Issue
I just lost 2 hours of time because of a bug in the maven-compiler-plugin v2.0.2 that was fixed in version v2.3.2.
Apparently if you don't specify the version of the Maven compiler plugin, Maven 2.2.1 just gives you v2.0.2.
Our project uses 15+ Maven plugins. Some of them we want to pin down a certain version, but most of which (like the compiler plugin) we'd like to upgrade without having to think about it.
Is there a way to do this automatically with Maven, or do we have to assign someone the thankless task of researching possible Maven plug-in upgrades every month and then changing the PluginManagement version numbers in our parent POM?
Solution
You could tie something like the versions-maven-plugin to your primary build such that you get a report on each build that shows whether your plugins are up to date.
See this link for detail on how: Display Plugin Updates
If you want to get fancy, have your CI server run the output of your maven build through a script to check for [WARNING] log entries that signal new versions and then have it notify relevant members of your team via email or some other notification.
Answered By - whaley
Answer Checked By - Dawn Plyler (JavaFixing Volunteer)
