Getting started with ABT - Allan's Build Tool


This is the getting started page for the ABT - Allan's Build Tool.
For the full documentation see the documentation page.

Prerequisites


Introduction

On this page I will give an example on now to use the ABT - Allan's build tool to build a simple Hello world application.
This build will compile an application with an executable jar, versioning, unit test, Javadoc and a download site containing a cross-platform GUI installer and release notes.
The application will contain an automatic check for and installation of updates.

Compile

Create a new directory called "Getting started test".
Create a sub directory in it called "src".
In that directory create a source code file called "HelloWorld.java" containing the following code:
public class HelloWorld {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello world");
    }
}

In the "Getting started test" directory (From now on called the module home directory) create a file called "Hello world.abt" (The module's ABT Module Property File) containing the following text:
SourcePath=src

Open a terminal and run the follow command: 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
2024-08-05 16:46:42 Exception occurred in thread: java.lang.Thread [main]
abt.property.ConfigurationException: File "/home/allan/.abt/ABT configuration.txt" doesn't exist
    at abt.property.AbstractPropertiesFile.<init>(AbstractPropertiesFile.java:56)
    at abt.property.AbtConfigurationFile.<init>(AbtConfigurationFile.java:146)
    at abt.AllansBuildToolMain.main(AllansBuildToolMain.java:123)
Launch of ABT failed. Return: 1
Press any key to terminate
NOTE: This output will depend on platform, version of platform and version of ABT. This example is from Linux and is slightly modified.

The command failed, but it gave the location of the ABT Configuration File (This location will depend on platform).
Create the specified file.
Setting up JDKs
Depending on platform, version of platform and of number of installed JDKs, you may need to specify which JDK to use.
If this is needed (try without) it is done by added a line in the following format: 
JdkHomeBinPath=<JDK bin directory location>;<version>
For example on Linux: 
JdkHomeBinPath=/usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-amd64/bin/;1.11
Recommended set up
When using ABT it is recommended to set up the following.
On Windows it is recommended to set the environment variables "NO_PAUSE" and "NO_ERROR_PAUSE" to "true":
C:\Allan\Getting started test>SET NO_PAUSE=TRUE

C:\Allan\Getting started test>SET NO_ERROR_PAUSE=TRUE
On Linux it is recommended to set the following: 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ export ABT_SUMMARY_REPORT_MAX_WIDTH=$(tput cols)
First compile
Run the command again 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
Processing module "Hello world"...
Resolving dependencies...
Resolving dependencies for module "Hello world"...
Compiling module "Hello world"...
Compiling content of the ABT module "Hello world"...
...compiling of module "Hello world" is complete


-----------------------------------------------------------------------  B U I L D   S U M M A R Y  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Module name      Result      Compile time    Total build time                                               Processing caused by                                            
Hello world    Successful          528 ms              528 ms    The module source of ABT module "Hello world" needs to be compiled because the output directory is missing.

Total compile successful: 1
Total build time: 543 ms

Jar file deploy

The jar file for the hello world application has now been generated in ABT temporary output directories.
To get the jar file copied to the module home directory, add the following line the ABT Module Property File: 
JarFile.Deploy=.
and run the command again. 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
Processing module "Hello world"...
Resolving dependencies...
Resolving dependencies for module "Hello world"...
Compiling module "Hello world"...
Compiling content of the ABT module "Hello world"...
...compiling of module "Hello world" is complete


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  B U I L D   S U M M A R Y  -------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name      Result      Compile time    Total build time                                                                           Processing caused by                                             ...
Hello world    Successful          532 ms              532 ms    The module source of ABT module "Hello world" needs to be compiled because of changed of the ABT module property file (2024-09-02 13:10:...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total build time: 548 ms
A file named "hello-world.jar" will now exist in the "Getting started test" directory.

