Cordova Plugin Gradle Config Modifier

This plugin allows you to dynamically modify the values inside the cdv-gradle-config.json file on the Android platform via the Cordova Command-Line Interface (CLI). It is highly useful for centrally managing SDK versions, Kotlin versions, or other Gradle configurations.

Key Features

• Modifies Android Gradle build configurations using --variable flags.
• Non-destructive by default: If you do not specify any variables during installation, your existing configurations remain completely untouched.
• Automatically parses data types (converting CLI strings into JSON-compliant number, boolean, or null values).
• Includes an internal blocklist to protect crucial built-in Cordova variables.

Installation

Safe Installation (No Overwrites)

Installing the plugin without any variables will securely preserve your existing cdv-gradle-config.json settings.

cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-gradle-config-modifier

Installation with Variable Overrides

Use the --variable flag to specifically target and overwrite configurations during installation:

cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-gradle-config-modifier \
  --variable KOTLIN_VERSION=2.1.21 \
  --variable MIN_SDK_VERSION=24 \
  --variable IS_GRADLE_PLUGIN_KOTLIN_ENABLED=true

Supported Variables

By default, all variables are set to a PRESERVE state, meaning they will not modify your project unless explicitly declared in the CLI. Below is the list of supported variables alongside standard Cordova default examples:

| Variable Name | Example Value | | :--- | :--- | | MIN_SDK_VERSION | 24 | | SDK_VERSION | 36 | | COMPILE_SDK_VERSION | null | | GRADLE_VERSION | 8.13 | | MIN_BUILD_TOOLS_VERSION | 35.0.0 | | AGP_VERSION | 8.7.3 | | KOTLIN_VERSION | 2.1.21 | | ANDROIDX_APP_COMPAT_VERSION | 1.7.0 | | ANDROIDX_WEBKIT_VERSION | 1.12.1 | | ANDROIDX_CORE_SPLASHSCREEN_VERSION | 1.0.1 | | GRADLE_PLUGIN_GOOGLE_SERVICES_VERSION | 4.4.2 | | IS_GRADLE_PLUGIN_GOOGLE_SERVICES_ENABLED | false | | IS_GRADLE_PLUGIN_KOTLIN_ENABLED | true | | JAVA_SOURCE_COMPATIBILITY | 11 | | JAVA_TARGET_COMPATIBILITY | 11 | | KOTLIN_JVM_TARGET | null |

System Exception: The PACKAGE_NAMESPACE variable is internally blocked and cannot be modified through this plugin. This is to prevent build conflicts, as Cordova automatically manages this namespace based on the app id defined in your config.xml file.

How It Works

This plugin registers a hook during the after_prepare lifecycle. When you run cordova prepare android or cordova build android, the script runs in the background, reads your preference configurations from android.json, and safely overwrites the targeted properties in platforms/android/cdv-gradle-config.json before the compilation process begins. Any variables you did not explicitly set will be ignored, leaving your original project configurations intact.

Uninstallation

To remove the plugin from your project:

cordova plugin rm cordova-plugin-gradle-config-modifier

License

MIT License