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Jean-Michel 🕵🏻‍♂️ Fayard
Jean-Michel 🕵🏻‍♂️ Fayard

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Configuring Gradle with "gradle.properties"

#java #kotlin #android #hacktoberfest

Using https://gradle.org as your build tool? Read on.

I found the gradle.properties file a nice part of Gradle.

What is hard is to find an overview of this information: you can create your own settings, Gradle has its own, Kotlin its own, Android its own, ...

So I thought I would provide an overview of all of that.

You should not add a setting before you have read the docs to understand what it does. Which is why I added every time the link to the documentation.

The file gradle.properties

The friendly Gradle docs inform you that

In Gradle, properties can be defined in the build script, in a gradle.properties file or as parameters on the command line.
It’s common to declare properties on the command line for ad-hoc scenarios. For example you may want to pass in a specific property value to control runtime behavior just for this one invocation of the build. Properties in a build script can easily become a maintenance headache and convolute the build script logic. The gradle.properties helps with keeping properties separate from the build script and should be explored as viable option. It’s a good location for placing properties that control the build environment.
https://docs.gradle.org/current/userguide/organizing_gradle_projects.html#declare_properties_in_gradle_properties_file

Putting there your own settings

First you can use it to put your own settings. For example, if you have an Android project, you can put there

## gradle.properties  # Common Android settings android.compileSdkVersion=28 android.applicationId=com.example android.targetSdkVersion=28 android.minSdkVersion=21 android.versionCode=2 android.versionName=1.2
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then you can reuse the same app/build.gradle snippet all the time

android { compileSdkVersion rootProject.findProperty("android.compileSdkVersion") as Integer defaultConfig { targetSdkVersion findProperty("android.targetSdkVersion") as Integer minSdkVersion findProperty("android.minSdkVersion") as Integer applicationId findProperty("android.applicationId") versionCode findProperty("android.minSdkVersion") as Integer versionName findProperty("android.versionName") } }
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Putting your dependencies versions

This is what my Gradle plugin automatically does for you:

## gradle.properties  # Dependencies and Plugin versions with their available updates # Generated by $ ./gradlew refreshVersions # You can edit the rest of the file, it will be kept intact # See https://github.com/jmfayard/buildSrcVersions/issues/77 plugin.com.github.ben-manes.versions=0.25.0 plugin.de.fayard.buildSrcVersions=0.6.1 version.com.android.tools.build..gradle=3.5.0 version.play-services-location=17.0.0 version.bottom-navigation-bar=2.1.0 version.lifecycle-extensions=2.0.0 # # available=2.1.0 version.org.jetbrains.kotlin=1.3.31 # # available=1.3.50 version.appcompat=1.1.0-rc01 # # available=1.1.0 version.cardview=1.0.0 version.core-ktx=1.0.2 # # available=1.1.0 # ....
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Read the docs at gradle :refreshVersions" generates gradle.properties with versions and available updates

Gradle settings

The top two are especially great to improve your build performance.

org.gradle.caching=true org.gradle.parallel=true org.gradle.caching.debug=false org.gradle.configureondemand=false org.gradle.daemon.idletimeout= 10800000 org.gradle.console=auto #org.gradle.java.home=(path to JDK home) #org.gradle.warning.mode=(all,none,summary) #org.gradle.workers.max=(max # of worker processes) # org.gradle.priority=(low,normal) org.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx2g -XX:MaxMetaspaceSize=512m -XX:+HeapDumpOnOutOfMemoryError -Dfile.encoding=UTF-8 // https://docs.gradle.org/current/userguide/build_environment.html#sec:configuring_jvm_memory
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Read the docs at https://docs.gradle.org/current/userguide/build_environment.html#sec:gradle_configuration_properties

Kotlin settings 

kotlin.code.style=official kotlin.caching.enabled=true kotlin.incremental=true kotlin.incremental.js=true
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Read the docs at https://kotlinlang.org/docs/reference/using-gradle.html

kapt.use.worker.api=true kapt.incremental.apt=true
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Read the docs at https://kotlinlang.org/docs/reference/kapt.html

Android settings 

studio.projectview=true
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If you think like me that the Android view is worse in every respect than the Project view and needs to go

android.enableJetifier=true android.useAndroidX=true
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Read the docs at https://developer.android.com/jetpack/androidx

android.databinding.incremental=true
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Read the docs at https://developer.android.com/topic/libraries/data-binding/start

android.enableSeparateAnnotationProcessing=true
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Read the docs at https://developer.android.com/studio/build/optimize-your-build

Other Android flags 

android.enableR8.fullMode=true android.enableR8.libraries = true android.enableR8 = true android.debug.obsoleteApi=true android.enableBuildCache=true android.enableGradleWorkers=true android.useMinimalKeepRules=true
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Check the code-source at
https://android.googlesource.com/platform/tools/base/+/mirror-goog-studio-master-dev/build-system/gradle-core/src/main/java/com/android/build/gradle/options/BooleanOption.kt

Top comments (3)

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chhh profile image
Dmitry Avtonomov •

Suppose I have a flat folder structure with two support libraries

. |-- app-1 | |-- build.gradle.kts [dependency(project(':lib-2')), dependency('guava:28.0')] | `-- settings.gradle.kts [includeFlat('lib-2'))] |-- lib-1 | |-- build.gradle.kts [dependency('guava:26.0')] | `-- settings.gradle.kts `-- lib-2 |-- build.gradle.kts [dependency('guava:27.0'); dependency(project(':lib-1'))] `-- settings.gradle.kts (includeFlat('lib-1'))

So 'lib-1' is some old stuff. 'lib-2' is newer and uses 'lib-1', wants to supersede guava 26.0 with 27.0. And the 'app-1' wants to use 'lib-2', but also use some features from guava 28.0.
How would I go about converting to gradle.properties so that the right versions are used in all projects. Every time I set up a composite build I start having problems with gradle complaining that "some lib/plugin is already added and should not have its version listed in the build."

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jmfayard profile image
Jean-Michel 🕵🏻‍♂️ Fayard •

That works, my own project has exactly the same structure.

You have to update Gradle because there is no good way to setup plugin versions before 5.6

$ ./gradlew wrapper --gradle-version 5.6.2

There is a boilerplate resolutionStrategy that you have to copy/paste in settings.gradle.kts

Read the docs here github.com/jmfayard/buildSrcVersio...

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chhh profile image
Dmitry Avtonomov •

Thanks! Didn't notice first that you used issue tracker as a wiki :)