google/closure-compiler

Support FileSets in CompileTask Ant task

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#1578 opened on Feb 21, 2016

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 (5 comments) (0 reactions) (0 assignees)Java (7,176 stars) (1,197 forks)batch import
P3enhancementhelp wanted

Description

Currently, the CompileTask Ant task configuration (sources, externals, etc.) support only FileLists. These require every single file to be named explicitly, which is a lot of unnecessary maintenance.

It would be much better to support FileSets instead (or in addition), so one can specify e.g. .js in a source directory (or even **/.js for well-organized external scripts) to pick up all the files automatically without having to change the script.

The current workaround is to have a separate task to create a fixed-name temporary file with the concatenated contents of all he required files (per configuration item), pass that to the CompileTask explicitly, and then erase the temporary file. It's a lot of unnecessary maintenance complexity either way.

Thanks!

Contributor guide

Tech stack
java
Domain
build systemtooling
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
JavaApache AntAnt task development
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
50
Research direction
Examine the CompileTask Java class in the closure compiler repository to understand how FileLists are currently processed. Then extend the implementation to support Ant FileSets, allowing glob patterns like *.js. Review the 5 comments for any suggested approaches or concerns. Test the changes with various file patterns to ensure backward compatibility.