apt man page

NAME

apt - annotation processing tool

SYNOPSIS

apt [-classpath classpath] [-sourcepath sourcepath] [-d directory] [-s directory] [-factorypath path] [-factory class] [-print] [-nocompile] [-Akey[=val] ...] [javac option] sourcefiles [@files]

PARAMETERS

Options may be in any order. For a discussion of parameters which apply to a specific option, see OPTIONS below.

sourcefiles: Zero or more source files to be processed.
@files: One or more files that list source files or other options

DESCRIPTION

The tool apt, annotation processing tool, includes a set of new reflective APIs and supporting infrastructure to process program annotations. The apt reflective APIs provide a build-time, source-based, read-only view of program structure. These reflective APIs are designed to cleanly model the Java^TM programming language's type system after the addition of generics. First, apt runs annotation processors that can produce new source code and other files. Next, apt can cause compilation of both original and generated source files, easing development. The reflective APIs and other APIs used to interact with the tool are subpackages of com.sun.mirror.

A fuller discussion of how the tool operates as well as instructions for developing with apt are in Getting Started with apt.

Note:: The functionality of apt has been subsumed by the annotation-processing infrastructure that is now part of the javac tool and standardized for use by all Java compilers. This new infrastructure relies on the language model and annotation-processing APIs that are now part of the Java Platform. It is recommended that new annotation processor development be based on the new APIs and the javac tool.

OPTIONS

`apt` specific options

-s dir: Specify the directory root under which processor-generated source files will be placed; files are placed in subdirectories based on package namespace.
-nocompile: Do not compile source files to class files.
-print: Print out textual representation of specified types; perform no annotation processing or compilation.
-A[key[=val]]: Options to pass to annotation processors -- these are not interpreted by apt directly, but are made available for use by individual processors
-factorypath path: Specify where to find annotation processor factories; if this option is used, the classpath is not searched for factories.
-factory classname: Name of annotation processor factory to use; bypasses default discovery process

Options shared with `javac`

-d dir: Specify where to place processor and javac generated class files
-cp path or -classpath path: Specify where to find user class files and annotation processor factories. If -factorypath is given, the classpath is not searched for factories.

Consult the javac(1) man page for information on javac options.

NOTES

The functionality of apt has been subsumed by the standard annotation-processing infrastructure now offered by javac. Support for apt and its associated APIs may be discontinued in some future JDK release.