Compiles "Packs" in .jar Format to load dynamically on a JVM.
The Pack Compiler is a Gradle Plugin. It aims to create a .jar file and automate part of the workflow when working with such a Pack System, and hence, creates a number of different tasks. It creates these tasks for each buildVariant (e. g. "debug" and "release" by default). In the enumeration below, only "debug" tasks will be listed, but release variants are available.
In summary, this PackCompiler uses another Gradle Plugin as dependency: the official 'com.android.dynamic-feature' Plugin. This allows to treat the pack as its own module, and handles dependencies, compilation etc. Each Task depends on the previous one.
extractPackDexDebug- The PackCompiler extracts the .dex file(s) from the generated dynamic-feature APK file (This task depends onassembleDebugto make sure the APK is compiled correctly)bundlePackDebug- It bundles the extracted .dex file(s) into a .jar file with Manifest values.signPackDebug- It signs the generated Jar file appropriately (This task is usually only used with thereleasebuildVariant, since debug builds usually don't enforce Signature checks)adbPushPackDebug- It allows pushing the Pack (.jar file) directly to your phone via ADB. (It uses a Json Config file to allow for more complex configuration and control over storage location and multiple devices)
Examples and Projects that use this Plugin are:
- SnipTools
- Instaprefs (Private Project)
It generally is recommended to use these tasks not directly, but build a more full Automation layer on top of it. An
example of this can be seen in SnipTools, where it uses adbPushPackDebug as a dependency for a task that combines
multiple steps:
- Generate and push the Pack (
adbPushPackDebug) - Activate the Pack and update the Preferences to load the correct Pack immediately
- Force closes the target App (It hooks the Target app, so to apply changes, it needs to be fully restarted)
- Re-open the target App
This Script can be found in SnipTools/packimpl/build.gradle