How to check for transitive dependencies

README.md

$: ./gradlew :<your base module>:dependencies > dependencies.txt
$: # vim or nano `dependencies.txt`
$: vim dependencies.txt
$: # try to search the dependencies version used, to detect which transitive dependency making our build fails

If there's a problem with a specific version of your dependencies, try to search the version was pulled from which dependencies, e.g:

our current project dependencies has different version of androidx.test:monitor, see images

The above transitive dependencies might be failed due to a mismatch version, in this case the most left line of +--- indicating the root/dependency we used, and the | +--- means a child or transitive dependencies pulled from the parent dependencies :D and so on

TODO: update with red annotation in the images instead to give more clarity

Also the above cases was to summarize:

androidx.test.espresso:espresso-core:3.4.0-alpha04 we used, depends on (has transitive dependencies of) androidx.test:monitor:1.4.0-alpha04

+--- androidx.test.espresso:espresso-core:{require 3.4.0-alpha04; reject _} -> 3.4.0-alpha04 // parent
|    +--- androidx.test:runner:1.4.0-alpha04 // pulled this deps 01
|    |    +--- androidx.annotation:annotation:1.0.0 -> 1.2.0 // pulled this 01A
|    |    +--- androidx.test:monitor:1.4.0-alpha04 // pulled this 01B

androidx.test:core:1.3.0 we used, depends on (has transitive dependencies of) androidx.test:monitor:1.3.0

+--- androidx.test:core:{require 1.3.0; reject _} -> 1.3.0 // parent
|    +--- androidx.annotation:annotation:1.0.0 // pulled this deps 01
|    +--- androidx.test:monitor:1.3.0 (*) // pulled this deps 02

Therefore, the espress-core might resulting in a compiler error (due to fetching the alpha version), if that's the case, then we can go to below section to Force, Exclude or Strict our (transitive) dependencies instead

Maybe can also try this from GUI (Intellij IDEA based): https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/work-with-gradle-dependency-diagram.html#gradle_diagram I honestly didn't try it

If the build (even there's mismatch version) on our/your environment succeed, just skip the below approaches XD Because it'll bite you! If you insist to working on it, unless required to do (e.g: upgrade/refactor/migration process)

---------------- STOP FROM THIS ----------------

Or try to force specific version of gradle dependency to prevent mismatch version:

https://docs.gradle.org/current/userguide/dependency_downgrade_and_exclude.html

tl;dr:

Force transitive dependencies:

dependencies {
    // httpclient has `commons-codec:1.10` as transitive dependency 
    // see: https://mvnrepository.com/artifact/org.apache.httpcomponents/httpclient/4.5.4 
    implementation("org.apache.httpcomponents:httpclient:4.5.4")
    // but we requires to use `commons-codec:1.9`
    // careful, doing this might breaking (if between 1.9 & 1.10 has a breaking changes when released) 
    // always check for their release notes, or even better for their API (build manually) :D
    implementation("commons-codec:commons-codec:1.9") {
        isForce = true
    }
}

Exclude transitive dependencies:

implementation("com.squareup.retrofit2:retrofit:2.9.0") {
    exclude(group = "com.squareup.okhttp3") // if we want to prevent retrofit fetching the `okhttp3:3.y.z`
    because("version 3.x pulled from retrofit")
}

Strict version of specific dependencies:

implementation("com.squareup.okhttp3:okhttp:4.9.1") {
    version { strictly("4.9.1") } // force this to use `4.9.1` as well
    because("version 3.x pulled from Chucker, coil, picasso, retrofit") 
}

More on what transitive dependency is: https://docs.gradle.org/current/userguide/dependency_management_terminology.html#sub:terminology_transitive_dependency