Features List

In brief

  • BuildDesk is aimed at automatically generating your application builds powered by Apache Ant
  • No need to repeat what you have already done in your IDE - BuildDesk reads directly from your IntelliJ IDEA or NetBeans project
  • Easy configuration of installation layout
  • Out-of-the-box easy bytecode obfuscation solution
  • Professional deployment of your application with native launcher and native installer
  • Intelligent analysis and highlighting of problems with your build

Tons of data is read right from your IDE project

No need to specify settings over and over again. Everything is read right from your IDE project: modules, libraries, dependencies, JDK configurations, precompile tasks, resource patterns, ignored files and many more

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Easy setup of installation layout

You just define how you want your application to look like when it is installed on your user's computer:

  • Directories and jars
  • Jars content
  • Which content to include depending on target O/S

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Compilation is done automatically

If your project compiles successfully in IntelliJ IDEA or NetBeans, BuildDesk will generate an ant script that compiles it as well.

Obfuscation setup is easy

BuildDesk comes bundled with the excellent Proguard obfuscator and generates all needed configuration to make it work for you.

  • Multiple Easy-To-Confgure “keep” options: by class, by interface, by name
  • Selection of jars to obfuscate
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Professional packaging

BuildDesk generates a number of tasks to make deployment of your application professional
  • Windows native launcher (ProductiveMe's proprietary technology)
  • Windows native installer (made by bundled NSIS)
  • Optionally bundle JRE with Windows application
  • Zipped Mac application
  • Zipped “generic” application
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Build flow customization

Even though BuildDesk provides all the essential parts of the build process there is a way to extend it by adding your own custom tasks.

Intelligent design-time error checking

Real-time error checking and highlighting for various potential build problems
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Run

Run your build directly from BuildDesk or from command line using Ant

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Functional and sleek user interface

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Build Targets (advanced feature)

Make several variants of a build with customizable properties. Typical examples are “Release” and “Integration” builds:

  • “Release” build performs obfuscation, doesn’t include test classes and optionally includes some files depending on target OS. For example, native libraries for Mac should not be included with Windows application.
  • “Integration” compiles test classes, does not do obfuscation and packaging.

You can add new targets and configure their properties.

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