artifacts/ModuleDependency.html). Eg: ```gradle ext { libs = "${rootProject.projectDir}/libs" testLibs = "${rootProject.projectDir}/test.libs" } dependencies { compile files("${libs}/activation.jar", "${libs}/imap.jar") compile files("${testLibs}/gson-2.2.4.jar") ... } ``` ---
**Author:** ![WilDempsey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a183cd/32.png) [@WilDempsey](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/WilDempsey)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 10:32am UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/combining-resolving-two-repository-types-in-gradle/18344/3 "2016-07-06T10:32:40Z")
Hi Lance, Tried a quick mockup of this, and it worked fine. Thank you very much! Just one comment though - it seems more like a workaround than a solution. It seems like it’s not “the Gradle way”. But either way, I think it will help me. ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Java](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/gradle/user_avatar/discuss.gradle.org/lance_java/32/787_2.png) [@Lance\_Java](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Lance_Java)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 10:41am UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/combining-resolving-two-repository-types-in-gradle/18344/4 "2016-07-06T10:41:16Z")
I think the “gradle way” would be to store the files in a maven repository structure, each with a pom descriptor and reference via ```gradle repositories { maven { url uri("${rootProject.projectDir}/mavenRepo") } maven { url uri("${rootProject.projectDir}/mavenTestRepo") } } ``` A simple way to do this would be using maven command line to [install into maven local](https://maven.apache.org/guides/mini/guide-3rd-party-jars-local.html) and then extract the artifacts. A more common solution would be to install the 3rd party jars to a maven repository (eg [nexus](http://www.sonatype.com/products-sonatype) or [artifactory](https://www.jfrog.com/open-source/)) hosted somewhere within your company’s firewall and access from there rather than committing jars to source control. ---
**Author:** ![WilDempsey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a183cd/32.png) [@WilDempsey](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/WilDempsey)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 10:56am UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/combining-resolving-two-repository-types-in-gradle/18344/5 "2016-07-06T10:56:13Z")
For the second suggestion, that would be ideal way… and I had considered it. But the third party vendor we license the jars from would not allow us to host it, even inside our own firewall. I might try to lean on them some more… I’m intrigued by the first method though, I really like it. I will look at that more closely, and see if I can script that in a `post-checkout.gradle` file that we already have. (We unpack the vendor supplied zip into the `libs` directory.) Thanks again Lance, you’ve helped me a lot 👍