Running

To make the jar executable, add the following to the ABT Module Property File: 
JarFileMainClass=HelloWorld
Run the "abt" command: 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
Processing module "Hello world"...
Resolving dependencies...
Resolving dependencies for module "Hello world"...
Compiling module "Hello world"...
Compiling content of the ABT module "Hello world"...
WARNING: The jar deploy destination "/home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/hello-world.jar" already exists and will be overwritten with a newer version
...compiling of module "Hello world" is complete


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  B U I L D   S U M M A R Y  -------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name      Result      Compile time    Total build time                                                                           Processing caused by                                             ...
Hello world    Successful          635 ms              635 ms    The module source of ABT module "Hello world" needs to be compiled because of changed of the ABT module property file (2024-09-02 13:10:...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total build time: 655 ms
The jar file is now executable, and can run with the following command: 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ java -jar hello-world.jar  
Hello world

Versioning

By adding the following to the ABT Module Property File, ABT will create and maintain a source file, that contains the module's version number (and build number): 
VersionFileClassName=HelloWorldVersion
Run ABT 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
Processing module "Hello world"...
Resolving dependencies...
Resolving dependencies for module "Hello world"...
Compiling module "Hello world"...
Compiling content of the ABT module "Hello world"...
...compiling of module "Hello world" is complete


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  B U I L D   S U M M A R Y  ---------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name      Result          Version         Compile time    Total build time                                                                           Processing caused by                         ...
Hello world    Successful    1.0.0 (1(Added))          532 ms              532 ms    The module source of ABT module "Hello world" needs to be compiled because of changed of the ABT module property fil...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total build time: 549 ms
NOTE: All output files will now contain a version number, and this is automatically incremented on every run (compile) of this module.
This may cause version (and build) number to differ from yours in file names and output for the rest of this page.

To run the new version use the following command:
NOTE: You may need to modify the version number to your version number in the command below.
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ java -jar hello-world-1.0.0.jar  
Hello world

Unit test

To set up unit test do the following:
Create a directory named "Unit test src" in the module home directory.
Create a file named "HelloWorldTest.java" in this directory with the following content:
import java.io.PrintStream;

public class HelloWorldTest {
    private static final String EXPECTED_MESSAGE = "Hello world";
    private static boolean messagePrinted = false;
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("This is the unit test of the hello world application");
        
        System.setOut(new PrintStream(System.out) {
            @Override
            public void print(String s) {
                super.print(s);

                if (!s.equals(EXPECTED_MESSAGE)) {
                    throw new RuntimeException("Printed message \"" + s + "\" is not expected message \"" + EXPECTED_MESSAGE + "\"");
                }
                
                messagePrinted = true;
            }
        });
        
        HelloWorld.main(null);
        
        if (!messagePrinted) {
            throw new RuntimeException("Expected message \"" + EXPECTED_MESSAGE + "\" was not printed");
        }
    }
}

Add the following to the ABT Module Property File, to make ABT compile and run the unit test: 
UnitTestSourcePath=Unit test src/
UnitTestMainClass=HelloWorldTest
Run ABT 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
Processing module "Hello world"...
Resolving dependencies...
Resolving dependencies for module "Hello world"...
Compiling module "Hello world"...
Compiling content of the ABT module "Hello world"...
...compiling of module "Hello world" is complete
Unit testing module "Hello world"
This is the unit test of the hello world application


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  B U I L D   S U M M A ...
Module name      Result              Version             Compile time    Unit test time    Total build time                                                                                              ...
Hello world    Successful    1.0.0 (1) -> 1.0.0.1 (2)          631 ms            605 ms        1,236 second    The module source of ABT module "Hello world" needs to be compiled because of changed of t...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total unit test successful: 1
Total build time: 1,259 second

