Adding Android library project to Eclipse build path?

Question

I have a multi module Android Maven project which consists of several projects and an Android library project (baselib) where I run non Android based JUnit tests.

This works as long as I run the test by Maven. When I run the baselib JUnit tests by Eclipse with Run->As JUnit test, I don't get the current version. That means that changes in the JUnit test have no effect until I make a Maven build.

I thought about adding the bin folder to the Eclipse build path, but I get an error message in Eclipse:

Cannot nest output folder ...baselib-TRUNK/bin/classes inside ...baselib-TRUNK/bin

That's somehow clear. So I thought about adding the jar itself to the build path. I added it once as external jar, then once as jar. But I still don't get the current version of the code although the timestamp of the jar has the current version if I modify and save some code. (Build Automatically is checked in Eclipse). Output folder is recognized by Eclipse's build path configuration as .../bin/classes which is set in pom.xml. I also tried to add /bin/test-classes to build path which contains the test class itself, but still no new version of the code.

Why does this not work to get the current version and how can I solve this?

Answer 1

Since the library projects are in the same workspace, we can reference the project directly. Open the preferences for your project and click on the "Android" section.

Now, you will see a window for referencing library projects.

Click the "Add..." button, select the projects you want, click "OK", and hit "Apply". Only projects that are marked as libraries can be selected and referenced in this manner. If your projects are not appearing, open their preferences and mark the "Is Library" box in this window of their preferences.

Your project will now reference these libraries, including any changes you make to them. This is better than using a jar if your libraries will be subject to change. Otherwise, you would have to remove and re-add the jar every time you make a change.