Question

Could someone explain what the build.xml file is used for in the root folder of a Google Web Toolkit application? From the looks of things, it seems to be the same for the majority of applications, however I’m failing to understand what it is actually used for. When and why would one choose to edit this file and if most people don’t, why isn’t there a standard build.xml automatically created for GWT applications? i.e. via the Eclipse GWT plug-in wizard.

Answer 1

If you mean build.xml in application created with webAppCreator, build.xml used to:

• compile code to javascript (gwtc task)
• test code (run test suite & generate html reports by default)
• create “war” file for deployment