Javadoc

By adding the following to the ABT Module Property File, ABT will generate Javadoc: 
JavadocGenerate=true
Run ABT 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
Processing module "Hello world"...
Resolving dependencies...
Resolving dependencies for module "Hello world"...
Compiling module "Hello world"...
Compiling content of the ABT module "Hello world"...
...compiling of module "Hello world" is complete
Unit testing module "Hello world"
This is the unit test of the hello world application
Hello world
Creating Javadoc for Hello world...
Loading source file /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/src/HelloWorld.java...
Loading source file /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/src/HelloWorldVersion.java...
Constructing Javadoc information...
Creating destination directory: "/home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/"
Standard Doclet version 11.0.23
Building tree for all the packages and classes...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/HelloWorld.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/HelloWorldVersion.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/package-summary.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/package-tree.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/constant-values.html...
Building index for all the packages and classes...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/overview-tree.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/index-all.html...
Building index for all classes...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/allclasses-index.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/allpackages-index.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/deprecated-list.html...
Building index for all classes...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/allclasses.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/allclasses.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/index.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/help-doc.html...


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name      Result               Version              Compile time    Unit test time    Javadoc    Total build time                                                                                 ...
Hello world    Successful    1.0.0.1 (2) -> 1.0.0.2 (3)          741 ms            606 ms     803 ms       2,150 seconds    The module source of ABT module "Hello world" needs to be compiled because of...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total unit test successful: 1
Total Javadoc successful: 1
Total build time: 2,165 seconds

Javadoc deploy

By adding the following to the ABT Module Property File, ABT will copy the Javadoc (and create) to the "Javadoc" directory (This is optional): 
JavadocOutputPath.Deploy=Javadoc

Run ABT again 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
Processing module "Hello world"...
Resolving dependencies...
Resolving dependencies for module "Hello world"...
Compiling module "Hello world"...
Compiling content of the ABT module "Hello world"...
...compiling of module "Hello world" is complete
Unit testing module "Hello world"
This is the unit test of the hello world application
Hello world
Creating Javadoc for Hello world...
Loading source file /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/src/HelloWorld.java...
Loading source file /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/src/HelloWorldVersion.java...
Constructing Javadoc information...
Creating destination directory: "/home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/"
Standard Doclet version 11.0.23
Building tree for all the packages and classes...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/HelloWorld.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/HelloWorldVersion.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/package-summary.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/package-tree.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/constant-values.html...
Building index for all the packages and classes...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/overview-tree.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/index-all.html...
Building index for all classes...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/allclasses-index.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/allpackages-index.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/deprecated-list.html...
Building index for all classes...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/allclasses.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/allclasses.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/index.html...
Generating /home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/help-doc.html...


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name      Result               Version              Compile time    Unit test time    Javadoc    Total build time                                                                                 ...
Hello world    Successful    1.0.0.2 (3) -> 1.0.0.3 (4)          749 ms            605 ms     810 ms       2,165 seconds    The module source of ABT module "Hello world" needs to be compiled because of...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total unit test successful: 1
Total Javadoc successful: 1
Total build time: 2,234 seconds
and the generated Javadoc can be seen with the following command (On Linux using Firefox): 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ firefox Javadoc/index.html

Reduce log output

By adding the following to the ABT Configuration File the log output can be reduced: 
Log=false
JavadocLogLevel=Quiet
The ABT output is now reduced to: 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
This is the unit test of the hello world application
Hello world
Creating destination directory: "/home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/"


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name      Result               Version              Compile time    Unit test time      Javadoc       Total build time                                                                            ...
Hello world    Successful    1.0.0.3 (4) -> 1.0.0.4 (5)          646 ms            706 ms     828 ms       2,182 seconds    The module source of ABT module "Hello world" needs to be compiled because of...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total unit test successful: 1
Total Javadoc successful: 1
Total build time: 2,234 seconds

Installer

By completing the following steps, ABT will create a cross-platform GUI installer of the Hello world application.
  1. Download the ABT - Installer jar from the project's download site
  2. Unzip the file to a permanent directory (E.g. a subdirectory called "ABT - Installer")
  3. Delete downloaded the file (Optional)
  4. Add the following to the ABT Configuration File: 
    Package.Desktop.CompiledInstallerPath=<Path to the directory where the file was unzipped>
      e.g.: 
    Package.Desktop.CompiledInstallerPath=/home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/ABT - Installer/
  5. And this:
    PackagingClass=abt.packaging.desktop.PackageDesktop
  6. Add the following to the ABT Module Property File:
    Package.Desktop.ApplicationType=TUI
Run ABT 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
This is the unit test of the hello world application
Hello world
Creating destination directory: "/home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/"


