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Compiling Using Maven

To compile izpack IzPack using Maven, use the izpack-maven-plugin. There is good documentation at the izpack-maven-plugin page, but this page will describe how to use the most recent izpack IzPack plugin (5.0.0-rc1 at the time of this writing).

I'll assume you have some custom izpack panels, but if you don't, you can omit some of the steps that we go over here:

Using Custom Panels

If you have custom panels, you'll want to put them in their own Maven module. This module should be a standard Maven project, but you should include izpack as a provided dependency:

...

<dependencies>
   <dependency>
      <groupId>org.codehaus.izpack</groupId>
      <artifactId>izpack-compiler</artifactId>
      <version>${izpack.version}</version>
      <scope>provided</scope>
   </dependency>
</dependencies>

We use scope = provided because we only need Maven to use the izpack dependency at compile time. In this project, you can create your custom IzPack panels. Be sure that the Java package names that contain your custom IzPack panels begin with "com", "net", or "org", or else they will not be able to be loaded by your IzPack installer.

Creating the IzPack Installer Module

Now, create a separate Maven module that will produce your izpack installer.

The basic strategy we'll use is this:

1. We'll configure our Maven pom to create a "staging" area that will contain our izpack descriptor and all of our installer resources, including the jars that we want to package in our installer. 
   1. We will use the Maven maven-antrun-plugin to copy our izpack descriptor file and resources into this "staging" area. 
   2. We'll use the maven-dependency-plugin to copy the jar with our custom panels, and any other jar dependencies that we want in our installer. We'll configure two different "executions" of the maven-dependency-plugin; we'll have this plugin copy our application jars into one location, and the custom panel jars into a separate location.
2. We'll then configure the izpack-maven-plugin to point it to our staging area and our installer descriptor.

Create Some Helpful Properties

...

Custom IzPack panels are supported and are discussed in the "Using Custom Panels" section.

Creating the Maven installer project for IzPack

Create a separate Maven project that will produce your izPack installer.

The basic strategy is as follows:

1. Configure the Maven pom to create a "staging" area that will contain our izPack descriptor and all of our installer resources, including the jars that we want to include in our installer. 
   1. Use the Maven maven-antrun-plugin to copy our izPack descriptor file and resources into this "staging" area. 
   2. Use the maven-dependency-plugin to copy the jar with our custom panels, and any other jar dependencies that we want in our installer. Two different "executions" of the maven-dependency-plugin may be required; one to copy our application jars into one location, and if there are custom panels, another to copy the custom panel jars into a separate location.
2. We'll then configure the izpack-maven-plugin to point it to our staging area and our installer descriptor.

Create Some Helpful Properties

<properties>
   <izpack.version>5.0.0-rc1<0</izpack.version>
   <izpack.staging>${project.build.directory}/staging</izpack.staging>
</properties>

...

<dependencies>
  <dependency>
    <groupId>com.mycompany</groupId>
    <artifactId>myapplication</artifactId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
 </dependency>
 <dependency>
    <groupId>com.mycompany</groupId>
    <artifactId>mycustompanels</artifactId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
 </dependency>
</dependencies>

Configure the maventhe maven-antrun-plugin

We'll use Use the maven-antrun-plugin to copy our the installer descriptor and installer resources (images, text files, etc.) into our the "staging" area.

Put your the installer descriptor and resources underneath src/izpack in your module. In your the pom's <build> section, configure maven-antrun-plugin to copy this entire directory to our the staging area:

   <plugin>
       <artifactId>maven-antrun-plugin</artifactId>
       <executions>
          <execution>
             <id>create-staging-area</id>
             <phase>process-resources</phase>
             <goals>
                <goal>run</goal>
             </goals>
             <configuration>
                <tasks>
                   <copy todir="${izpack.staging}">
                      <fileset dir="${basedir}/src/izpack"/>
                   </copy>
                </tasks>
             </configuration>
          </execution>
       </executions>
    </plugin>

Configure the maventhe maven-dependency-plugin

We'll configure Configure the maven-depenency-plugin to copy both our the application jars and the jar with our custom panel. Here's how it looks .

If there are custom panels, copy its jar as well.

