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diff --git a/docs/developer/IDE.md b/docs/developer/IDE.md new file mode 100644 index 000000000..3dfb38eef --- /dev/null +++ b/docs/developer/IDE.md @@ -0,0 +1,98 @@ +# Setting up an AspectJ development environment + +_by Alexander Kriegisch, 2021-08-05_ + +AspectJ, being an Eclipse project, can of course be used in the Eclipse IDE for Java developers, if you also install the +AspectJ Development Tools (AJDT). IntelliJ IDEA also offers AspectJ and Spring AOP support. Regarding build tools, there +are AspectJ plugins for Maven, Gradle and Ant. + +Of course, you can use and other IDE and build tool or simply use your trusted text editor of choice and compile using +the AspectJ Compiler _ajc_ from the command line. + +Please refer to the [AspectJ Development Environment Guide](https://www.eclipse.org/aspectj/doc/next/devguide/printable.html) +for more details about on-board AspectJ tools, such as _ajc_ (compiler), _ajdoc_ (aspect-enriched Javadoc), _aj_ +(load-time weaving helper), AspectJ Browser (simple visualisation tool for cross-cutting aspect structure) as well as +basic information about load-time weaving configuration and the built-in Ant task for AspectJ. + +## IDE support + +We are going to focus on the two IDEs the author of this document is acquainted with, Eclipse and IntelliJ IDEA. That +does not mean that others such as NetBeans or the increasingly popular editor-on-steroids Visual Studio Code might not +also be excellent choices, but I simply do not know them, sorry. + +### Eclipse + +If you install [AspectJ Development Tools (AJDT)](https://www.eclipse.org/ajdt/), you can use AspectJ in the Eclipse +Java IDE. For the last few years, AJDT has rather been kept alive than actively developed, but still it works nicely for +the usual tasks, such as writing aspects in both native and annotation-style syntax, viewing cross-references between +aspects and Java code, applying all sorts of weaving strategies (compile-time weaving, post-compile binary weaving, +load-time weaving) and with an additional m2e (Maven to Eclipse) connector also for importing and refreshing from +projects using AspectJ Maven Plugin. + +#### AspectJ Development Tools (AJDT) + +Use an update sites corresponding to your Eclipse version (minimal version listed): +* Eclipse 2021-03 (4.19): https://aspectj.dev/eclipse/ajdt/419 +* Eclipse 2018-12 (4.10): https://download.eclipse.org/tools/ajdt/410/dev/update +* For older versions, please refer to https://www.eclipse.org/ajdt/downloads (page was not updated in a long time, + and I have no write access). + +#### Maven to Eclipse (m2e) connector + +The connector between AspectJ Maven Plugin and AJDT has not been maintained by the AspectJ team for some years, but +there is a fairly up-to-date [fork by Miika Vesti (joker1)](https://github.com/joker1/m2eclipse-ajdt) with the following +update sites: + * Eclipse 2020-12 (4.18): https://repo.t5.fi/public/eclipse/m2eclipse-ajdt/eclipse-2020-12/ + * Eclipse 2019-06 (4.12): https://repo.t5.fi/public/eclipse/m2eclipse-ajdt/eclipse-2019-06/ + +### IntelliJ IDEA + +IDEA is a commercial IDE by JetBrains, which also has a free Community Edition. The author of this guide uses a +complementary Ultimate Edition provided by JetBrains (thank you!), because he is an active open source developer (ask +them if you are eligible, too). If you want to use the Ultimate Edition for commercial purposes, however, of course you +need to buy it. According to [this resource](https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/aspectj.html), the AspectJ plugin is +for the Ultimate Edition only, so probably the plugin is not going to work in the Community Edition. But if you are +using AspectJ in your daytime job, probably you use the Ultimate Edition anyway. + +Make sure that the following plugins are active: + * AOP Pointcut Language (bundled): basic AspectJ and Spring AOP pointcut syntax support (annotation style) + * AspectJ (marketplace, author JetBrains): native AspectJ support + +If the Maven support bundled into IntelliJ IDEA is active as well, Maven projects using the AspectJ Maven Plugin will +also be imported correctly. I never tested with any of the Gradle plugins or the AspectJ Ant task because I am a Maven +user, so please try for yourself if those combinations are supported. + +## Build tools + +### Maven + +If you want to build your AspectJ projects with Maven, use [AspectJ Maven Plugin](https://github.com/dev-aspectj/aspectj-maven-plugin) +by AspectJ.dev, artifact ID `dev.aspectj:aspectj-maven-plugin`. It is a fork of the original plugin by MojoHaus, which +was inactive for 3.5 years and only recently (2021-07-30) had a new release. Because the AspectJ.dev version (maintained +by AspectJ contributor Alexander Kriegisch) has more features, we recommend using it instead of the original for +original's sake. + +### Gradle + +In contrast to Maven, there is no de-facto standard build plugin for Gradle, but a bunch of more or less well-maintained +plugins with a more or less complete feature set. I am not a Gradle user, but when answering related questions on +StackOverflow, I got the impression that [Freefair by Lars Grefer](https://docs.freefair.io/gradle-plugins/current/reference/) +is the one I want to recomment because of its good documentation, active development and feature set. It could well be +or become for the Gradle ecosystem what AspectJ Maven is for the Maven one. At the time of writing this, the most recent +milestone is [6.1.0-m3](https://docs.freefair.io/gradle-plugins/6.1.0-m3/reference/). + +### Ant + +As mentioned in the introduction, AspectJ features its own Ant task, which is described in +[this chapter](https://www.eclipse.org/aspectj/doc/next/devguide/printable.html#antTasks) of the Development Environment +Guide. + +## Biased recommendation + +Feel free to be skeptical, because the author has both IDE and build tool biases, but I am recommending Maven as a build +tool, AspectJ Maven as a build plugin and then either of Eclipse or IDEA as integrated development environments (IDEs). +Why? Because Maven + (Eclipse or IDEA) probably has the most complete tooling and best end-to-end user experience for +AspectJ developers. Because I am also by far the most active AspectJ and Spring AOP supporter on StackOverflow, you also +have better chances to receive spot-on answers than if e.g. you ask why your Ant or Gradle build does not work so nicely +in NetBeans or VS Code. But by all means, please do choose whichever combination of tools is the prescribed standard in +your work environment or simply your personal pereference. I believe that diversity is good. 🙂 |