How do I have two source directories within one module?

Adding an extra source directories is possible in case you need to create a separate output JARs (besides the module itself), generally with its own special classpath.

In your module’s project.xml, add a declaration of the source root just before </data>:

<extra-compilation-unit>
    <package-root>othersrc</package-root>
    <classpath>...anything it might need to compile against...</classpath>
    <built-to>build/otherclasses</built-to>
    <built-to>${cluster}/modules/ext/other.jar</built-to>
</extra-compilation-unit>

This declaration has no effect on the build, but lets you work with the sources in the IDE’s code editor.

You will separately need to add a target to your build.xml to compile and package these sources however you like. (You can name your target netbeans-extra and it will get run automatically toward the end of the module’s build cycle.) If you define properties like a special classpath in project.properties, you can use the values in both build.xml and project.xml to minimize duplication.

You can also create a plain Java SE project in a subdirectory of your module and bundle its JAR. DevFaqWrapperModules describes a related technique.

Read the harness/README file under your Netbeans installation directory for information about issues like this one. The build harness has many capabilities not exposed through the GUI.

Applies to: NetBeans IDE 6.x Platforms: All

Apache NetBeans 23

How do I have two source directories within one module?