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Android Command-line Tools

The cordova command-line utility is a high-level tool that allows you to build applications across several platforms at once. An older version of the Cordova framework provides sets of command-line tools specific to each platform. To use them as an alternative to the CLI, you need to download this version of Cordova from cordova.apache.org. The download contains separate archives for each platform. Expand the platform you wish to target. The tools described here are typically available in the top-level bin directory, otherwise consult the README file for more detailed directions.

For information on the low-level command-line interface that enables plugins, see Using Plugman to Manage Plugins. See Application Plugins for an overview.

Create a Project

Run the create command, specifying the existing path to the project, the reverse-domain-style package identifier, and the app's display name. Here is the syntax for both Mac and Windows:

$ /path/to/cordova-android/bin/create /path/to/project com.example.project_name ProjectName
$ C:\path\to\cordova-android\bin\create.bat C:\path\to\project com.example.project_name ProjectName

Build

This cleans then builds a project.

Debug, on Mac or Windows:

$ /path/to/project/cordova/build --debug
$ C:\path\to\project\cordova\build.bat --debug

Release, on Mac or Windows:

$ /path/to/project/cordova/build --release
$ C:\path\to\project\cordova\build.bat --release

Run the App

The run command accepts the following optional parameters:

Target specification. This includes --emulator, --device, or --target=<targetID>.
Build specification. This includes --debug, --release, or --nobuild.

$ /path/to/project/cordova/run [Target] [Build] $ C:\path\to\project\cordova\run.bat [Target] [Build]

Make sure you create at least one Android Virtual Device, otherwise you're prompted to do so with the android command. If more than one AVD is available as a target, you're prompted to select one. By default the run command detects a connected device, or a currently running emulator if no device is found.

Logging

$ /path/to/project/cordova/log
$ C:\path\to\project\cordova\log.bat

Cleaning

$ /path/to/project/cordova/clean
$ C:\path\to\project\cordova\clean.bat

Manual Use of Ant

If you wish to call Ant directly from the command line such as ant debug install, you need to specify additional parameters to the ant command:

    ant debug install -Dout.dir=ant-build -Dgen.absolute.dir=ant-gen

This is because the directories used by Cordova's Ant scripts are different than the default. This is done to avoid conflicts when Ant is run from the command line versus inside Eclipse/ADT.