Nashorn is a JavaScript engine that comes built-in with Java 8 and later versions. It allows you to embed and execute JavaScript code within Java applications. Integrating Nashorn with your build tools and continuous integration (CI) systems can provide powerful ways to automate and enhance your development workflow.

In this blog post, we will explore how you can integrate Nashorn with popular build tools such as Maven and Gradle, as well as CI systems like Jenkins, to add JavaScript automation capabilities to your projects.

Table of Contents

• Nashorn Overview
• Integrating Nashorn with Maven
• Integrating Nashorn with Gradle
• Integrating Nashorn with Jenkins
• Conclusion

Nashorn Overview

Before diving into the integration details, let’s briefly recap what Nashorn is and why it can be beneficial for your projects. Nashorn is a JavaScript engine that provides a way to execute JavaScript code from within a Java Virtual Machine (JVM). It offers seamless integration with Java code, allowing you to call Java methods from JavaScript and vice versa.

Integrating Nashorn in your build and CI process opens up a wide range of possibilities. You can leverage the power of JavaScript to perform complex scripting tasks, interact with your Java code, and automate various aspects of your development workflow.

Integrating Nashorn with Maven

Maven is a popular build automation tool widely used in the Java ecosystem. To integrate Nashorn with Maven, you can use plugins like the exec-maven-plugin or nashorn-maven-plugin. These plugins allow you to execute JavaScript code as part of your Maven build process.

To use the exec-maven-plugin, you need to add the following configuration to your Maven pom.xml file:

<build>
  <plugins>
    <plugin>
      <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
      <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
      <version>1.6.0</version>
      <executions>
        <execution>
          <id>run-nashorn-script</id>
          <phase>test</phase> <!-- Or any other phase -->
          <goals>
            <goal>exec</goal>
          </goals>
          <configuration>
            <executable>nashorn</executable>
            <arguments>
              <argument>your-script.js</argument>
            </arguments>
          </configuration>
        </execution>
      </executions>
    </plugin>
  </plugins>
</build>

With this configuration, Maven will execute the specified JavaScript file using the nashorn command.

Integrating Nashorn with Gradle

Gradle is another popular build automation tool that provides a flexible and powerful approach to building and automating projects. To integrate Nashorn with Gradle, you can use the Exec task to execute JavaScript code as part of your build process.

Here’s an example of how you can configure the Exec task in your build.gradle file:

task runNashornScript(type: Exec) {
  commandLine 'nashorn', 'your-script.js'
}

With this configuration, running the runNashornScript task will execute the specified JavaScript file using the nashorn command.

Integrating Nashorn with Jenkins

Jenkins is a popular open-source CI system that provides a vast range of plugins and integrations. To integrate Nashorn with Jenkins, you can use plugins like the NodeJS plugin or the Pipeline plugin.

Using the NodeJS plugin, you can define a NodeJS installation that includes the Nashorn engine. Then, you can execute JavaScript code within Jenkins build steps using the node command.

With the Pipeline plugin, you can define a Jenkins pipeline script that includes a node block. Inside the node block, you can execute JavaScript code using the sh (shell) step.

Conclusion

Integrating Nashorn with build tools and CI systems provides you with a powerful way to automate and enhance your development workflow. With Nashorn, you can leverage the power of JavaScript to perform scripting tasks, interact with Java code, and automate various aspects of your projects.

Whether you are using Maven, Gradle, or Jenkins, integrating Nashorn can help you make your build and CI processes more flexible and efficient. Take advantage of the seamless integration between Java and JavaScript to unlock new capabilities in your projects.

#hashtags: #Nashorn #BuildTools #ContinuousIntegration