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Building PlantUML
Thank you for your interest in contributing to PlantUML! This guide will help you build the PlantUML project.
PlantUML can be built using either Gradle or Ant. It's recommended to use Gradle as the primary build tool for this project. You will find instructions for both methods, starting with Gradle.
Java Compatibility and Development Notes
🌱 PlantUML & Java 8 Compatibility
We understand the ubiquity and prevalence of Java 8 in numerous environments and infrastructures. Thus, PlantUML remains steadfastly compatible with Java 8. Despite the version’s age and the availability of newer releases, we recognize that a substantial number of users and enterprises still depend on Java 8. Therefore, you can confidently run PlantUML in environments where Java 8 is installed, ensuring accessibility and functionality for a wide array of users.
🔍 Unitary Tests & Advanced Java Versions
While PlantUML maintains its compatibility with Java 8, our development and testing environments leverage the capabilities of more recent Java versions. All unitary tests are conducted using a newer Java version, not only to utilize advanced features and optimizations but also to ensure the robustness of PlantUML in more updated systems.
This means:
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For Users: PlantUML can be compiled and used seamlessly with Java 8, providing a stable experience without necessitating an upgrade in your Java environment.
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For Contributors/Developers: If you wish to run unitary tests, a more recent version of Java will be required. This ensures that tests run efficiently and utilize the latest features/optimizations, but it in no way impedes the usage of PlantUML with older Java versions.
🔄 Your Contribution Matters
Whether you're using an old or a new version of Java, your feedback, contributions, and insights are valuable in enhancing PlantUML. We strive to maintain a balance between adopting new technology and ensuring accessibility for all users, and your experiences aid us in striking this balance effectively.
Building PlantUML with Gradle
Prerequisites
Ensure that you have the following installed on your system:
- Java Development Kit (JDK) - version 8 or newer
- Gradle - version 7.0 or newer
- Git - to clone the repository and manage the version control
Getting the Source Code
Clone the PlantUML repository to your local system. You can clone the repository by running the following command in your terminal or command prompt:
git clone https://github.com/plantuml/plantuml.git
Navigate to the project root directory:
cd plantuml
Building the Project
To build the project, run the following command from the project root directory:
gradle build
This command will build the project and create the necessary output files in the build directory.
Running Tests
To run the tests included with the project, use the following command:
gradle test
Creating a JAR File
To create a JAR file of the PlantUML project, run the following command:
gradle jar
The JAR file will be created in the build/libs directory.
Contributing
After successfully building the project, you are ready to start contributing to PlantUML! If you have any changes to contribute, please submit a pull request through the PlantUML GitHub repository.
Additional Resources
Getting Help
If you encounter any issues while building the project, feel free to ask for help on the PlantUML Community Forum or open an issue on the GitHub repository.
Thank you for contributing to PlantUML!
Building PlantUML with Ant (Alternative Method)
For those who prefer using Ant, or only have access to Ant, we provide a build.xml Ant build script as a fallback option to build PlantUML.
Prerequisites
Ensure that you have the following installed on your system:
- Java Development Kit (JDK) - version 8 or newer
- Apache Ant - to run the build script
- Git - to clone the repository and manage the version control
Getting the Source Code
Clone the PlantUML repository to your local system. You can clone the repository by running the following command in your terminal or command prompt:
git clone https://github.com/plantuml/plantuml.git
Navigate to the directory containing the build.xml:
cd plantuml
Building the Project
To build the project using Ant, run the following command:
ant
If you have Ant set up correctly and the prerequisites are met, the build process should start, and the project will be built based on the instructions in the build.xml.
About the graphviz.dat file
Within certain PlantUML releases, we've incorporated an embedded, compiled version of GraphViz specifically tailored for Windows. This initiative was taken to streamline the user experience for our Windows users, eliminating the need for them to undertake separate installations or configurations.
This version of GraphViz is a product of the graphviz-distributions project. For efficient distribution, it is compressed using Brotli and subsequently stored within the graphviz.dat file.
If you're not on a Windows platform (e.g., Linux users), you can safely remove this file. However, for Windows users, removing it implies you'd need to install GraphViz independently.
To streamline our distribution process and given the existing six PlantUML versions resulting from varied licensing, we chose not to double this count to 12 with a dichotomy of versions containing the embedded GraphViz and those without. Instead, all our distributions, barring the LGPL one, come with the embedded GraphViz. For those who prefer a version without the embedded GraphViz, the LGPL distribution would be the go-to choice.