The source plugin can be used to create a jar file of the project sources from the command line or by binding the goal to the project's build lifecycle. To generate the jar from the command line, use the following command:
mvn source:jar
A jar file of the test sources can also be generated by executing:
mvn source:test-jar
There are two ways to do this. You can either bind this plugin to a phase or you can add it to a profile. The goals source:jar-no-fork and source:test-jar-no-fork are preferred for binding the goal to the build lifecycle.
Here is how you would configure the plugin in your pom.xml to run automatically during the verify phase:
<project>
...
<build>
<plugins>
<plugin>
<groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
<artifactId>maven-source-plugin</artifactId>
<version>2.3</version>
<executions>
<execution>
<id>attach-sources</id>
<phase>verify</phase>
<goals>
<goal>jar-no-fork</goal>
</goals>
</execution>
</executions>
</plugin>
</plugins>
</build>
...
</project>We are using the verify phase here because it is the phase that comes before the install phase, thus making sure that the sources jar has been created before the install takes place.
If you want to install a jar of your sources along with your artifact during the release process, you can add this to your pom.xml file:
<project>
...
<profiles>
<profile>
<id>release</id>
<build>
<plugins>
<plugin>
<groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
<artifactId>maven-source-plugin</artifactId>
<version>2.3</version>
<executions>
<execution>
<id>attach-sources</id>
<goals>
<goal>jar-no-fork</goal>
</goals>
</execution>
</executions>
</plugin>
</plugins>
</build>
</profile>
</profiles>
...
</project>