A Java API to generate Java source files [closed]

Question

Sun provides an API called CodeModel for generating Java source files using an API. It's not the easiest thing to get information on, but it's there and it works extremely well.

The easiest way to get hold of it is as part of the JAXB 2 RI - the XJC schema-to-java generator uses CodeModel to generate its java source, and it's part of the XJC jars. You can use it just for the CodeModel.

Grab it from http://codemodel.java.net/

Solution found with CodeModel
Thanks, skaffman.

For example, with this code:

JCodeModel cm = new JCodeModel();
JDefinedClass dc = cm._class("foo.Bar");
JMethod m = dc.method(0, int.class, "foo");
m.body()._return(JExpr.lit(5));

File file = new File("./target/classes");
file.mkdirs();
cm.build(file);

I can get this output:

package foo;
public class Bar {
    int foo() {
        return  5;
    }
}

Solution found with Eclipse JDT's AST
Thanks, Giles.

For example, with this code:

AST ast = AST.newAST(AST.JLS3);
CompilationUnit cu = ast.newCompilationUnit();

PackageDeclaration p1 = ast.newPackageDeclaration();
p1.setName(ast.newSimpleName("foo"));
cu.setPackage(p1);

ImportDeclaration id = ast.newImportDeclaration();
id.setName(ast.newName(new String[] { "java", "util", "Set" }));
cu.imports().add(id);

TypeDeclaration td = ast.newTypeDeclaration();
td.setName(ast.newSimpleName("Foo"));
TypeParameter tp = ast.newTypeParameter();
tp.setName(ast.newSimpleName("X"));
td.typeParameters().add(tp);
cu.types().add(td);

MethodDeclaration md = ast.newMethodDeclaration();
td.bodyDeclarations().add(md);

Block block = ast.newBlock();
md.setBody(block);

MethodInvocation mi = ast.newMethodInvocation();
mi.setName(ast.newSimpleName("x"));

ExpressionStatement e = ast.newExpressionStatement(mi);
block.statements().add(e);

System.out.println(cu);

I can get this output:

package foo;
import java.util.Set;
class Foo<X> {
  void MISSING(){
    x();
  }
}

You can use Roaster (https://github.com/forge/roaster) to do code generation.

Here is an example:

JavaClassSource source = Roaster.create(JavaClassSource.class);
source.setName("MyClass").setPublic();
source.addMethod().setName("testMethod").setPrivate().setBody("return null;")
           .setReturnType(String.class).addAnnotation(MyAnnotation.class);
System.out.println(source);

will display the following output:

public class MyClass {
   private String testMethod() {
       return null;
   }
}

Another alternative is Eclipse JDT's AST which is good if you need to rewrite arbitrary Java source code rather than just generate source code. (and I believe it can be used independently from eclipse).

The Eclipse JET project can be used to do source generation. I don't think it's API is exactly like the one you described, but every time I've heard of a project doing Java source generation they've used JET or a homegrown tool.

Don't know of a library, but a generic template engine might be all you need. There are a bunch of them, I personally have had good experience with FreeMarker