During the past weeks we've been going back and forth about a way to make <macrodef> even more powerful and easier to grasp at the same time.
The implementation in 1.6betas so far has performed textual replacements for the attributes you have defined using the same syntax that Ant uses for property expansions - although they are no properties. There seem to be two solutions to this, really use properties or use a different syntax.
We haven't reached a decision yet, but it will almost certainly require a third beta, incompatible with the first two, before we can go to the final release.
Also on the table is local scoping for (special) properties as they are required if you want to replace certain <antcall> use-cases with <macrodef>. For example
<target name="check-and-fail">
<available classname="${class}" property="it-is-there"/>
<fail unless="it-is-there">Couldn't find ${class}</fail>
</target>
...
<antcall target="check-and-fail">
<param name="class" value="org.example.Foo"/>
</antcall>
<antcall target="check-and-fail">
<param name="class" value="org.example.Bar"/>
</antcall>
cannot be replaced with
<macrodef name="check-and-fail">
<attribute name="class"/>
<sequential>
<available classname="${class}" property="it-is-there"/>
<fail unless="it-is-there">Couldn't find ${class}</fail>
</sequential>
</macrodef>
<check-and-fail class="org.example.Foo"/>
<check-and-fail class="org.example.Bar"/>
as the first invocation could set the property and there is no way to change its value or reset it later. Each <antcall> in turn runs in an isolated context and cannot see the properties set by previous invocations.
path: /en/Apache/Ant | #
It has become a tradition for OpenBSD to create a song for each new release and include it as sound track on their CDs. Lyrics and MP3s are available online as well.
The song for 3.4, released about two weeks, ago covers OpenBSD's problems with DARPA from last year. And it features Theo de Raadt (founder of OpenBSD) as a background singer for the first time AFAIK.
I talk about sweets and Sankt Martin tradition in Germany and completely forget the most important part of it - no, not the fire, Weckmännchen.
Weckmännchen - that's what they are called in my part of Germany, they may have different names in other parts, I've heard Stutenmann at least once - are men (well gender has to be guessed) made of bread and may be covered by sugar or almonds. Very tasty, in particular with a nice thick layer of chocolate cream on top of it.
Here is a recipe and a nice picture for one. The pipe is definitively not optional.
path: /en/Germany/culture | #