How to Add Jars to Maven 2 Build Classpath without Installing Them

Understanding the Challenges

Maven 2 can be frustrating during experimentation and quick prototyping. Creating pom.xml files and installing 3rd party libraries for each dependency is a tedious process. This article explores how to include jars located in a specific directory (/lib) in the build classpath without explicit installation.

Flawed Approaches

Various online solutions suggest installing the dependency to the local repository or specifying a "system" scope in the pom. However, both approaches have drawbacks:

Local Repository Installation: The dependency remains in the local repository, making it unavailable elsewhere.
System Scope: Jars are neither installed nor attached to target packages, resulting in unresolved dependencies in the distribution package.

The Static In-Project Repository Solution

By adding a repository to the pom.xml with a specific structure, Maven will search for jars within a directory in the project:

<repository>
    <id>repo</id>
    <releases>
        <enabled>true</enabled>
        <checksumPolicy>ignore</checksumPolicy>
    </releases>
    <snapshots>
        <enabled>false</enabled>
    </snapshots>
    <url>file://${project.basedir}/repo</url>
</repository>

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Using Maven to Install to Project Repo

Instead of manually creating the directory structure, use the following command to install jars as artifacts:

mvn install:install-file -DlocalRepositoryPath=repo -DcreateChecksum=true -Dpackaging=jar -Dfile=[your-jar] -DgroupId=[...] -DartifactId=[...] -Dversion=[...]

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Include Dependencies in Target Package

To ensure the target package includes all dependencies, use the Assembly or OneJar plugins. OneJar simplifies this process with its straightforward documentation.

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