Trying to define global ext properties version for dependencies

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1

Hello

If I have the following from Maven (it works fine)

        <properties>
		<maven.test.failure.ignore>true</maven.test.failure.ignore>
		<logback.version>1.1.2</logback.version>
		<slf4j.version>1.7.10</slf4j.version>
	</properties>	
	<dependencies>
		<!-- Logging -->
    	<dependency>
    		<groupId>org.slf4j</groupId>
    		<artifactId>slf4j-api</artifactId>
    		<version>${slf4j.version}</version>
		</dependency>    		
     	<dependency>
    		<groupId>org.slf4j</groupId>
    		<artifactId>jcl-over-slf4j</artifactId>
    		<version>${slf4j.version}</version>
    	</dependency>
    	<dependency>
    		<groupId>ch.qos.logback</groupId>
    		<artifactId>logback-classic</artifactId>
    		<version>${logback.version}</version>
		</dependency>
	</dependencies>

I have tried the following through Gradle

First:

ext {
	slf4jVersion = '1.7.10'
	logbackVersion = '1.1.2'
}

Until here I did realize I am not able to define slf4j.version, it fails if I use a dot. Therefore I must use in this way: slf4jVersion. No use a dot, and use an uppercase for a better human reading.

Question One: Is there a legal syntax way to keep the dot?

Second:

dependencies {

	compile 'org.slf4j:slf4j-api:' + slf4jVersion,
			'org.slf4j:jcl-over-slf4j:' + slf4jVersion,
			'ch.qos.logback:logback-classic:' + logbackVersion
	
}

It works only in that way. Just curious if exists other way to avoid the +.

I have tried

dependencies {

	compile 'org.slf4j:slf4j-api:slf4jVersion',
		    'org.slf4j:jcl-over-slf4j:slf4jVersion',
		     'ch.qos.logback:logback-classic:logbackVersion'
	
}

and fails. Even using double quotes “”, it fails. I am not an expert in Groovy syntax.

Question two: what could be the elegant way to accomplish this approach without +. Pls I don’t want use the group, name and version attributes.

Thanks in advanced.

2

There a few ways to do this.

  1. Use the map syntax: ext['slf4j.version'] = '1.7.10'
  2. Explicitly call the set() method: ext { set('slf4j.version', '1.7.10') }
  3. Put the properties in a gradle.properties file slf4j.version=1.7.10

Double-quotes with the property syntax ${}.

compile "org.slf4j:slf4j-api:${slf4jVersion}"

Note, if you end up going with the “dot” syntax you’ll have to do something a bit different. Best to just use the property() method.

compile "org.slf4j:slf4j-api:${property('slf4j.version')}"
3

Hello Mark

Thanks a lot by the support.

Seems use the dot complicates a little more the syntax unnecessarily.

Finally I use this approach:

ext {
	slf4jVersion = '1.7.10'
	logbackVersion = '1.1.2'	
}

dependencies {

	compile "org.slf4j:slf4j-api:${slf4jVersion}",
		    "org.slf4j:jcl-over-slf4j:${slf4jVersion}",
		    "ch.qos.logback:logback-classic:${logbackVersion}"
	
}

I am almost sure that kind of example is not available through Gradle’s documentation.
Correct me if I am wrong.

Thanks by your support!

4

This is really just the nature of Groovy rather than being anything Gradle specific. Dot notation is used to access object properties in Groovy. If you want to use a dot in the name of a symbol you have to effectively escape it by using a string literal.

5

Hello Mark

Thanks again by the clarification. Understood.