Move a text file into target folder when compiling a Maven project
build-automation, maven, netbeans-7
Solution
A first way is to put the files into `src/main/resources` that is the folder devoted to store the complied resources, i.e. the resources included into the jar file (e.g. images for the icons).
If you need to make the config file to be distributed with the jar, but separated by it, you must edit the `pom.xml` file. A possible answer is the to add the following plugin between the `<plugins>` and `</plugins>` tags.
<plugin>
<groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
<artifactId>maven-antrun-plugin</artifactId>
<version>1.8</version>
<executions>
<execution>
<phase>test</phase>
<goals>
<goal>run</goal>
</goals>
<configuration>
<tasks>
<echo>Using env.test.properties</echo>
<copy file="textfile.txt" tofile="${basedir}/target/textfile.txt"/>
</tasks>
</configuration>
</execution>
</executions>
</plugin>
Moreover, as you can read here you can also import all the resources from an "input" directory to an "output" directory inside target by using the dedicated plugin, e.g.:
<plugin>
<artifactId>maven-resources-plugin</artifactId>
<version>3.0.1</version>
<executions>
<execution>
<id>copy-resources</id>
<!-- here the phase you need -->
<phase>validate</phase>
<goals>
<goal>copy-resources</goal>
</goals>
<configuration>
<outputDirectory>${basedir}/target/output</outputDirectory>
<resources>
<resource>
<directory>input</directory>
<filtering>true</filtering>
</resource>
</resources>
</configuration>
</execution>
</executions>
</plugin>
Problem
I have a slight different version of the question that I made recently. I have a Maven project under Netbeans 7.3, which doesn't have any `build.xml` file to configure building options, while there is the `pom.xml` that I use to import other libraries. Now, I have a text file (let's say `textfile.txt`) stored in the project folder in Netbeans 7.3, e.g. ``` project folder textfile.txt src package package.subpackage MyClass.java ``` When I compile I get a `target` folder where the jar file is put in, e.g. ``` project folder textfile.txt target classes generated-sources ....etc test-classes MyProject.jar src package package.subpackage MyClass.java ``` How can I make the file textfile.txt being copied under target folder when I compile the Maven project?