Example with custom panels (see the inline XML comments for more details):

<plugin>
  <artifactId>maven-dependency-plugin</artifactId>
  <configuration>
    <excludeTransitive>false</excludeTransitive>
		<!-- reference our custom panels jar in our installer descriptor without its version -->
    <stripVersion>true</stripVersion>
    <overWriteReleases>true</overWriteReleases>
    <overWriteSnapshots>true</overWriteSnapshots>
    <overWriteIfNewer>true</overWriteIfNewer>
  </configuration>
  <executions>
    <execution>
      <!-- copy *application* jars to izpack staging lib -->
      <id>copy-product-dependencies</id>
      <phase>prepare-package</phase>
      <goals>
        <goal>copy-dependencies</goal>
      </goals>
      <configuration>
        <outputDirectory>${izpack.staging}/lib</outputDirectory>
        <excludeScope>system</excludeScope>
        <!-- this excludes tools.jar, e.g. -->
        <excludeArtifactIds>mycustompanels</excludeArtifactIds>
        <!-- IMPORTANT: don't copy custom panels where our application jars live -->
        <excludeGroupIds>org.codehaus.izpack</excludeGroupIds>
        <!-- IMPORTANT: we don't want to copy the izpackIzPack dependency where our application jars live -->
      </configuration>
    </execution>
    <execution>
      <!-- copy izpack custom (custom panels, etc.) jars to izpack staging custom -->
      <id>copy-izpack-dependencies</id>
      <phase>prepare-package</phase>
      <goals>
        <goal>copy-dependencies</goal>
      </goals>
      <configuration>
        <outputDirectory>${izpack.staging}/custom</outputDirectory>
        <includeArtifactIds>mycustompanels</includeArtifactIds>
        <!-- IMPORTANT: this causes *only* our custom panels to be copied -->
      </configuration>
    </execution>
  </executions>
</plugin>

...

• The first execution section configures the copying of our application jars to the lib/ directory under our staging directory (i.e., target/staging/lib). Note that we have to explicitly exclude the izpack IzPack dependency as well as our any custom panels dependency. We don't need these showing up in our installed application!
• The second execution section configures the copying of our custom panels jar to the custom/ directory under our staging directory (i.e., target/staging/custom). Note that we explicitly include our custom panels dependency so that no other jars are copied to custom/. It wouldn't hurt anything if this happened, but why do unnecessary work?

Configure

...

the izpack-maven-plugin

We need to tell the izpack-maven-plugin what to use as the base directory (this is our staging area), and also tell it where the install file

...

is located.

This example include a section for custom panels which may be omitted if it does not apply.

<plugin>
   <groupId>org.codehaus.izpack</groupId>
   <artifactId>izpack-maven-plugin</artifactId>
   <version>${izpack.version}</version>
   <executions>
      <execution>
         <phase>package</phase>
         <goals><goal>izpack</goal></goals>
         <configuration>
            <!-- base for relative paths in izpack descriptor -->
            <baseDir>${izpack.staging}</baseDir>
            <installFile>${basedir}/src/izpack/install.xml</installFile>
         </configuration>
      </execution>
   </executions>
   <dependencies>
      <dependency>
         <groupId>org.codehaus.izpack</groupId>
         <artifactId>izpack-panel</artifactId>
         <version>${izpack.version}</version>
      </dependency>
      <dependency>
         <groupId>com.mycompany</groupId>
         <artifactId>mycustompanels</artifactId>
         <version>1.

...

0</version>
      </dependency>
    </dependencies>
 </plugin>

Some key points:

• Even though

...

• the custom panels dependency is declared as a project dependency,

...

• it also must be declared as a dependency to the

...

• IzPack plugin itself, or else you will see classloading errors.

...

• Maven gives every plugin execution its own classloader, which cannot see the classpath of the project itself.

...

Create Your Installer Descriptor

Your installer descriptor should reference resources and jars relative to the staging area. For example, here is a resources section in our installer descriptor (i.e., install.xml):

<resources>
    <res src="@{izpack.staging}/common_resources/img/install-sidebar.png" id="Installer.image"/>
    <res src="hello.html" id="HTMLHelloPanel.info"/>
    <res src="license.html" id="HTMLLicencePanel.licence"/>
</resources>

Note that these resources are originally under src/izpack. They are copied from this directory to the staging area, where the

...

IzPack compiler will look for them.

...

<jar src="custom/mycustompanels.jar"/>

Here's an example of referencing a custom panel. Again, in our installer descriptor:

...

<panels>
  <panel classname="com.mycompany.izpack.panel.MyHelloPanel"/>
</panels>

Note that we use the fully qualified name of the panel class.

Summary

When finished, the entire build section of our pom should look something like this:

...

