Ant vs default builder (confused newbie)

Hello Vagif,

The information on libraries and dependencies is stored in .iml and .ipr
files. There is no reference for the internal storage format, and I don't
quite understand why someone would need one.

The "Build | Build Jars" action allows you to build jar files. You can create
a .jar file out of each module in the project, and you can specify what exactly
is included in the jar for each module.

Hey, I am just getting started with Ant and just want some
clarification on Ant vs whatever Intellij is using to magically import
all my libraries etc. I am assuming intellij manages a projects
dependencies and compilation configs in either the .iml, .ipr, or the
.iws files. If so, which one and is there a specification or reference
as to the format that it uses. Also, which format do you guys prefer
for building projects? I think I like Ant more since its widely
adopted and I can clearly see the options I have.

Also, assuming I dont want to make a .build Ant file for whatever
reason, how do I tell Intellij to generate a jar file and what options
do I have for generating multiple jars from one project.

--
Dmitry Jemerov
Development Lead
JetBrains, Inc.
http://www.jetbrains.com/
"Develop with Pleasure!"