Question 1

How to integrate Checkstyle with Maven?

Accepted Answer

Add the Checkstyle Maven plugin to your pom.xml and configure it with a checkstyle.xml file. It runs during the verify phase, and you can customize rules via the configuration tag. See the README for links to documentation.

Question 2

Checkstyle vs PMD: which one should I use?

Accepted Answer

Checkstyle focuses on coding style and formatting, while PMD detects potential bugs and code smells. They are complementary; use Checkstyle for consistency and PMD for deeper quality issues, often together in builds.

Question 3

How to disable a specific Checkstyle rule?

Accepted Answer

In your checkstyle.xml, you can exclude modules or use properties to suppress rules. For instance, set the 'severity' property to 'ignore' for a module, or use filters to skip certain files or lines.

Question 4

Does Checkstyle work with Gradle?

Accepted Answer

Yes, use the Checkstyle plugin for Gradle by adding it to build.gradle and specifying a config file. It integrates similarly to Maven, running during the check task, with options for reports and customization.

Question 5

What are the most common Checkstyle errors?

Accepted Answer

Common errors include missing Javadoc comments, line length violations, import order issues, and whitespace problems. Starting with a preset like Google Java Style can highlight frequent deviations quickly.

Question 6

How to create a custom Checkstyle rule?

Accepted Answer

Develop a Java class extending Checkstyle's base classes, implement the check logic, and package it as a JAR. Then, reference it in your XML configuration via custom modules, though this requires Java programming knowledge.

Checkstyle

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