Activate different Maven profiles depending on current module?

Question

We have a multi module build with modules using different technologies, like Java and Flex. Is it somehow possible to activate different profiles based on the module that is compiled currently?

I tried it with an activation like

<profile>
  <id>flex</id>
  <activation>
    <file>
      <exists>${basedir}/src/main/flex</exists>
    </file>
  </activation>
  ...
</profile

But it didn't work, although the use of ${basedir} is documented in the Maven documentation (this is a bug in Maven). Is there a different possibility to have different activations based on the current module? Or does Maven only allow to activate a profile for all modules or not at all?

Answer 1

You can set a property in each module that you want to use the profile, and then use "property" activation in your profiles.

Answer 2

After some more research I finally came to the conclusion that this is not possible for two reasons in the current Maven version (2.1.0):

• Maven profiles are not inherited, so you can't define a profile in a parent POM and activate that in a child POM.
• I haven't found a possibility to activate a profile from a POM itself. The activation does not work with ${basedir} and the property activation response only to system settings, which are globally specified through the -D option.

Answer 3

With regard to file-based activation, you can try removing ${basedir}. We use it like this:

<activation>
   <file>
      <missing>target/jboss/conf/jboss-service.xml</missing>
   </file>
</activation>

Answer 4

In 2.2.1, profiles are inherited but the ${basedir} issue is still there. I'm in the same boat - I need to activate a profile based on the existence of a file in a given project. My child builds run individually just fine (inherited profile activated by local file existance), but if I run the build from the top parent, they fail because the file isn't found.