[2019 oracle code one] JPMS Modules with Gradle

Building JPMS Modules with Gradle

Speakers: Paul Bakker @pbakker

For more blog posts, see The Oracle Code One table of contents


General

  • Nobody in room yet using module system
  • Often takes several years after a feature release to be adopted.
  • Took 2-3 years after lambda use was common
  • Most open source provides a real module or at least a module name in the meta-inf

Plugin

  • Maven supported module system early on and still does.
  • Gradle did not so developed a plugin
  • https://github.com/java9-modularity/gradle-modules-plugin

IntelliJ

  • Shows modules as folders

Gradle

  • Each module has own build.gradle
  • Root build.gradle file is where the modular plugin is applied
  • external plugin so set classpath and apply to all java projects
  • Dependencies are defined in both build.gradle and module-info.java. Have to do this in Maven too.
  • Plugin adds gradle configuration when compile/test.

Flags

  • Showed exports – plugin has addExports option when compile
  • Showed opens – plugin has addOpens option when compile
  • Also supports AddModules and addReads like the Java options

Application plugin

  • Creates tar/zip with lib and bin folder
  • Supports module path

Packages

  • Split packages
  • “The classpath always works – as long as you don’t have expectations”
  • Always a problem; now in your face
  • patch-module as workaround. Puts library in patchlibs instead of being on module path

Multiple start scripts

  • Out of box, can create one zip file/one starting point
  • Module plugin allows creating custom startup scripts

Testing

  • For whitebox testing, ok to break encapsulation.
    • Classpath is ok
    • Plugin provides moduleOptions on test to choose
  • Black box testing – want module path to test how module works from outside module boundaries.
    • Use module path
    • Need additional module for this approach for tests

Java versions

  • plugin has modularity.mixedJavaReleases
  • compiler runs in two steps
  • compiles everything module-info.java using recent java version (presumably Java 9) and pulls out module-info.java
  • compiles other sources using java 8
  • the module-info.java is ignored by Java 8

My take

I found the gradle files hard/impossible to read (red/purple/green) on dark background. That made it hard for me to follow the parts I didn’t already know. I did learn some though so it was worth going. And it’s great that gradle has a JPMS plugin! I like how he mapped the command line to Gradle code.

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