# API Lint Gradle Plugin
Tracks the API of an Android library and helps maintain backward compatibility.
## Tasks
The apilint plugin provides the following tasks.
apiLintVariantName Checks that the current API is
backward compatible with the API specified in a file, by default located in
`//api.txt`. This task also checks for various lints as specified in
[apilint.py](apilint/src/main/resources/apilint.py).
apiUpdateFileVariantName Updates the API file from
the local state of the project
apiChangelogCheckVariantName Only if
`apiLint.changelogFileName` is set. Checks that the changelog file is updated
every time the api.txt file changes.
## Usage
##### build.gradle
```gradle
buildscript {
repositories {
maven {
url "https://plugins.gradle.org/m2/"
}
}
dependencies {
classpath 'org.mozilla.apilint:apilint:$apilintVersion'
}
}
apply plugin: 'org.mozilla.apilint'
apiLint.packageFilter = 'org.your.package.api'
```
Make sure that the `apply plugin` line appears after the `com.android.library`
plugin has been applied.
Then run
$ ./gradlew apiUpdateFileVariantNameThis will create an API file that contains a description of your library's API, by default this file will be called `api.txt`. After you make changes to your code, run:
$ ./gradlew apiLintVariantNameto check that the API of your library did not change. You can always run
apiUpdateFileVariantName to update the API file (e.g. when
adding new APIs).
### Dependencies
The apilint plugin adds the following dependencies.
| Task Name | Depends on |
| ---------------- |:------------------------------------------:|
| `check` | apiLintVariantName |
### Changelog
Optionally, `apilint` can track your API changelog file and fail the build if
the changelog file has not been updated after an API change. To enable this
feature, add the following:
##### build.gradle
```gradle
apiLint.changelogFileName = 'CHANGELOG.md'
```
And then add the following line somewhere in your changelog file:
##### CHANGELOG.md
```markdown
[api-version]: $ ./gradlew apiChangelogCheckVariantNameNow, whenever
./gradlew apiLintVariantName is invoked, it
will check that the changelog file version matches the generated api file
version.
### Configuration
The apilint plugin can be configured using the gradle extension `apiLint`.
Default values are as follows
##### build.gradle
```gradle
apiLint {
packageFilter = '.'
apiOutputFileName = 'api.txt'
currentApiRelativeFilePath = 'api.txt'
jsonResultFileName = 'apilint-result.json'
skipClassesRegex = []
changelogFileName = null
lintFilters = null
allowedPackages = null
deprecationAnnotation = null
libraryVersion = null
}
```
packageFilter Filters packages that make up the api. By
default all packages are included in the `api.txt` file.
apiOutputFileName Relative path to the `api.txt` file in
the source folder.
currentApiRelativeFilePath Relative path of the generated
`api.txt` file in the build folder.
jsonResultFileName Relative path to the JSON file name that
contains the result of apilint.
skipClassesRegex Ignore classes which full path matches
any regex contained in this array. E.g. `BuildConfig$` will match any class
named `BuildConfig`, `^org.mozilla` will match any class in the package
`org.mozilla`.
changelogFileName Relative path to the changelog file,
optional. See also [Changelog](#changelog).
lintFilters List of lints that fail the build, by default
all lints can fail the build. Filters will match any error code that starts
with the string specified, e.g. `GV` will match `GV1`, `GV2`, ...
allowedPackages List of packages that are allowed in the
API. If this list is set, apilint will check that every type mentioned in the
API belongs to any of the packages listed. Adding a package implicitly allows
all sub-packages too, so allowing package `a.b` will allow `a.b.c` too.
deprecationAnnotation Additional annotation that should be
present when a method is marked with `@Deprecated`. This annotation is expected
to have a `String id` and a `int version` parameter, like so:
```
public @interface DeprecationSchedule {
String id();
int version();
}
```
where `version` indicates when the deprecated method is expected to be removed.
libraryVersion Integer that represents the current library
version, used by `deprecationAnnotation` to determine if a deprecated member
should be removed.
## License
```
This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/
```
## Development
### Running tests
Run the test suite like:
```
./mach gradle -p mobile/android/gradle/plugins/apilint test
```