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name                    Result                              Version              Compile time    Unit test time    Javadoc    Package time    Package type    Total build time                    ...
Hello world    Successful, Package Desktop: Successful    1.0.0.4 (5) -> 1.0.0.5 (6)          735 ms            706 ms    1,110 second          978 ms      Desktop          3,530 seconds    The module ...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total unit test successful: 1
Total Javadoc successful: 1
Total package successful: 1
Total build time: 3,650 seconds

Installer deploy

The cross-platform GUI installer of the Hello world application has now been generated in the ABT temporary output directories.
To get the installer copied to the module home directory, add the following line to the ABT Module Property File: 
Package.Desktop.Deploy.Installer=
and run the command again.
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
This is the unit test of the hello world application
Hello world
Creating destination directory: "/home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/"


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name                    Result                              Version              Compile time    Unit test time    Javadoc    Package time    Package type    Total build time                    ...
Hello world    Successful, Package Desktop: Successful    1.0.0.5 (6) -> 1.0.0.6 (7)          735 ms            705 ms    1,027 second          843 ms      Desktop          3,311 seconds    The module ...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total unit test successful: 1
Total Javadoc successful: 1
Total package successful: 1
Total build time: 3,414 seconds
A file named "Installer for Hello world version 1.0.0.6.jar" will now exist in the "Getting started test" directory.

This can be launch using the following command (On Linux):
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ export NO_PAUSE=FALSE
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ java -jar Installer\ for\ Hello\ world\ version\ 1.0.0.6.jar
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ export NO_PAUSE=TRUE
Screenshot of the generated cross-platform GUI installer of the Hello world application
Output from the installed Hello world application: 
Checking OS...
Launching Hello world...
Hello world
The Java program ran successfully
Press any key to stop

Download site

ABT can maintain a download site containing various information about an ABT Module.
This is done by performing the following steps.
Add the following to the ABT Configuration File:
PackagingClass+=abt.packaging.downloadsite.PackageDownloadSite
DefaultPackageType=DownloadSite
Note: The use of the "=" and the "+=" operator.
Add the following to the ABT Module Property File:
Package.DownloadSite.HtmlFile=Hello world Download site.html
Create a file named "Hello world Download site.html" in the module home directory with the following content: 
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>ABT</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Download site for ABT</h1>
<br>
Download <a href="Installer%20for%20ABT%20version%201.0.20.jar">this file</a> and run it.<br>
</body>
</html>

Note: This file can contain various replace strings (like "ABT" and "Installer%20for%20ABT%20version%201.0.20.jar" seen above) which will be replaced with information from the ABT Module.
See the documentation for details.

Run ABT 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
This is the unit test of the hello world application
Hello world
Creating destination directory: "/home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/"


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name                                     Result                                               Version              Compile time    Unit test time    Javadoc         Package time              Pac...
Hello world    Successful, Package DownloadSite: Successful, Package Desktop: Successful    1.0.0.6 (7) -> 1.0.0.7 (8)          734 ms            604 ms     807 ms    833 ms (833 ms, 755 ms)    Downloa...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total unit test successful: 1
Total Javadoc successful: 1
Total package successful: 2
Total build time: 3,130 seconds

Download site deploy

The files for the download site for the Hello world application have now been generated in the ABT temporary output directories.
To get the download site copied to a directory name "Download site" in the module home directory, add the following line to the ABT Module Property File: 
Package.DownloadSite.Deploy=Download site/
and run the command again.
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
This is the unit test of the hello world application
Hello world
Creating destination directory: "/home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/"


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name                                     Result                                               Version              Compile time    Unit test time    Javadoc               Package time           ...
Hello world    Successful, Package DownloadSite: Successful, Package Desktop: Successful    1.0.0.7 (8) -> 1.0.0.8 (9)          529 ms            606 ms     820 ms    1,038 second (1,038 second, 947 ms...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total unit test successful: 1
Total Javadoc successful: 1
Total package successful: 2
Total build time: 3,063 seconds
A directory named "Download site" will now exist in the "Getting started test" directory.

