ajc - Online in the Cloud

PROGRAM:

NAME

ajc — compiler and bytecode weaver for the AspectJ and Java languages

SYNOPSIS

ajc [Options] [file... | @file... | -argfile file... ]

Description

The ajc command compiles and weaves AspectJ and Java source and .class files, producing
.class files compliant with any Java VM (1.1 or later). It combines compilation and
bytecode weaving and supports incremental builds; you can also weave bytecode at run-time
using "" >.

The arguments after the options specify the source file(s) to compile. To specify source
classes, use -inpath (below). Files may be listed directly on the command line or in a
file. The -argfile file and @file forms are equivalent, and are interpreted as meaning
all the arguments listed in the specified file.

Note: You must explicitly pass ajc all necessary sources. Be sure to include the source
not only for the aspects or pointcuts but also for any affected types. Specifying all
sources is necessary because, unlike javac, ajc does not search the sourcepath for
classes. (For a discussion of what affected types might be required, see The AspectJ
Programming Guide, Implementation Appendix ../progguide/implementation.html) .

To specify sources, you can list source files as arguments or use the options -sourceroots
or -inpath. If there are multiple sources for any type, the result is undefined since ajc
has no way to determine which source is correct. (This happens most often when users
include the destination directory on the inpath and rebuild.)

Options
-injars JarList
deprecated: since 1.2, use -inpath, which also takes directories.

-inpath Path
Accept as source bytecode any .class files in the The output will include these
classes, possibly as woven with any applicable aspects. Path is a single
argument containing a list of paths to zip files or directories, delimited by
the platform-specific path delimiter.

-aspectpath Path
Weave binary aspects from jar files and directories on path into all sources.
The aspects should have been output by the same version of the compiler. When
running the output classes, the run classpath should contain all aspectpath
entries. Path, like classpath, is a single argument containing a list of paths
to jar files, delimited by the platform- specific classpath delimiter.

-argfile File
The file contains a line-delimited list of arguments. Each line in the file
should contain one option, filename, or argument string (e.g., a classpath or
inpath). Arguments read from the file are inserted into the argument list for
the command. Relative paths in the file are calculated from the directory
containing the file (not the current working directory). Comments, as in Java,
start with // and extend to the end of the line. Options specified in argument
files may override rather than extending existing option values, so avoid
specifying options like -classpath in argument files unlike the
argument file is the only build specification. The form @file is the same as
specifying -argfile file.

-outjar output.jar
Put output classes in zip file output.jar.

-outxml Generate aop.xml file for load-time weaving with default name.

-outxmlfile custom/aop.xml
Generate aop.xml file for load-time weaving with custom name.

-incremental
Run the compiler continuously. After the initial compilation, the compiler will
wait to recompile until it reads a newline from the standard input, and will
quit when it reads a 'q'. It will only recompile necessary components, so a
recompile should be much faster than doing a second compile. This requires
-sourceroots.

-sourceroots DirPaths
Find and build all .java or .aj source files under any directory listed in
DirPaths. DirPaths, like classpath, is a single argument containing a list of
paths to directories, delimited by the platform- specific classpath delimiter.
Required by -incremental.

-crossrefs
Generate a build .ajsym file into the output directory. Used for viewing
crosscutting references by tools like the AspectJ Browser.

-emacssym Generate .ajesym symbol files for emacs support (deprecated).

-Xlint Same as -Xlint:warning (enabled by default)

-Xlint:{level}
Set default level for messages about potential programming mistakes in
crosscutting code. {level} may be ignore, warning, or error. This overrides
entries in org/aspectj/weaver/XlintDefault.properties from aspectjtools.jar, but
does not override levels set using the -Xlintfile option.

-Xlintfile PropertyFile
Specify properties file to set levels for specific crosscutting messages.
PropertyFile is a path to a Java .properties file that takes the same property
names and values as org/aspectj/weaver/XlintDefault.properties from
aspectjtools.jar, which it also overrides.

