# Configure existing task via explicit API

**URL:** <https://discuss.gradle.org/t/configure-existing-task-via-explicit-api/18295>\
**Category:** Help/Discuss\
**Created:** [June 30, 2016, 12:47pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/configure-existing-task-via-explicit-api/18295 "2016-06-30T12:47:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Thibault\_Kruse](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/gradle/user_avatar/discuss.gradle.org/thibault_kruse/32/102_2.png) [@Thibault\_Kruse](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Thibault_Kruse)\
**Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 12:47pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/configure-existing-task-via-explicit-api/18295/1 "2016-06-30T12:47:04Z")

</div>

Hi,

in gradle it is possible to configure existing tasks like this:

```
apply plugin: 'java'
test { testLogging { exceptionFormat "full" }}

```

However, this is the dynamic DSL API which is not wellsupported by IDEs. I am looking for a way to do this calling a non-dynamic API. The best I can find is: tasks.getByName(‘test’).configure {…  
Is there any better (shorter) way?