# How to refer to classes on the buildscript classpath in an applied script
**URL:** https://discuss.gradle.org/t/how-to-refer-to-classes-on-the-buildscript-classpath-in-an-applied-script/6811
**Category:** Old Forum Archive
**Created:** [November 28, 2012, 11:36am UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/how-to-refer-to-classes-on-the-buildscript-classpath-in-an-applied-script/6811 "2012-11-28T11:36:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mattkhan](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/mattkhan)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2012, 11:36am UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/how-to-refer-to-classes-on-the-buildscript-classpath-in-an-applied-script/6811/1 "2012-11-28T11:36:00Z")
I add some dependencies (containing our plugins) to the buildscript classpath. I then want to refer to some class I’ve added in the script and set some ‘ext’ property. For example, lets say I just want to get a reference to ‘SomeEnum.values()’ and ‘SomeEnum’ is on my classpath.
As far as I can see, this does not work when the code is shifted to a gradle script that is applied and I can’t see why this would be so. For example, this works;
```gradle
// build.gradle
ext {
someValues = com.mycomponent.SomeEnum.values()
}
someValues.each {
// do something with it
}
```
but this does not
```gradle
// build.gradle
apply from: projects.gradle
// projects.gradle
ext {
someValues = com.mycomponent.SomeEnum.values()
}
someValues.each {
// do something with it
}
```
The latter blows with
```gradle
* What went wrong:
A problem occurred evaluating script.
> cannot get property 'com' on extra properties extension as it does not exist
```
---
### Author:  [@Peter\_Niederwieser](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Peter_Niederwieser)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/how-to-refer-to-classes-on-the-buildscript-classpath-in-an-applied-script/6811/2 "2012-11-28T12:47:00Z")
Officially, each build script needs to declare its build script dependencies on its own. In the current implementation, a child build script can also see the parent script’s dependencies, but this isn’t the case for applied build scripts.
---
### Author:  [@Detelin](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Detelin)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2012, 12:47pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/how-to-refer-to-classes-on-the-buildscript-classpath-in-an-applied-script/6811/3 "2012-11-28T12:47:00Z")
It seems to be designed that way, the build script’s ClassLoader is used only for project’s build script and not for any other script, see [AbstractProject.beforeCompile](https://github.com/gradle/gradle/blob/RB_1.3/subprojects/core/src/main/groovy/org/gradle/api/internal/project/AbstractProject.java#L224)
---
### Author:  [@mattkhan](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/mattkhan)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/how-to-refer-to-classes-on-the-buildscript-classpath-in-an-applied-script/6811/4 "2012-11-28T13:27:00Z")
what is a “child build script” exactly?
This seems slightly counterintuitive and/or inconsistent though given that the applied script references things (plugins) that only exist by virtue of the classpath specified in the applying script.
> In the current implementation
does this imply the implementation is changing?
---
### Author:  [@Peter\_Niederwieser](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Peter_Niederwieser)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2012, 1:38pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/how-to-refer-to-classes-on-the-buildscript-classpath-in-an-applied-script/6811/5 "2012-11-28T13:38:00Z")
A child build script is the build script of a child (i.e. sub) project.
> does this imply the implementation is changing?
It means that the inheritance behavior isn’t a guaranteed feature.
---
### Author:  [@mattkhan](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/mattkhan)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2012, 1:56pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/how-to-refer-to-classes-on-the-buildscript-classpath-in-an-applied-script/6811/6 "2012-11-28T13:56:00Z")
OK thanks. This implies that this should work then (but it doesn’t) or are you saying that inheritence only applied if it is within the same script?
```gradle
// build.gradle start
buildscript {
// add something to classpath
}
// do some root project configuration
apply from: project.gradle
// build.gradle end
// project.gradle start
project('projectA') {
ext {
someValues = com.mycompany.SomeEnum.values()
}
}
// project.gradle end
```
---
### Author:  [@Peter\_Niederwieser](https://discuss.gradle.org/u/Peter_Niederwieser)
#### Post date: [November 28, 2012, 2:01pm UTC](https://discuss.gradle.org/t/how-to-refer-to-classes-on-the-buildscript-classpath-in-an-applied-script/6811/7 "2012-11-28T14:01:00Z")
It won’t work because it’s an applied build script, but the class path is only inherited by child build scripts (i.e. build scripts of child projects).