Maven test jar including dependencies

Question

My project is divided into several modules, one of them is common which is supposed to be used to other modules.

In this module there are TestUtils which I want to be able to use from other modules.

My libraries does not seem to be added to the test-jar. How can I achieve this?

+ common
++ lib
++ src
+++ test
++++ java
++++ resources
+ pom.xml

My pom.xml contains some libraries which I include via system path, such as:

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.ibm</groupId>
    <artifactId>com.ibm.disthub2.dhbcore</artifactId>
    <version>5.3.07</version>
    <scope>system</scope>
    <systemPath>${basedir}/lib/dhbcore.jar</systemPath>
</dependency>
...
<build>
    <plugins>
        <plugin>
            <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
            <artifactId>maven-jar-plugin</artifactId>
            <version>2.2</version>
            <executions>
                <execution>
                    <goals>
                        <goal>test-jar</goal>
                    </goals>
                </execution>
            </executions>
        </plugin>
    </plugins>
</build>

Answer 1

Simple answer: Not possible. The test-jar is only intended for compiled classes under the folder src/test/java inclusive src/test/resources but not for supplemental jar files.

Apart from that using a system scope is in general a bad idea. Best is to put such jars into the company nexus and use it as a usual dependency. A lib folder in a Maven project is generally in indicator of build smells and should be avoided.

BTW: Why are you using such old versions of maven-jar-plugin (2008 version 2.2). Current version version 2.5 from this year.