The content of the download site can be seen by opening the "Hello world Download site.html" file in the "Download site/Hello world/" directory or by running the following command (On Linux using Firefox):
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ firefox "Download site/Hello world/Hello world Download site.html"

Release notes

ABT can maintain, update and validate a release notes file as an option.
To use this option adding the following to the ABT Module Property File: 
Package.DownloadSite.ReleaseNotesFile=Hello world Release notes.txt
Create a file named "Hello world Release notes.txt" in the module home directory with the following content: 
Version 1.0.20 (2026-11-04 14:36:10)
Note: This file is indented to be updated with changes as they are made, but this file is also updated by ABT in some cases (On release (Configurable) for instance).

Run ABT 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
This is the unit test of the hello world application
Hello world
Creating destination directory: "/home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/"


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name                                     Result                                                Version              Compile time    Unit test time      Javadoc            Package time           ...
Hello world    Successful, Package DownloadSite: Successful, Package Desktop: Successful    1.0.0.8 (9) -> 1.0.0.9 (10)          847 ms            707 ms    1,028 second    992 ms (992 ms, 836 ms)    D...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total unit test successful: 1
Total Javadoc successful: 1
Total package successful: 2
Total build time: 3,731 seconds
A file named "Hello world Release notes.html" will now exist in the download site directory.

The release notes can be seen by opening the "Hello world Release notes.html" file in the "Download site/Hello world/" directory or by running the following command (On Linux using Firefox):
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ firefox "Download site/Hello world/Hello world Release notes.html"

Automatic version check / update

ABT can in collaboration with the ABT - Update Checker project, be used by an application to check for new versions and install / update / upgrade to it.
This is done by a number of steps.

Download ABT - Update Checker

Go to the ABT - Update Checker download and download the zip file.
Unzip the downloaded zip file into the "Getting started test/ABT - Update Checker-1.0.4/" directory

Add dependencies to the Hello world application

Adding following to the ABT Module Property File: 
JarDependency=ABT - Update Checker-1.0.4/abt---update-checker-1.0.4.jar
JarDependency+=ABT - Update Checker-1.0.4/ar-common-1.1.7.jar
Package.Desktop.UserDataPathSystemProperty=UserDataPath

// Hack to make GUIUtil.setLinuxApplicationName() work on OpenJDK 16 and especially above.
Package.Desktop.AddOpens=java.desktop/sun.awt.X11=ALL-UNNAMED
// Hack to make GUIApplicationUpdateHandler.upgrade() reflection call to process.pid() work on OpenJDK 16 and especially above.
Package.Desktop.AddOpens+=java.base/java.lang=ALL-UNNAMED
Note: The use of the "=" and the "+=" operator.

Modify the Hello world application

Change the source code of the Hello application to the following: 
import abtupdatechecker.AbstractUpdateHandler;
import abtupdatechecker.AbtUpdateChecker;
import arcommon.ApplicationUtil;

public class HelloWorld {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello world");
        
        AbtUpdateChecker.domains = new String[] {
            "http://localhost:8080/Getting started test/"
        };
        
        ApplicationUtil.printStartMessage = false;
        ApplicationUtil.printConfiguration = false;
        ApplicationUtil.initTuiApplication("Hello world", HelloWorldVersion.VERSION, HelloWorldVersion.BUILD);
        AbstractUpdateHandler abstractUpdateHandler = AbtUpdateChecker.checkForUpdatesInTUIApplicationInTheBackgroundDelayed();
        abstractUpdateHandler.printResultIfInteresting();
    }
}

Build the application

Run ABT 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
This is the unit test of the hello world application
Hello world
Creating destination directory: "/home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/"