Summary

When finished, the entire build section of our pom should look something like this:

<?xml version="1.0"?>
<build>
  <plugins>
    <!-- copy izpack resources into izpack staging area, expected by izpack.xml -->
    <plugin>
      <artifactId>maven-antrun-plugin</artifactId>
      <executions>
        <execution>
          <id>create-staging-area</id>
          <phase>process-resources</phase>
          <goals>
            <goal>run</goal>
          </goals>
          <configuration>
            <tasks>
              <copy todir="${izpack.staging}">
                <fileset dir="${basedir}/src/izpack"/>
              </copy>
            </tasks>
          </configuration>
        </execution>
      </executions>
    </plugin>
    <plugin>
      <artifactId>maven-dependency-plugin</artifactId>
      <configuration>
        <excludeTransitive>false</excludeTransitive>
        <stripVersion>true</stripVersion>
        <overWriteReleases>true</overWriteReleases>
        <overWriteSnapshots>true</overWriteSnapshots>
        <overWriteIfNewer>true</overWriteIfNewer>
        <excludeScope>system</excludeScope>
      </configuration>
      <executions>
        <execution>
          <!-- copy product jars to izpack staging lib -->
          <id>copy-product-dependencies</id>
          <phase>prepare-package</phase>
          <goals>
            <goal>copy-dependencies</goal>
          </goals>
          <configuration>
            <outputDirectory>${izpack.staging}/lib</outputDirectory>
            <excludeScope>system</excludeScope>
            <!-- this excludes tools.jar, e.g. -->
            <excludeArtifactIds>mycustompanels</excludeArtifactIds>
            <excludeGroupIds>org.codehaus.izpack</excludeGroupIds>
          </configuration>
        </execution>
        <execution>
          <!-- copy izpack custom (custom panels, etc.) jars to izpack staging custom -->
          <id>copy-izpack-dependencies</id>
          <phase>prepare-package</phase>
          <goals>
            <goal>copy-dependencies</goal>
          </goals>
          <configuration>
            <outputDirectory>${izpack.staging}/custom</outputDirectory>
            <includeArtifactIds>mycustompanels</includeArtifactIds>
          </configuration>
        </execution>
      </executions>
    </plugin>
    <plugin>
      <groupId>org.codehaus.izpack</groupId>
      <artifactId>izpack-maven-plugin</artifactId>
      <executions>
        <execution>
          <phase>package</phase>
          <goals>
            <goal>izpack</goal>
          </goals>
          <configuration>
            <!-- base for relative paths in izpack descriptor -->
            <baseDir>${izpack.staging}</baseDir>
            <installFile>${basedir}/src/izpack/install.xml</installFile>
          </configuration>
        </execution>
      </executions>
      <dependencies>
        <dependency>
          <groupId>org.codehaus.izpack</groupId>
          <artifactId>izpack-panel</artifactId>
          <version>${izpack.version}</version>
        </dependency>
        <dependency>
          <groupId>com.mycompany</groupId>
          <artifactId>mycustompanels</artifactId>
          <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>
        </dependency>
      </dependencies>
    </plugin>
  </plugins>
</build>

Troubleshooting

...

Using Custom Panels

If you have custom panels, they should be developed in a separate Maven project. This is a standard Maven project, but you should include izPack as a provided dependency:

<dependencies>
   <dependency>
      <groupId>org.codehaus.izpack</groupId>
      <artifactId>izpack-compiler</artifactId>
      <version>${izpack.version}</version>
      <scope>provided</scope>
   </dependency>
</dependencies>

We use scope = provided because we only need Maven to use the IzPack dependency at compile time.

In this project, you can create your custom IzPack panels.

Be sure that the Java package names that contain your custom IzPack panels begin with "com", "net", or "org", or else they will not be able to be loaded by your IzPack installer.

Add the custom panel jar to the installer description

Also, don't forget to tell the IzPack compiler about your custom panels jar in the <resources> element in your install.xml file:

<jar src="custom/mycustompanels.jar"/>

Add custom panel to the list of panels

Here's an example of referencing a custom panel. Again, in our installer descriptor:

<panels>
  <panel classname="com.mycompany.izpack.panel.MyHelloPanel"/>
  <panel ......../>
  <panel ......../>

</panels>

Note that we use the fully qualified name of the panel class.

Troubleshooting

There are a few simple things to check if your installer is not created properly. 

• Read the Maven logs to be sure that no errors are reported.
• Check the staging area to make sure that it contains all of the assets that you expected.
• Check the install.xml file to be sure that all panels are included and that all of the pack descriptions are correct.
• Check that all of the referenced specification files exist with the correct names and have the correct contents.
• Watch for case sensitivity if this applies to the environment. 

References

[1] http://izpack.codehaus.org/izpack-maven-plugin/

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