-help Emit information on compiler options and usage

-version Emit the version of the AspectJ compiler

-classpath Path
Specify where to find user class files. Path is a single argument containing a
list of paths to zip files or directories, delimited by the platform-specific
path delimiter.

-bootclasspath Path
Override location of VM's bootclasspath for purposes of evaluating types when
compiling. Path is a single argument containing a list of paths to zip files or
directories, delimited by the platform-specific path delimiter.

-extdirs Path
Override location of VM's extension directories for purposes of evaluating types
when compiling. Path is a single argument containing a list of paths to
directories, delimited by the platform-specific path delimiter.

-d Directory
Specify where to place generated .class files. If not specified, Directory
defaults to the current working dir.

-target [1.1 to 1.5]
Specify classfile target setting (1.1 to 1.5, default is 1.2)

-1.3 Set compliance level to 1.3 This implies -source 1.3 and -target 1.1.

-1.4 Set compliance level to 1.4 (default) This implies -source 1.4 and -target 1.2.

-1.5 Set compliance level to 1.5. This implies -source 1.5 and -target 1.5.

-source [1.3|1.4|1.5]
Toggle assertions (1.3, 1.4, or 1.5 - default is 1.4). When using -source 1.3,
an assert() statement valid under Java 1.4 will result in a compiler error.
When using -source 1.4, treat assert as a keyword and implement assertions
according to the 1.4 language spec. When using -source 1.5, Java 5 language
features are permitted.

-nowarn Emit no warnings (equivalent to '-warn:none') This does not suppress messages
generated by declare warning or Xlint.

-warn: items
Emit warnings for any instances of the comma-delimited list of questionable code
(eg '-warn:unusedLocals,deprecation'):

constructorName method with constructor name
packageDefaultMethod attempt to override package-default method
deprecation usage of deprecated type or member
maskedCatchBlocks hidden catch block
unusedLocals local variable never read
unusedArguments method argument never read
unusedImports import statement not used by code in file
none suppress all compiler warnings

-warn:none does not suppress messages generated by declare warning or Xlint.

-deprecation
Same as -warn:deprecation

-noImportError
Emit no errors for unresolved imports

-proceedOnError
Keep compiling after error, dumping class files with problem methods

-g:[lines,vars,source]
debug attributes level, that may take three forms:

-g all debug info ('-g:lines,vars,source')
-g:none no debug info
-g:{items} debug info for any/all of [lines, vars, source], e.g.,
-g:lines,source

-preserveAllLocals
Preserve all local variables during code generation (to facilitate debugging).

-referenceInfo
Compute reference information.

-encoding format
Specify default source encoding format. Specify custom encoding on a per file
basis by suffixing each input source file/folder name with '[encoding]'.

-verbose Emit messages about accessed/processed compilation units

-showWeaveInfo
Emit messages about weaving

-log file Specify a log file for compiler messages.

-progress Show progress (requires -log mode).

-time Display speed information.

-noExit Do not call System.exit(n) at end of compilation (n=0 if no error)

-repeat N Repeat compilation process N times (typically to do performance analysis).

-XterminateAfterCompilation
Causes compiler to terminate before weaving

-XaddSerialVersionUID
Causes the compiler to calculate and add the SerialVersionUID field to any type
implementing Serializable that is affected by an aspect. The field is
calculated based on the class before weaving has taken place.

-Xreweavable[:compress]
(Experimental - deprecated as now default) Runs weaver in reweavable mode which
causes it to create woven classes that can be rewoven, subject to the
restriction that on attempting a reweave all the types that advised the woven
type must be accessible.

-XnoInline
(Experimental) do not inline around advice

-XincrementalFile file
(Experimental) This works like incremental mode, but using a file rather than
standard input to control the compiler. It will recompile each time file is
changed and and halt when file is deleted.

-XserializableAspects
(Experimental) Normally it is an error to declare aspects Serializable. This
option removes that restriction.

-XnotReweavable
(Experimental) Create class files that can't be subsequently rewoven by AspectJ.

