title: Declare array/hashmap in gradle.properties file
body: <p>I'm trying to define an array in the gradle.properties file. When, for example, I do the next in some gradle script:</p>
  
  <pre><code>project.ext.mygroup = [
    myelement1: "myvalue1",
    myelement2: "myvalue2"
  ]
  project.mygroup.put("myelement3", "myvalue3"); // As internally it works like a hashmap
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>and then I list the properties, I get:</p>
  
  <pre><code>mygroup: {myelement1=myvalue1, myelement2=myvalue2, myelement3=myvalue3}
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>So, if I try setting a property with the same form in the gradle.properties file:</p>
  
  <pre><code>mytestgroup={myelement1=myvalue1, myelement2=myvalue2}
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>And then in the gradle script I try to access this property:</p>
  
  <pre><code>project.mytestgroup.put("myelement3", "myvalue3");
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I get the next error:</p>
  
  <pre><code>No signature of method: java.lang.String.put() is applicable for argument types: (java.lang.String, java.lang.String) values: [myelement3, myvalue3]
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>This is because the property "mytestgroup" is being taken as a string instead of an array. </p>
  
  <p>Does any one know what is the correct syntax to declare an array in the gradle.properties file?</p>
  
  <p>Thanks in advance</p>