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name                                     Result                                                 Version               Compile time    Unit test time    Javadoc                  Package time     ...
Hello world    Successful, Package DownloadSite: Successful, Package Desktop: Successful    1.0.0.9 (10) -> 1.0.0.10 (11)          843 ms      1,206 second     927 ms    962 ms (962 ms, 871 ms)    Down...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total unit test successful: 1
Total Javadoc successful: 1
Total package successful: 2
Total build time: 4,086 seconds

Set up a web server

Set up a web server in such a way that the "...Getting started test/Download site/Hello world/Version.txt" file is served as http://localhost:8080/Getting started test/Hello world/Version.txt
Any web server will do. For example Apache (or SWS).

Install the Hello application

Install the Hello application.
This can be done using the following command (On Linux): 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ java -jar Installer\ for\ Hello\ world\ version\ 1.0.0.10.jar

Run the Hello application

Double click on the desktop icon (or use the following command on Linux) 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ "hello world"  
Checking OS...
Launching Hello world...
Hello world
Hello world version 1.0.0.10 (Build: 11) is running
CRASH_LOG_FILE_NAME: /home/allan/.hello world/Crash log for Hello world.txt
USER_DATA_PATH: /home/allan/.hello world/
The Java program ran successfully

Update the Hello application

Make a change to the source code or the ABT Module Property File and run ABT. 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ abt  
ABT version 1.0.18.14 (Build: 816) is running
This is the unit test of the hello world application
Hello world
Creating destination directory: "/home/allan/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test/Abt-1.0.18.14/Temporary output/Hello world/Javadoc/"


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...
Module name                                     Result                                                 Version                Compile time    Unit test time    Javadoc         Package time             ...
Hello world    Successful, Package DownloadSite: Successful, Package Desktop: Successful    1.0.0.10 (11) -> 1.0.0.11 (12)          755 ms      1,211 second     807 ms    883 ms (883 ms, 760 ms)    Dow...
(NOTE: Some lines where cut in width by ABT)

Total compile successful: 1
Total unit test successful: 1
Total Javadoc successful: 1
Total package successful: 2
Total build time: 3,818 seconds

Run the Hello application (again)

Double click on the desktop icon (or use the following command on Linux) 
allan@allan-Aspire-A515-52G:~/Mit/Java/ABT/ABT/Getting started test$ "hello world"  
Checking OS...
Launching Hello world...
Hello world
Hello world version 1.0.0.10 (Build: 11) is running
CRASH_LOG_FILE_NAME: /home/allan/.hello world/Crash log for Hello world.txt
USER_DATA_PATH: /home/allan/.hello world/
ABT - Update Checker:
------
A new version of Hello world is available.
It can be downloaded from "http://localhost:8080/Getting%20started%20test/Hello%20world/Hello%20world%20Download%20site.html".
(Current version: "1.0.0.10". New version: "1.0.0.11".)
------


The Java program ran successfully

Total listing of files

The hello world application is now complete with cross-platform installer, download site and automatic version check.
This is the resulting total listing of files and their content.

Directory structure:
Getting started test
ABT - Installer
This directory contains the unzipped content of the jar from the ABT - Installer project. This is about 129 files and directories.
ABT - Update Checker-1.0.3.14
This directory contains the unzipped content of the zip from the ABT - Update Checker project. This directory contains 2 jar files.
Download site
This directory contains the "Hello world" directory, which contents the download site for the Hello world application.
This directory contains at least 9 files and one directory. The number files are depend on the number of builds.
Javadoc
This directory contains the Javadoc for the Hello world application. This directory contains about 50 files and directories.
src
HelloWorld.java
This file contains the source code for the Hello world application.
See listing below.
HelloWorldVersion.java
This file contains the source code for the version and build number of the Hello world application.
This file is maintained by ABT.
Unit test src
HelloWorldTest.java
This file contains the source code for the unit test of the Hello world application.
See listing below.
hello-world.jar
This jar contains the executable code of the Hello world application (First version)
hello-world-1.0.0.<version number>.jar
These jar files contains the executable code of the Hello world application (Later versions).
The number files with this format will depend on the number of builds.
Hello world.abt
This plain text file is the ABT Module Property File containing the definition of the Hello world module.
See listing below.
Hello world Download site.html
This HTML file contains the template for the download site of the Hello world application.
See listing below.
Hello world Release notes.txt
This plain text file contains the release notes for the download site of the Hello world application.
This file is manually edited by the developer and updated by ABT.
See listing below.
Installer for Hello world version 1.0.0.<version number>.jar
These jar files contains the cross-platform GUI installer of the Hello world application.
The number files with this format will depend on the number of builds.

