Symptoms:

• Error: 'java' is not recognized as an internal or external command...
• Anteater executable (ae.jar, anteater.jar) fails to start.

Solution:

1. Ensure Java is installed (minimum Java 8 or higher).
2. Verify your Java installation:

   java -version
   

   The output should display the Java version and runtime details.

3. If Java is not installed:
   • Download and install it from Java Official Website.
4. Check the JAVA_HOME environment variable:
   • Ensure it points to the Java installation directory.
   • Add Java's bin directory to the system's PATH.

Symptoms:

• Error: anteater.jar not found in <directory>.
• Plugin errors: Plugins folder not found.

Solution:

1. Ensure the Anteater jar file is downloaded and present in the correct directory.
   • File: anteater.jar or ae.jar must exist in the same directory as the script or executable.
2. Verify the plugins directory:
   • Ensure the directory exists and contains necessary plugins for your use case.
   • If absent, download or create a plugins folder as required.

Symptoms:

• Error: No plugin found for prefix 'ae'.
• Deployment or execution failure when using Maven commands.

Solution:

1. Ensure the Anteater Maven plugin is properly configured in your pom.xml file:

   <build>
     <plugins>
       <plugin>
         <groupId>com.ganteater</groupId>
         <artifactId>ae-maven-plugin</artifactId>
         <version>1.2.3</version>
       </plugin>
     </plugins>
   </build>
   

Got it! I’ve refined your content with better formatting and some additional clarification:

Option 1: Update Maven settings.xml

Configure your Maven settings.xml file to include the snapshot repository:

<settings xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/SETTINGS/1.0.0"
          xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
          xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/SETTINGS/1.0.0 https://maven.apache.org/xsd/settings-1.0.0.xsd">
    <profiles>
        <profile>
            <id>central-repositories</id>
            <activation>
                <activeByDefault>true</activeByDefault>
            </activation>
            <repositories>
                <repository>
                    <id>central-snapshots</id>
                    <url>https://central.sonatype.com/repository/maven-snapshots</url>
                    <releases><enabled>false</enabled></releases>
                    <snapshots><enabled>true</enabled></snapshots>
                </repository>
                <repository>
                    <id>central</id>
                    <url>https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/</url>
                    <releases><enabled>true</enabled></releases>
                    <snapshots><enabled>false</enabled></snapshots>
                </repository>
            </repositories>
        </profile>
    </profiles>
</settings>

With this configuration, Maven will resolve snapshot dependencies from the Sonatype snapshot repository when needed.

<repositories>
    <repository>
        <id>central-snapshots</id>
        <url>https://central.sonatype.com/repository/maven-snapshots</url>
        <releases>
            <enabled>false</enabled> <!-- Disable releases for snapshots -->
        </releases>
        <snapshots>
            <enabled>true</enabled> <!-- Enable snapshots -->
        </snapshots>
    </repository>
    <repository>
        <id>central</id>
        <url>https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/</url>
        <releases>
            <enabled>true</enabled> <!-- Enable releases -->
        </releases>
        <snapshots>
            <enabled>false</enabled> <!-- Disable snapshots -->
        </snapshots>
    </repository>
</repositories>

Key Notes:

1. Snapshots: A snapshot version is a development build and frequently updated. Snapshots are typically denoted with a version like 1.2.3-SNAPSHOT.
2. Releases: Regular released versions are considered stable (e.g., 1.2.3).
3. Why the Configuration is Necessary:
   • Snapshot dependencies are only available in snapshot repositories, such as https://central.sonatype.com/repository/maven-snapshots.
   • Released dependencies (non-snapshots) are available in Maven Central (https://repo1.maven.org/maven2/).

This ensures Maven can properly resolve and download snapshot dependencies for the Anteater application or other tools hosted in the Sonatype snapshot repository.

1. Refresh Maven dependencies:

   mvn clean install -U
   

2. If errors persist:
   • Fully qualify the plugin execution:

     mvn com.ganteater:ae-maven-plugin:run
     

Symptoms:

• Error messages during execution: Cannot find configuration file, Invalid classpath.
• Misbehavior due to missing environment variables.

Symptoms:

• Anteater cannot execute specific tasks or recipes.
• Error: Unknown command in recipe.

Solution:

1. Verify the syntax of the recipe file:
   • Ensure commands are properly defined (e.g., <Var>, <Out>, <Loop>).
   • Refer to the Default Processor Commands Documentation.
2. Check for missing plugins:
   • Certain commands may require specific plugins to be present in the plugins directory.
3. Validate the recipe by testing minimal tasks:

   <Recipe name="Test">
       <Out>Hello World!</Out>
   </Recipe>
   

4. Examine the logs for detailed error information.

Symptoms:

• Logs are missing, incomplete, or not generated.

Solution:

1. Ensure Anteater is properly configured to generate logs:
   • Check the ae.xml configuration file for logging settings:

     <Logger>
       <File value="./logs/anteater.log" />
       <Level value="DEBUG" />
     </Logger>
     

2. Verify the logs directory exists and is writable.
3. Check for sensitive information masking:
   • Use <filter> tags in the logging configuration to highlight or suppress certain data.

Symptoms:

• HTTP requests fail (<Get>, <Post>), or host resolution errors occur.

Solution:

1. Verify internet connectivity.
2. Ensure the target URL in the recipe is accessible:

   <Get name="response" url="https://example.com/api" />
   

3. Use <NetworkInterfaces> to check if the local network configuration is correct:

   <NetworkInterfaces name="ipList" />
   

Symptoms:

• Recipes using <Threads> or <Runnable> fail with errors or hang.

Solution:

1. Check system resources:
   • Ensure sufficient CPU and memory are available for threading operations.
2. Test the recipe with fewer threads to isolate issues:

   <Threads name="testThread" numbers="2" multi="true">
       <Out>Thread $var{THREAD_ID} running...</Out>
   </Threads>
   

3. Debug logs to identify problematic threads.

Enable Debug Mode

To gather more information, re-run commands with the debug flag:

java -cp ae.jar com.ganteater.ae.desktop.Anteater --debug

Verbose Maven Logs

Use Maven’s verbose mode for plugin-related errors:

mvn -X com.ganteater:ae-maven-plugin:run

Need Further Help?

If you need additional assistance, reach out through:

• Anteater Official Site
• Support Email
• Community Forum