apache ivy resolvers

In Apache Ivy, a "resolver" is a component that is responsible for resolving dependencies. A resolver is configured to connect to a specific type of repository, such as a Maven repository or a local directory, and download dependencies from that repository.

There are several types of resolvers in Ivy, including:

1. URL resolver: This resolver is used to download dependencies from a remote URL. The URL can point to a specific JAR file or a repository that contains multiple dependencies.

2. Maven resolver: This resolver is used to download dependencies from a Maven repository. The resolver can be configured to use different Maven repositories, such as the central Maven repository or a custom repository.

3. IBiblio resolver: This resolver is a specific type of Maven resolver that is configured to use the Maven central repository hosted by IBiblio.

4. File resolver: This resolver is used to download dependencies from a local file system. The resolver can be configured to use a specific directory as the source of dependencies.

5. Chain resolver: This resolver is used to combine multiple resolvers into a single resolver chain. The chain resolver can be configured to try each resolver in the chain until it successfully resolves the dependency.

To configure a resolver in Ivy, you need to specify the resolver's type and its settings in the Ivy settings file (ivysettings.xml). Once a resolver is configured, it can be used to resolve dependencies in Ivy configuration files (ivy.xml) by specifying the resolver's name in the "resolver" attribute of the dependency.

Resolvers are a key component of Ivy's dependency management system. By configuring the appropriate resolvers, you can ensure that dependencies are resolved correctly and efficiently from the appropriate sources.