HelloWorld.java source code

import abtupdatechecker.AbstractUpdateHandler;
import abtupdatechecker.AbtUpdateChecker;
import arcommon.ApplicationUtil;

public class HelloWorld {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello world");
        
        AbtUpdateChecker.domains = new String[] {
            "http://localhost:8080/Getting started test/"
        };
        
        ApplicationUtil.printStartMessage = false;
        ApplicationUtil.printConfiguration = false;
        ApplicationUtil.initTuiApplication("Hello world", HelloWorldVersion.VERSION, HelloWorldVersion.BUILD);
        AbstractUpdateHandler abstractUpdateHandler = AbtUpdateChecker.checkForUpdatesInTUIApplicationInTheBackgroundDelayed();
        abstractUpdateHandler.printResultIfInteresting();
    }
}

HelloWorldTest.java unit source code

import java.io.PrintStream;

public class HelloWorldTest {
    private static final String EXPECTED_MESSAGE = "Hello world";
    private static boolean messagePrinted = false;
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("This is the unit test of the hello world application");
        
        System.setOut(new PrintStream(System.out) {
            @Override
            public void print(String s) {
                super.print(s);

                if (!s.equals(EXPECTED_MESSAGE)) {
                    throw new RuntimeException("Printed message \"" + s + "\" is not expected message \"" + EXPECTED_MESSAGE + "\"");
                }
                
                messagePrinted = true;
            }
        });
        
        HelloWorld.main(null);
        
        if (!messagePrinted) {
            throw new RuntimeException("Expected message \"" + EXPECTED_MESSAGE + "\" was not printed");
        }
    }
}

HelloWorld.abt - The ABT Module Property File

Note: Optional parameters are marked with a comment.
Note: Paths may be different on your system. 
SourcePath=src

// This can be omitted if you don't want the generated jar file to be copied to the module home directory
JarFile.Deploy=.

JarFileMainClass=HelloWorld

VersionFileClassName=HelloWorldVersion

// The follow two lines can be omitted if you don't want to have a unit test
UnitTestSourcePath=Unit test src/
UnitTestMainClass=HelloWorldTest

// This can be omitted if you don't want to generate Javadoc
JavadocGenerate=true
// This can be omitted if you don't want the generated Javadoc to be copied to the module home directory sub directory Javadoc
JavadocOutputPath.Deploy=Javadoc

Package.Desktop.ApplicationType=TUI
// This can be omitted if you don't want the installer to be copied to the module home directory
Package.Desktop.Deploy.Installer=

Package.DownloadSite.HtmlFile=Hello world Download site.html
// This can be omitted if the web server uses the ABT temporary output directory directly
Package.DownloadSite.Deploy=Download site/

// This can be omitted if the release notes feature of ABT is unwanted
Package.DownloadSite.ReleaseNotesFile=Hello world Release notes.txt

JarDependency=ABT - Update Checker-1.0.3.16/abt---update-checker-1.0.3.16.jar
JarDependency+=ABT - Update Checker-1.0.3.16/ar-common-1.1.6.21.jar

Package.Desktop.UserDataPathSystemProperty=UserDataPath

// Hack to make GUIUtil.setLinuxApplicationName() work on OpenJDK 16 and especially above.
Package.Desktop.AddOpens=java.desktop/sun.awt.X11=ALL-UNNAMED
// Hack to make GUIApplicationUpdateHandler.upgrade() reflection call to process.pid() work on OpenJDK 16 and especially above.
Package.Desktop.AddOpens+=java.base/java.lang=ALL-UNNAMED

