I would like to invite you to read the article „Adding an external library into a project, why use a build tool like Maven?” that I wrote for Bulldogjob – The Space for IT People. Check how to automate the process of adding an external library with several clicks.
In this article, I will describe how to add an external library to a project. First I will start with the most common way, adding an external library manually, but unfortunately, this method is not the best one. Then I will move to build automation tool Maven, this method is the preferred one for automatically adding external libraries into a project. All presented in my favorite IDE which is IntelliJ IDEA.
Link to the entire article: https://bulldogjob.pl/news/1861-adding-an-external-library-into-a-project-why-use-a-build-tool-like-maven
The below table shows a comparison of adding external libraries, manual work vs automated with Maven.
| Lp. | Manual work | Automated with Maven |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Create Java project | Create Maven project |
| 1. a) | Create folder e.g.: lib | N/A |
| 2. | Find a library in the Maven Repository | Find a library in the Maven Repository |
| 3. | Download JAR file | Add Maven <dependency> |
| 3. a) | Place JAR file in the lib folder | N/A |
| 3. b) | Add library to the project | N/A |
| 4. | Start using the external library | Build Maven project to start using the external library |
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