Gradle: create .jar from .class files and include it in EAR_dir/lib when EAR is built - gradle

Question

You'd think this'd be easy enough. Gradle/Maven were designed specifically to get rid of build nightmares. And yet... I have scoured the web, including SO. I would prefer to be using Maven but alas this is not in my control.
My master build.gradle file looks like this:
buildscript {
repositories {
maven { url "https://aaa.com/xxxx/aaa-mvn" }
}
dependencies {
{redacted}
classpath "com.aaa.plugin.gradle:module-plugin:1.+"
classpath "org.jfrog.buildinfo:build-info-extractor-gradle:4.4.4"
}
}
apply plugin: 'maven-publish'
apply plugin: {redacted}
apply plugin: {redacted}
apply plugin: 'build-defaults'
apply plugin: 'module-plugin'
apply plugin: 'war'
description = 'xxxxxx'
defaultTasks 'build','install'
dependencies {
jbossModule(group: 'com.aaa.bbbb', name: 'inf-jdbc', version: '3.0.2')
}
artifactory {
publish {
repoKey=version.endsWith("SNAPSHOT") ? 'aaa-mvn-dist-snapshots' : 'aaa-mvn-dist'
defaults {
publications('mavenJava')
}
}
}
publishing {
publications {
mavenJava(MavenPublication) {
artifact project(':xxxEAR').ear
}
}
}
repositories {
maven { url "https://xxxx.aaa.com/artifactory/aaa-mvn" }
}
This is gradle.build for my .war. I have a .war inside an .ear.
description = 'Pricing'
buildscript {
repositories {
maven { url "https://xxx.aaa.com/artifactory/aaa-mvn" }
}
dependencies {
classpath "com.aaa.plugin.gradle:ucd-publish-plugin:1.+"
classpath "com.aaa.plugin.gradle:build-defaults-plugin:1.+"
classpath {redacted}
classpath {redacted}
}
}
apply plugin: 'java'
apply plugin: 'war'
apply plugin: 'jacoco'
apply plugin: {redacted}
apply plugin: 'ucd-publish'
apply plugin: 'build-defaults'
apply plugin: {redacted}
apply plugin: 'maven'
apply plugin: 'maven-publish'
repositories {
maven { url "https://xxxx.aaa.com/artifactory/aaa-mvn" }
}
war {
archiveName 'xxxx.war'
}
dependencies {
compile {redacted}
compileOnly group: 'javax', name: 'javaee-api', version:'7.0'
testCompile "junit:junit:4.12"
compile 'io.swagger:swagger-annotations:1.5.10'
compile(group: 'com.aaa.inf', name: 'inf-jdbc', version: '3.0.2', classifier: 'sources')
compile(group: 'com.aaa.inf', name: 'inf-throttle', version: '3.0.1')
compile(group: 'com.ibm.db2', name: 'db2jcc', version: '3.64.133')
compile {redacted}
}
jacocoTestCoverageVerification {
violationRules {
rule {
limit {
minimum = 0.0
}
}
}
}
The build.gradle file for my .ear is:
description = 'xxxxx'
buildscript {
repositories {
maven { url "https://xxxx.aaa.com/artifactory/aaa-mvn" }
}
dependencies {
classpath "org.jfrog.buildinfo:build-info-extractor-gradle:4.4.5"
classpath "com.aaa.plugin.gradle:build-defaults-plugin:1.+"
classpath "com.aaa.plugin.gradle:ucd-publish-plugin:1.+"
classpath "com.aaa.plugin.gradle:openapi-generator-gradle-plugin:1.+"
}
}
apply plugin: 'ear'
apply plugin: 'maven'
apply from: 'build.local-jboss.gradle'
apply plugin: 'maven-publish'
apply plugin: {redacted}
apply plugin: 'ucd-publish'
apply plugin: 'build-defaults'
apply plugin: {redacted}
configurations{
gen
}
dependencies {
deploy project (path: ":pricingWAR", configuration: 'archives')
earlib 'com.aaa.inf:inf-api-auth:1.4.+'
earlib {redacted}
earlib group: 'javax.security.enterprise', name: 'javax.security.enterprise-api', version: '1.0'
earlib (group: {redacted}) {
exclude group: 'javax.security.dddddd'
}
gen "io.swagger:swagger-codegen:2.2.2"
}
artifacts{
archives ear
}
repositories {
maven {
url "https://xxxx.aaa.com/artifactory/aaa-mvn"
}
}
task cleanVolumes(type: Delete) {
delete fileTree(dir: "./volumes/deployments/")
}
task copyEar(type: Copy) {
tasks.cleanVolumes.execute()
from "build/libs"
into "${project.projectDir}/volumes/deployments"
fileMode = 0644
}
build.finalizedBy(generateSwagger)
swaggerConfig {
archive = ear.archivePath
outputFormat = "JSON"
outputPath = project.buildDir.toString() + "/swagger"
}
Just looking to do this: .jar up the .class files compiled in my business classes and add them to EAR_file\lib.
I've gone so far as to try to use Gradle's native Groovy nature to write code that builds the .jar and moves it into EAR_file\lib. This of course is ridiculous. And worse still, it does not quite work. Paired with auto-deploy there are timing issues.
Some of you no doubt are wincing.
To save me from such insanity, please let me know what you know about this. I have of course tried various permutations of:
apply plugin: 'java'
...
jar {
...
}
to no avail.
Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

Finally have it working after helpful input from coworkers. For others' benefit here is the whole thing it ended up as:
In build.gradle in the EAR project level:
// My project is named: xxx-svc and the .war subproject is named pricing-theAPI
dependencies {
deploy project (path: ":xxx-theAPI", configuration: 'archives') // This was here already
earlib project(path: ":xxx-theAPI", configuration: 'customJar') // This is new
}
In build.gradle in the WAR project level:
configurations {
customJar
}
task doJar(dependsOn:classes, type: Jar){
from sourceSets.main.output
include 'com/xyz/xxxxx/yyyyyy/zzzz/**' // See Note 1
}
artifacts {
customJar doJar
}
Note 1: I added this modifier b/c in my case I needed only the .class files at the given location in the .jar and in fact had to exclude all others. Note the Gradle docs have the modifier "include" misidentified. They call it "includes" but in fact it is "include".