xterna/protobuf-java-artifact

Protocol Buffers template ready for creating Java protobuf artifacts.

Java Protobuf Artifact

Protocol Buffers template ready for creating Java protobuf artifacts.

Ideal for creating Java artifacts which can be distributed as a Maven artifact or segregated for re-use.

Useful Links

• Protocol Buffers documentation: https://developers.google.com/protocol-buffers
• Maven build tool: https://maven.apache.org/download.cgi

How to use

Design how you want your information for serialization to be structured in a .proto file and use Maven build tool to construct and build the .proto file into a Java artifact.

1. Designing your .proto file

There is the template .proto file located under src/main/proto. Here you can create one or many .proto files. The end result will bundle all the .proto files into one Java artifact when built.

Be sure to modify the java_package and java_outter_classname to the desired package and outter class name.

syntax = "proto3";

package proto;

option java_package = "com.protobuf";
option java_outer_classname = "ProtobufTemplate";
option java_generic_services = false;
option java_multiple_files = false;

Documentation and more on designing of the .proto file can be found in the useful link section.

2. Changes to make before building with Maven

Make the following changes to specify your artifact properties by changing the defaults.

<groupId>com.protobuf</groupId>
<artifactId>protobuf-template</artifactId>
<version>0.0.1-SNAPSHOT</version>

<name>Protobuf Template</name>

Also change the name of the artifact binary name under <properties> section.

<properties>
    <artifact.name>protobuf-template</artifact.name>
</properties>

3. Compiling .proto file

Run mvn compile goal to see if your .proto file will compile successfully without error. If successful you will get a .jar file under the ${project.build.directory}\target.

Incorrect syntax or errors in the .proto file can be identified when invoking mvn compile on the command line.

[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Building Protobuf Template 0.0.1-SNAPSHOT
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO]
[INFO] --- protobuf-maven-plugin:0.5.0:compile (default) @ protobuf-template ---
[INFO] Compiling 1 proto file(s) to C:\Workspace\protobuf-template\target\generated-sources\protobuf\java
[ERROR] PROTOC FAILED: ProtobufTemplate.proto:13:13: Expected field name.

[ERROR] C:\Workspace\protobuf-template\src\main\proto\ProtobufTemplate.proto [0:0]: 
        ProtobufTemplate.proto:13:13: Expected field name.

[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] BUILD FAILURE
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------

4. Producing the Java artifact

Once the .proto file compiles without any errors then it can be installed locally, pushed onto remote hosting server or included in your project classpath if your project does not use Maven via the following mvn goals:

• mvn package - Produces the .jar file under ${project.build.directory}\target.
• mvn install - Installs to local .m2 folder on your system.
• mvn deploy - Push to remote Maven hosting server. Note: need to be defined in pom.xml.

Finally include the Maven artifact into your project's dependencies of your pom.xml