Way to install the plugin automatically with maven/gradle?

[edeandrea]

Hello. Is there a way this plugin could be installed by a build tool (Maven/Gradle for example in the Java space)? I want to use this plugin for an open source sample project, but I can't have any user who forks/clones the project have to go through setting it up so that they can build the application.

It would also make it much easier to set up in CI servers (GitHub actions, etc).

[rholshausen]

The plugin can be auto-installed as needed when using the latest versions of supported Pact implementations (like Pact-JVM).

If the auto-installation does not work for you, you can use the pact-plugin-cli. This should work in CI (we use it in the Pact CI).

[edeandrea]

Thank you. Unfortunately I can't take the latest & greatest pact-jvm due to its Java 17 requirement. I also can't/don't want to rely on some external process or cli to be able to install it.

This is for an OSS sample project and I really can't expect users to have to install some cli and run some commands before they can do a local build of the project. For CI servers/GitHub actions, sure this could be automated as part of the CI process. But that wouldn't help any ordinary user who would like to fork/clone the project and be able to build/test it.

Unfortunately I'll have to sit on this and wait for now.

[YOU54F]

Thank you. Unfortunately I can't take the latest & greatest pact-jvm due to its Java 17 requirement.

4.5.x supports plugins and java 11+

see docs https://github.com/pact-foundation/pact-jvm?tab=readme-ov-file#supported-jdk-and-specification-versions

Plugins aren't supported on other versions of pact-jvm other than mentioned in the above link, so a maven/gradle to install the plugin wouldn't help.

I also can't/don't want to rely on some external process or cli to be able to install it.

pact-jvm will do this for you on demand when executing a test if the plugin is not installed. This seems less external than using a maven/gradle plugin to do so (which presumably are extra applications that needs to be written and maintained)

This is for an OSS sample project and I really can't expect users to have to install some cli and run some commands before they can do a local build of the project. For CI servers/GitHub actions, sure this could be automated as part of the CI process. But that wouldn't help any ordinary user who would like to fork/clone the project and be able to build/test it.

The installation is automated whenever a user runs the test, be it locally or in CI.

Unfortunately I'll have to sit on this and wait for now.

It's an open source project, and is unlikely to be back-ported by the core maintainer to either 4.1.x branch which supports Java 8-12 or unsupported versions. You would be welcome to attempt to resolve this yourself.

You haven't mentioned which version of Java your application is using, just that you cannot use Java 17.

If the community does wish to build a maven or gradle plugin to manage the plugin lifecycle they are most welcome, but I believe it to be superfluous

[edeandrea]

Thanks @YOU54F . I believe this has been resolved as my project has moved to a Java 17 baseline since this was opened.