Hello world Download site.html download site HTML template

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>ABT</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Download site for ABT</h1>
<br>
Download <a href="Installer%20for%20ABT%20version%201.0.20.jar">this file</a> and run it.<br>
</body>
</html>

Hello world Release notes.txt plain text file

Version 1.0.20 (2026-11-04 14:36:10)

ABT configuration.txt configuration file

NOTE: This file is not placed in the module home directory. It is placed in ABT's configuration / settings directory which is platform dependent.
Note: Optional parameters are marked with a comment.
Note: Paths may be different on your system.
// This is only required if more than one JDKs are installed (or the automatic JDK detection doesn't work on your platform)
JdkHomeBinPath=/usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-amd64/bin/;1.11

// The follow two lines can be omitted if you want the full log output
Log=false
JavadocLogLevel=Quiet

Package.Desktop.CompiledInstallerPath=../../Getting started test/ABT - Installer/

PackagingClass=abt.packaging.desktop.PackageDesktop
PackagingClass+=abt.packaging.downloadsite.PackageDownloadSite
DefaultPackageType=DownloadSite


Hello world in a GUI version

With a few changes the Hello world application can be changed into a GUI application. This will still contain a cross-platform installer, download site and automatic version check, but it also allows the user to choose to upgrade to the new version.
The following list contains the files that need to be changed to achieve that and the files content:

HelloWorld.java source code (GUI Version)

import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;

import abtupdatechecker.AbtUpdateChecker;
import arcommon.ApplicationUtil;
import arcommon.ui.other.GUIUtil;

public class HelloWorld {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println("Hello world");
        
        AbtUpdateChecker.domains = new String[] {
            "http://localhost:8080/Getting started test/"
        };
        
        ApplicationUtil.printStartMessage = false;
        ApplicationUtil.printConfiguration = false;
        ApplicationUtil.initGuiApplication("Hello world", HelloWorldVersion.VERSION, HelloWorldVersion.BUILD);
        Runnable runnable = new Runnable() {
            public void run() {
                AbtUpdateChecker.checkForUpdatesInGUIApplicationInTheBackground();

                GUIUtil.showInformation("Hello world");
            }
        };
        SwingUtilities.invokeLater(runnable);
    }
}

HelloWorld.abt module property file (GUI Version)

Note: Optional parameters are marked with a comment. 
SourcePath=src

JarFileMainClass=HelloWorld

VersionFileClassName=HelloWorldVersion

Package.Desktop.ApplicationType=GUI

Package.DownloadSite.HtmlFile=Hello world Download site.html
// This can be omitted if the web server uses the ABT temporary output directory directly
Package.DownloadSite.Deploy=Download site/

// This can be omitted if the release notes feature of ABT is unwanted
Package.DownloadSite.ReleaseNotesFile=Hello world Release notes.txt

JarDependency=ABT - Update Checker-1.0.3.16/abt---update-checker-1.0.3.16.jar
JarDependency+=ABT - Update Checker-1.0.3.16/ar-common-1.1.6.21.jar

Package.Desktop.UserDataPathSystemProperty=UserDataPath

// Hack to make GUIUtil.setLinuxApplicationName() work on OpenJDK 16 and especially above.
Package.Desktop.AddOpens=java.desktop/sun.awt.X11=ALL-UNNAMED
// Hack to make GUIApplicationUpdateHandler.upgrade() reflection call to process.pid() work on OpenJDK 16 and especially above.
Package.Desktop.AddOpens+=java.base/java.lang=ALL-UNNAMED

HelloWorld GUI version upgrade question

Screenshot of the Hello world upgrade question

Complete

With this the Hello world application is complete. When ABT is asked to "package download site" the Hello world ABT Module Property File, it will complete the following:
For more details see the documentation page.


Last Updated: 2026-10-25 16:06:38

Copyright Allan Rasmussen©