Documentation

Learn how to use Forge in your projects

Command Reference

Essential Forge commands for building and managing projects:

Command	Description
`forge build`	Compile source code and create build artifacts
`forge clean`	Remove all generated build files and directories
`forge resolve`	Display resolved dependencies and their versions
`forge version`	Display Forge version information
`forge help`	Show help and available commands

Build Configuration

Create a build.forge file in your project root to configure your build. Forge supports both Groovy DSL and Kotlin DSL.

Groovy DSL Example (build.forge)

                            name = "MyProject"
version = "1.0.0"

dependencies {
    add "com.google.code.gson:gson:2.10.1"
    add "org.junit.jupiter:junit-jupiter-api:5.9.2"
}

repositories {
    add "https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2"
}
                        

Kotlin DSL Example (build.forge.kts)

                            name("MyProject")
version("1.0.0")

dependencies {
    add("com.google.code.gson:gson:2.10.1")
    add("org.junit.jupiter:junit-jupiter-api:5.9.2")
}

repositories {
    add("https://repo.maven.apache.org/maven2")
}
                        

Configuration Elements

Element	Description
`name`	Project name (displayed in build output)
`version`	Project version in semantic versioning format
`dependencies`	List of Maven-style dependencies to include
`repositories`	Maven repositories to fetch dependencies from

Project Structure

Forge expects a standard Java project layout:

                            MyProject/
├── build.forge                 # Build configuration file
├── src/
│   └── main/
│       └── java/               # Source code directory
│           └── com/
│               └── example/
│                   └── Main.java
└── build/                      # Generated by Forge
    ├── classes/                # Compiled classes
    └── libs/                   # Downloaded dependencies
                        

Important Notes

Source files must be in src/main/java/
Package names must match directory structure
Example: package com.example; → src/main/java/com/example/ClassName.java

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Example
`FORGE_HOME`	Forge installation directory (set by installer)	`C:\Program Files\forge`
`FORGE_DEBUG`	Enable debug output (set to 1 to enable)	`set FORGE_DEBUG=1`

Enable Debug Mode

To see detailed build information:

                            set FORGE_DEBUG=1
forge build
                        

Common Issues

Build fails with "No build.forge found"

Make sure you have a build.forge or build.forge.kts file in your project root directory.

"Compiled 0 Java files"

Ensure your Java files are located in src/main/java/ and that your package structure matches your directory structure.

Dependency resolution fails

Check that:

The repository URL is correct and accessible
The dependency format is correct: groupId:artifactId:version
You have internet connectivity

Uninstalling Forge

To remove Forge from your system:

Delete the Forge installation directory
Remove %FORGE_HOME%\bin from your PATH environment variable
Delete the FORGE_HOME environment variable

Need help? Check the Installation Guide for troubleshooting or visit the Downloads page to get the latest version.