How to clean a particular directory before each build starts in jenkins? - continuous-integration

Question

I am using jenkins with hudson cli through java. I want clean a particular directory before each build. Any idea ? I have provided the maven command clean package which clean target folder for each build. What i want is i want to clean some other directory before each build. How to do this ?
In jenkins i specified URL of maven project , Which ll download files to workspace when building. When i give clean package command, it clears target folder every time when building. There is another folder parallel to target folder. i want to clear that folder which is inside maven project.

Answer 1

If you are running version 1.433 or higher, use the Pre Steps / Post Steps in the project configuration section, located above and below the Build section, respectively.
Otherwise, install the M2 Extra Steps Plugin.
You can configure the maven-clean-plugin to handle the cleaning.
If you can't modify your pom.xml, as stated below, you can also use this plugin.

Answer 2

You can use the Workspace Cleanup Plugin to do exactly that.

Answer 3

You can add a JOB to clean the directory you want before each build. I have used ANT for this, no idea about MAVEN. This will not be machine dependent as well.

Answer 4

I'm not sure if I understand the question correctly, but if you are using repository to poll for changes and before each new build you do pull all files project from repo you could just use one of the options called: "Emulate clean checkout by first deleting..." This way all folders should be deleted before each build.
If that is not the case the most simple answer that comes into my mind is simply to write a CMD script which does simply DEL command on unwanted files/directories and run it as a pre step or post step as windows batch command.

Answer 5

In pom.xml add the profile tag like below
<profiles>
<profile>
<id>ci</id>
<activation>
<activeByDefault>false</activeByDefault>
</activation>
<build>
<plugins>
<plugin>
<artifactId>maven-clean-plugin</artifactId>
<version>2.5</version>
<executions>
<execution>
<id>default-clean</id>
<phase>pre-clean</phase>
<goals>
<goal>clean</goal>
</goals>
</execution>
</executions>
<configuration>
<filesets xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<fileset>
<directory>do_not_checkin/build</directory>
<includes>
<include>**/*</include>
</includes>
<followSymlinks>false</followSymlinks>
</fileset>
</filesets>
</configuration>
</plugin>
</plugins>
</build>
</profile>
</profiles>
While executing commad just execute the maven command mvn -Pci clean.
Which uses the maven clean plugin to clear a particular directory, before each build starts.
We can package like mvn -Pci clean package.
After cleaning the directory , package phase is executed.