The Caller plugin is an interface abstraction for goals. It defines several Well-Known Goal Interfaces (WKGI). This allows a plugin to call another plugin through this Caller plugin. The benefit is that it is then possible to rewire the implementation of a WKGI.

Here's a typical scenario. Imagine you wish to implement an aspectj plugin. This plugin will compile the Java sources using the Aspectj compiler. However, the project you wish to use the aspectj plugin on is a webapp and thus you will need call the war:war. Alas, the war:war goal has a hard-wired call to java:compile. What you would like is redirect this call to your aspectj:compile goal. The solution: the Caller plugin.

Here's what you would write. In the war plugin's plugin.jelly, you would replace the call to

by

Then, in your Aspectj plugin, you would call

Thus, when, as a user you will call the war:war goal, your aspectj:compile goal will be called.

For more information on the functionality provided by this plugin, please see the Goals document.

For more information on how to customise the functionality provided by this plugin, please see the properties document.