diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index dcd734bee..470ce66f2 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ target/
 # Ant build folders
 build/
 dist/
+lib/
 
 # NetBeans user configuration files
 nbactions*.xml
diff --git a/build.properties b/build.properties
deleted file mode 100644
index 06200e03e..000000000
--- a/build.properties
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-version=4.0b4
-
-antlr3.jar=/usr/local/lib/antlr-3.5-rc-2-complete.jar
-build.sysclasspath=ignore
diff --git a/build.xml b/build.xml
index 9b04a42a8..d4f30042b 100644
--- a/build.xml
+++ b/build.xml
@@ -1,44 +1,41 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
-
-<!--
-
-Make build.properties like this:
-
-version=4.0b2
-
-antlr3.jar=/usr/local/lib/antlr-3.5-complete.jar
-build.sysclasspath=ignore
--->
-
 <project name="ANTLR4" default="distribute" basedir=".">
-
-    <property file="build.properties" />
-
-	<property name="src.dir" value="${basedir}/src" />
-	<property name="dist.dir" value="${basedir}/dist" />
-    <property name="build.dir" value="${basedir}/build" />
-    <property name="lib.dir" value="${basedir}/lib" />
-    <property name="install.root.dir" value="${dist.dir}/antlr-${version}" />
-    <property name="jar.file" value="${dist.dir}/antlr-${version}-complete.jar" />
-
-	<path id="classpath">
-        <pathelement location="${antlr3.jar}"/> <!-- general setup -->
-		<pathelement location="${ant-antlr3.jar}"/>
-		<pathelement location="${basedir}/runtime/Java/lib/org.abego.treelayout.core.jar"/>
-	</path>
-
-    <target name="clean">
-        <delete dir="${build.dir}"/>
-        <delete dir="${dist.dir}"/>
+    <target name="basic-init">
+        <property name="dist.dir" value="${basedir}/dist" />
+        <property name="build.dir" value="${basedir}/build" />
+        <property name="lib.dir" value="${basedir}/lib" />
     </target>
 
-    <target name="init">
+    <target name="antlr3-init" depends="basic-init">
+        <property name="antlr3.version" value="3.5"/>
+        <property name="antlr3.jar.name" value="antlr-${antlr3.version}-complete-no-st3.jar"/>
+        <property name="antlr3.jar" value="${lib.dir}/${antlr3.jar.name}"/>
+        <mkdir dir="${lib.dir}"/>
+        <get src="http://antlr.org/download/${antlr3.jar.name}" dest="${antlr3.jar}" skipexisting="true"/>
+        <path id="cp.antlr3" path="${antlr3.jar}"/>
+
         <!-- Create the build directory structure used by compile -->
         <property name="antlr3.gen.dir" value="${build.dir}/generated-sources/antlr3" />
         <mkdir dir="${antlr3.gen.dir}" />
     </target>
 
-	<target name="antlr" depends="init">
+    <target name="build-init" depends="basic-init">
+        <property name="version" value="4.0-dev"/>
+        <property name="build.sysclasspath" value="ignore"/>
+        <property name="install.root.dir" value="${dist.dir}/antlr-${version}" />
+        <property name="jar.file" value="${dist.dir}/antlr-${version}-complete.jar" />
+    </target>
+
+    <target name="clean" depends="basic-init">
+        <delete dir="${build.dir}" includeemptydirs="true"/>
+        <delete dir="${dist.dir}" includeemptydirs="true"/>
+    </target>
+
+    <target name="clean-all" depends="clean">
+        <delete dir="${lib.dir}" includeemptydirs="true"/>
+    </target>
+
+	<target name="antlr3" depends="build-init,antlr3-init">
 		<echo>parse grammars</echo>
 		<java classname="org.antlr.Tool" fork="true" failonerror="true" maxmemory="300m"
 			dir="${basedir}/tool/src/org/antlr/v4/parse">
@@ -54,7 +51,7 @@ build.sysclasspath=ignore
 			<arg value="GrammarTreeVisitor.g"/>
 			<arg value="LeftRecursiveRuleWalker.g"/>
 			<classpath>
-				<pathelement location="${antlr3.jar}"/>
+				<path refid="cp.antlr3"/>
 				<pathelement path="${java.class.path}"/>
 			</classpath>
 		</java>
@@ -70,14 +67,14 @@ build.sysclasspath=ignore
 			<arg value="${antlr3.gen.dir}/org/antlr/v4/parse"/>
 			<arg value="SourceGenTriggers.g"/>
 			<classpath>
-				<pathelement location="${antlr3.jar}"/>
+				<path refid="cp.antlr3"/>
 				<pathelement path="${java.class.path}"/>
 			</classpath>
 		</java>
 
 	</target>
 
-    <target name="compile" depends="antlr" description="Compile for generic OS">
+    <target name="compile" depends="build-init,antlr3" description="Compile for generic OS">
         <mkdir dir="${build.dir}/classes"/>
         <javac
                 destdir="${build.dir}/classes"
@@ -87,7 +84,10 @@ build.sysclasspath=ignore
                 excludes="org/antlr/v4/test/**">
             <compilerarg value="-Xlint"/>
             <compilerarg value="-Xlint:-serial"/>
-            <classpath refid="classpath"/>
+            <classpath>
+                <path refid="cp.antlr3"/>
+                <pathelement location="${basedir}/runtime/Java/lib/org.abego.treelayout.core.jar"/>
+            </classpath>
             <src path="${basedir}/tool/src:${basedir}/runtime/Java/src:${antlr3.gen.dir}"/>
         </javac>
     </target>