-Xajruntimelevel:1.2, ajruntimelevel:1.5
(Experimental) Allows code to be generated that targets a 1.2 or a 1.5 level
AspectJ runtime (default 1.5)

File names
ajc accepts source files with either the .java extension or the .aj extension. We
normally use .java for all of our files in an AspectJ system -- files that contain aspects
as well as files that contain classes. However, if you have a need to mechanically
distinguish files that use AspectJ's additional functionality from those that are pure
Java we recommend using the .aj extension for those files.

We'd like to discourage other means of mechanical distinction such as naming conventions
or sub-packages in favor of the .aj extension.

· Filename conventions are hard to enforce and lead to awkward names for your aspects.
Instead of TracingAspect.java we recommend using Tracing.aj (or just Tracing.java)
instead.

· Sub-packages move aspects out of their natural place in a system and can create an
artificial need for privileged aspects. Instead of adding a sub-package like
aspects we recommend using the .aj extension and including these files in your
existing packages instead.

Compatibility
AspectJ is a compatible extension to the Java programming language. The AspectJ compiler
adheres to the The Java Language Specfication, Second Edition (BOOK)
http://java.sun.com/docs/books/jls/index.html and to the The Java Virtual Machine
Specification, Second Edition (BOOK) http://java.sun.com/docs/books/vmspec/index.html and
runs on any Java 2 compatible platform. The code it generates runs on any Java 1.1 or
later compatible platform. For more information on compatibility with Java and with
previous releases of AspectJ, see "" >.

Examples
A simple example

Compile two files:

ajc HelloWorld.java Trace.java

An example using -argfile/@

To avoid specifying file names on the command line, list source files in a line-delimited
text argfile. Source file paths may be absolute or relative to the argfile, and may
include other argfiles by @-reference. The following file sources.lst contains
absolute and relative files and @-references:

Gui.java
/home/user/src/Library.java
data/Repository.java
data/Access.java
@../../common/common.lst
@/home/user/src/lib.lst
view/body/ArrayView.java

Compile the files using either the -argfile or @ form:

ajc -argfile sources.lst
ajc @sources.lst

Argfiles are also supported by jikes and javac, so you can use the files in hybrid builds.
However, the support varies:

· Only ajc accepts command-line options

· Jikes and Javac do not accept internal @argfile references.

· Jikes and Javac only accept the @file form on the command line.

An example using -inpath and -aspectpath

Bytecode weaving using -inpath: AspectJ 1.2 supports weaving .class files in input zip/jar
files and directories. Using input jars is like compiling the corresponding source files,
and all binaries are emitted to output. Although Java-compliant compilers may differ in
their output, ajc should take as input any class files produced by javac, jikes, eclipse,
and, of course, ajc. Aspects included in -inpath will be woven into like other .class
files, and they will affect other types as usual.

Aspect libraries using -aspectpath: AspectJ 1.1 supports weaving from read-only libraries
containing aspects. Like input jars, they affect all input; unlike input jars, they
themselves are not affected or emitted as output. Sources compiled with aspect libraries
must be run with the same aspect libraries on their classpath.

The following example builds the tracing example in a command-line environment; it creates
a read-only aspect library, compiles some classes for use as input bytecode, and compiles
the classes and other sources with the aspect library.

The tracing example is in the AspectJ distribution ({aspectj}/doc/examples/tracing). This
uses the following files:

aspectj1.1/
bin/
ajc
lib/
aspectjrt.jar
examples/
tracing/
Circle.java
ExampleMain.java
lib/
AbstractTrace.java
TraceMyClasses.java
notrace.lst
Square.java
tracelib.lst
tracev3.lst
TwoDShape.java
version3/
Trace.java
TraceMyClasses.java

Below, the path separator is taken as ";", but file separators are "/". All commands are
on one line. Adjust paths and commands to your environment as needed.

