A file named <moduleName>.<sensorName>.sensor.def.xml defines one or more sensors. This extension point requires a file pattern of "*.sensor.def.xml" in order to be recognized by the build system.

Example 24.9, “hackySensor_Ant.ant.sensor.def.xml” illustrates an example sensor definition file for the Ant sensor.

<sensors>
  <sensor name="Ant"
          docfile="doc.sensor.ant.html"
          enabled="true"
          contact="(Cedric) Qin Zhang (qzhang@hawaii.edu)"
          tool="Jakarta Ant">
    <download file="sensorshell.jar"/>
    <download file="sensor.ant.jar"/>
    <sensordatatype name="Build"/>
  </sensor>
</sensors>

The definition file specifies the name of the sensor data type, its Shell Command, a short documentation string, and the set of files that must be present in the download directory in order for this sensor to be built and installed correctly in this server.