[GROOVY-3226] org.codehaus.groovy.tools.LoaderConfiguration fails to implement glob in expected fashion

• Type: Bug
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Critical
• Resolution: Fixed
• Affects Version/s: 1.5.7, 1.6-beta-2, 1.7-beta-1
• Fix Version/s: 1.6-rc-1, 1.5.8, 1.7-beta-1
• Environment: Windows, Ubuntu, Groovy, Java
• Assignee: Jochen Theodorou
• Reporter: Dr. Russel Winder
• Created: 20/Dec/08 01:12
• Updated: 05/Jan/09 14:04
• Resolved: 21/Dec/08 15:29

Description

During startup, if the starter configuration file has a line:

load !{ant.home}/lib/*.jar

then all the jars in the directory

{ant.home}/lib are added to the classpath of the root loader. However a line such as:

load !{ant.home}

/lib/ant*.jar

results in no jars being added to the root loader classpath.

The "globbing" implemented in org.codehaus.groovy.tools.LoaderConfiguration is violating the Rule of Least Surprise – in particular * is only being expanded if it is the first character of a path component. Either proper globbing shold be implemented or a switch to using regular expressions should be made.

Globbing is clearly easier here for the user, but Java does not have a standard globbing sub-system, it only has support for regular expressions. Obvious directions:

1. Extract the code from Ant that does the path globbing and just use it or a variation of it.
2. Transform the glob expression into a regular expression and then use regular expressions in the Java code.
3. Extend the current code to implement globbin so that it works in a more expected way.

Given the string manipulation support in Java, 2 may be the best way forward.