Setup the path, classpath, and current directory:

cd examples
export ajrt=../lib/aspectjrt.jar
export CLASSPATH="$ajrt"
export PATH="../bin:$PATH"

Build a read-only tracing library:

ajc -argfile tracing/tracelib.lst -outjar tracelib.jar

Build the application with tracing in one step:

ajc -aspectpath tracelib.jar -argfile tracing/notrace.lst -outjar tracedapp.jar

Run the application with tracing:

java -classpath "$ajrt;tracedapp.jar;tracelib.jar" tracing.ExampleMain

Build the application with tracing from binaries in two steps:

· (a) Build the application classes (using javac for demonstration's sake):

mkdir classes
javac -d classes tracing/*.java
jar cfM app.jar -C classes .

· (b) Build the application with tracing:

ajc -inpath app.jar -aspectpath tracelib.jar -outjar tracedapp.jar

Run the application with tracing (same as above):

java -classpath "$ajrt;tracedapp.jar;tracelib.jar" tracing.ExampleMain

Run the application without tracing:

java -classpath "app.jar" tracing.ExampleMain

The AspectJ compiler API
The AspectJ compiler is implemented completely in Java and can be called as a Java class.
The only interface that should be considered public are the public methods in
org.aspectj.tools.ajc.Main. E.g., main(String[] args) takes the the standard ajc command
line arguments. This means that an alternative way to run the compiler is

java org.aspectj.tools.ajc.Main [option...] [file...]

To access compiler messages programmatically, use the methods setHolder(IMessageHolder
holder) and/or run(String[] args, IMessageHolder holder). ajc reports each message to the
holder using IMessageHolder.handleMessage(..). If you just want to collect the messages,
use MessageHandler as your IMessageHolder. For example, compile and run the
following with aspectjtools.jar on the classpath:

import org.aspectj.bridge.*;
import org.aspectj.tools.ajc.Main;
import java.util.Arrays;

public class WrapAjc {
public static void main(String[] args) {
Main compiler = new Main();
MessageHandler m = new MessageHandler();
compiler.run(args, m);
IMessage[] ms = m.getMessages(null, true);
System.out.println("messages: " + Arrays.asList(ms));
}
}

Stack Traces and the SourceFile attribute
Unlike traditional java compilers, the AspectJ compiler may in certain cases generate
classfiles from multiple source files. Unfortunately, the original Java class file format
does not support multiple SourceFile attributes. In order to make sure all source file
information is available, the AspectJ compiler may in some cases encode multiple filenames
in the SourceFile attribute. When the Java VM generates stack traces, it uses this
attribute to specify the source file.

(The AspectJ 1.0 compiler also supports the .class file extensions of JSR-45. These
permit compliant debuggers (such as jdb in Java 1.4.1) to identify the right file and line
even given many source files for a single class. JSR-45 support is planned for ajc in
AspectJ 1.1, but is not in the initial release. To get fully debuggable .class files, use
the -XnoInline option.)

Probably the only time you may see this format is when you view stack traces, where you
may encounter traces of the format

java.lang.NullPointerException
at Main.new$constructor_call37(Main.java;SynchAspect.java[1k]:1030)

where instead of the usual

File:LineNumber

format, you see

File0;File1[Number1];File2[Number2] ... :LineNumber

In this case, LineNumber is the usual offset in lines plus the "start line" of the actual
source file. That means you use LineNumber both to identify the source file and to find
the line at issue. The number in [brackets] after each file tells you the virtual "start
line" for that file (the first file has a start of 0).

In our example from the null pointer exception trace, the virtual start line is 1030.
Since the file SynchAspect.java "starts" at line 1000 [1k], the LineNumber points to line
30 of SynchAspect.java.

So, when faced with such stack traces, the way to find the actual source location is to
look through the list of "start line" numbers to find the one just under the shown line
number. That is the file where the source location can actually be found. Then, subtract
that "start line" from the shown line number to find the actual line number within that
file.

In a class file that comes from only a single source file, the AspectJ compiler generates
SourceFile attributes consistent with traditional Java compilers.

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