netzooid

I’ve recently started using the Maven Eclipse plugin that was started by Sonatype and I have to say -wow, this rocks.

I went to start a Maven plugin today. Normally I would’ve googled around until I found an example. Then I would copied that example and started tweaking it.

With m2eclipse it was dead easy to just do New->Maven Project, then select the Maven plugin archetype.

Next I needed to add a dependency. Previously I would’ve searched around the maven repo manually or use mvnrepository.com. Now I just do right click->Maven->Add Dependency. Then I can type in something, like say “groovy” and it will present me all the versions that match. Its great.

Next I needed to test my plugin. Normally I would have to intsall the plugin then test it from another project. The m2eclipse plugin allows me to test the plugin “in-situ”. I don’t have to go through the time consuming phase of installing the plugin first anymore!

There’s a whole host of other features too:

• I can run maven builds from the IDE with a simple keystroke/click of the mouse
• It synthesizes projects from your source control. No mvn eclipse:eclipse needed any more. It also works much much better than the command line eclipse plugin.
• Easily add plugins to POMs

This is really going to help bring Maven to the masses. My only gripe is their ugly red icon

Update: fixed the mvnrepository.com url.

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 1st, 2008 at 4:12 pm and is filed under Javercising.