There are still many Java libraries are not supported Maven, and may be you created a custom library which is required to include it into Maven local repository. Fortunately, Maven comes with command to let you include your “non-maven-support” library into Maven local repository easily.

Case study

For example, “kaptcha” is a third party library which is used to generate “captcha” image, but it did not support Maven. Here’s a guide to show how to install the “kaptcha” jar into your Maven’s local repository.

1. Install “non-maven-support” library

Download the “kaptcha” jar file and put it into c drive, and issue the following command.

mvn install:install-file -Dfile=c:\kaptcha-2.3.jar -DgroupId=com.google.code 
-DartifactId=kaptcha -Dversion=2.3 -Dpackaging=jar

Result

D:\>mvn install:install-file -Dfile=c:\kaptcha-2.3.jar -DgroupId=com.google.code 
-DartifactId=kaptcha -Dversion=2.3 -Dpackaging=jar
[INFO] Scanning for projects...
[INFO] Searching repository for plugin with prefix: 'install'.
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Building Maven Default Project
[INFO]    task-segment: [install:install-file] (aggregator-style)
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] [install:install-file]
[INFO] Installing c:\kaptcha-2.3.jar to 
D:\maven_repo\com\google\code\kaptcha\2.3\kaptcha-2.3.jar
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] BUILD SUCCESSFUL
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------
[INFO] Total time: < 1 second
[INFO] Finished at: Tue May 12 13:41:42 SGT 2009
[INFO] Final Memory: 3M/6M
[INFO] ------------------------------------------------------------------------

In will include the “kaptcha” jar library into your Maven local repository.

2. Modify pom.xml file

After installed, you can add the custom library details into the “pom.xml” file.

<dependency>
      <groupId>com.google.code</groupId>
      <artifactId>kaptcha</artifactId>
      <version>2.3</version>
</dependency>

3. Done

Build it, now the “kaptcha” jar is retrieve from your Maven local repository.

Reference

  1. Maven install file documentation
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