Thread: How do I generate a build number or datettimestamp that I can access in my app?

I'm a beginner with Java. I'm using NetBeans to build my app. Can someone explain in simple terms how to automatically create either a build number (e.g. that's incremented every time I rebuild) or a date and timestamp of the build that I can then access in my application? This is simply so I can record in my log files which version of the program created them. I'm going through multiple builds per day and it's essential that I know which version created what output...

I found this useful article (Use ANT to Build a JAR with version/build number - Real's Java How-to), but I don't know enough about how NetBeans uses Ant to implement it within NB.

Thanks - Rowan

Great idea. I have always had to do it manually. However I don't use ant (I use batch files to build my jar files) so I still won't be able to do it.
It has given me an idea that I'll have to work on.

Originally Posted by copeg

To automate, you can build your app using something like ANT, and write a file containing the timestamp information which is packaged in the deployed application. This can be read as a resource and accessed accordingly.

Yes, that's what I have in mind to do, but unfortunately don't know enough about how NetBeans uses Ant, or about Ant itself, to know what script to write to do this, or where to write it. Can anyone help with this?

Thanks - Rowan

Originally Posted by Norm

I use batch files to build my jar files ... so I still won't be able to do it.

I can't see why you should not do this in a batch file if you can remember all that arcane stuff from the 1980s about writing batch files. It always amazes me what can be achieved in a such a crude language with enough ingenuity :-).

Rowan

I could write a utility program to update the manifest and use it in the batch file.