Failed to execute goal org.codehaus.mojo:exec-maven-plugin:1.6.0:exec (default) on project ors: The parameter 'executable' is missing or invalid

Question

When i am trying to execute mvn -DskipTests=true -Passembly assembly:directory exec:exec command to make binary i am getting Failed to execute goal org.codehaus.mojo:exec-maven-plugin:1.6.0:exec (default) on project ors: The parameter 'executable' is missing or invalid error. i have also applied Source Target 1.8 inside configuration but still i am getting the same error.

<profile>
      <id>execute</id>
      <build>
        <plugins>
          <plugin>
            <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
            <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
              <executions>
                  <execution>
                      <goals><goal>java</goal></goals>
                  </execution>
              </executions>
          <configuration>
          <mainClass>org.marketcetera.ors.OrderRoutingSystem</mainClass>
          <systemProperties>
              <systemProperty>
                  <key>org.marketcetera.appDir</key>
                  <value>src/test/cmd_exec</value>
              </systemProperty>
          </systemProperties>
          <classpathScope>test</classpathScope>
          </configuration>
          </plugin>
        </plugins>
      </build>
    </profile>

    <!-- Command-line execution of the ORS (with DB initialization). -->
    <profile>
      <id>executeDBInit</id>
      <build>
        <plugins>
          <plugin>
            <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
            <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
              <executions>
                  <execution>
                      <goals><goal>java</goal></goals>
                  </execution>
              </executions>
          <configuration>
        <mainClass>org.marketcetera.ors.DBInit</mainClass>
        <arguments>
          <argument>org.marketcetera.ors.OrderRoutingSystem</argument>
        </arguments>
        <systemProperties>
          <systemProperty>
            <key>org.marketcetera.appDir</key>
            <value>src/test/cmd_exec</value>
          </systemProperty>
        </systemProperties>
        <classpathScope>test</classpathScope>
          </configuration>
          </plugin>
        </plugins>
      </build>
    </profile>

    <!-- Command-line execution of the miniscule exchange. -->
    <profile>
      <id>exchange</id>
      <build>
        <plugins>
          <plugin>
            <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
            <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
              <executions>
                  <execution>
                      <goals><goal>java</goal></goals>
                  </execution>
              </executions>
          <configuration>
        <mainClass>org.marketcetera.ors.exchange.Main</mainClass>
        <arguments>
          <argument>exchange.xml</argument>
        </arguments>
        <systemProperties>
          <systemProperty>
            <key>org.marketcetera.appDir</key>
            <value>src/test/cmd_exec</value>
          </systemProperty>
        </systemProperties>
        <classpathScope>test</classpathScope>
          </configuration>
          </plugin>
        </plugins>
      </build>
    </profile>

    <!-- Security administration utility. -->
    <profile>
      <id>cli</id>
      <build>
        <plugins>
          <plugin>
            <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
            <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
              <executions>
                  <execution>
                      <goals><goal>java</goal></goals>
                  </execution>
              </executions>
          <configuration>
        <mainClass>org.marketcetera.ors.security.ORSAdminCLI</mainClass>
        <!-- -Dexec.args="-u admin ..." -->
        <systemProperties>
          <systemProperty>
            <key>org.marketcetera.appDir</key>
            <value>src/test/cmd_exec</value>
          </systemProperty>
        </systemProperties>
        <classpathScope>test</classpathScope>
          </configuration>
          </plugin>
        </plugins>
      </build>
    </profile>

    <!-- Assembly. -->
    <profile>
      <id>assembly</id>
      <build>
        <plugins>
          <plugin>
            <artifactId>maven-assembly-plugin</artifactId>
              <executions>
                  <execution>
                      <phase>package</phase>
                      <goals><goal>single</goal></goals>
                      <configuration>
                          <formats><format>dir</format></formats>
                          <descriptors>
                              <descriptor>src/main/assembly/assembly.xml</descriptor>
                          </descriptors>
                      </configuration>
                  </execution>
              </executions>
          </plugin>
          <plugin>
            <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
            <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
              <executions>
                  <execution>
                      <phase>package</phase>
                      <goals><goal>exec</goal></goals>
                      <configuration>
              <executable>${perl.path}</executable>
                          <arguments>
                              <argument>../tools/scripts/createScript.pl</argument>
                              <argument>${project.build.directory}/${project.artifactId}</argument>
                              <argument>ors</argument>
                              <argument>org.marketcetera.ors.OrderRoutingSystem</argument>
                              <argument>${project.build.directory}/${project.artifactId}</argument>
                              <argument>orsadmin</argument>
                              <argument>org.marketcetera.ors.security.ORSAdminCLI</argument>
                          </arguments>
                      </configuration>
                  </execution>
              </executions>
          </plugin>
        </plugins>
      </build>
    </profile>

Answer 1

As of exec-maven-plugin version 1.6.0, it appears <configuration> sections within <execution> blocks are ignored unless you specify an id.

Try changing your command line, substituting exec:exec@foo for exec:exec with the plugin block changed to include an id foo as follows:

      <plugin>
        <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
        <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
          <executions>
              <execution>
                  <id>foo</id>
                  <phase>package</phase>
                  <goals><goal>exec</goal></goals>
                  <configuration>
          <executable>${perl.path}</executable>
                      <arguments>
                          <argument>../tools/scripts/createScript.pl</argument>
                          <argument>${project.build.directory}/${project.artifactId}</argument>
                          <argument>ors</argument>
                          <argument>org.marketcetera.ors.OrderRoutingSystem</argument>
                          <argument>${project.build.directory}/${project.artifactId}</argument>
                          <argument>orsadmin</argument>
                          <argument>org.marketcetera.ors.security.ORSAdminCLI</argument>
                      </arguments>
                  </configuration>
              </execution>
          </executions>
      </plugin>

Answer 2

You forgot to specify perl.path variable in <executable> tag.

<executable>${perl.path}</executable>

Add this to your pom parent:

<properties>
    <perl.path>path/to/perl</perl.path>       
</properties>

Answer 3

I resolved this error by specifying the required plugin in pom.xml as follows

            <plugin>
                <groupId>org.codehaus.mojo</groupId>
                <artifactId>exec-maven-plugin</artifactId>
                <version>3.0.0</version>
                <configuration>
                    <executable>java</executable>
                    <arguments>
                        <argument>-classpath</argument>
                        <classpath />
                        <argument>com.ocloud.Alarm.App</argument>
                    </arguments>
                </configuration>
            </plugin>

Answer 4

Just compile before execution

clean compiler:compile exec:java

Answer 5

This error The parameter 'executable' is missing or invalid can also happen if the exec-maven-plugin plugin is configured in a child maven module and you run the command from the parent directory.

To fix that, simple change your working directory to where the plugin is used.