Identity Manager IDE Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This FAQ answers some commonly asked questions related to using the Identity Manager IDE.

The information is organized into these categories:

• Using NetBeans

• Working with Projects

• Working with the Repository

• Using the Identity Manager IDE Debugger

• Working with Rules

Using NetBeans

Question:

Which version of Netbeans should I use?

Answer:

Use the Netbeans version referenced in the Identity Manager product documentation provided for the Netbeans plugin version you are using.

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Note –

Always use the exact version referenced because even patch releases can cause major functionality to break.

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Question:

The Netbeans plugin was working, I did something, and now it is no longer working. What could be causing this problem?

Answer:

This problem is commonly caused by a corrupt file in your .netbeans directory. Generally, deleting your .netbeans directory and re-installing the NetBeans plugin resolves the problem. (Deleting the .netbeans directory effectively uninstalls the NetBeans plugin. You lose all of your user settings, but the contents of your project will be safe.)

The steps are as follows:

1. Shutdown NetBeans.

2. Delete the .netbeans directory.

3. Start NetBeans.

4. Install the NetBeans plugin.

5. Restart NetBeans.

Working with Projects

Question:

Building and running a project is taking a very long time, and the Identity Manager IDE seems to be copying a lot of files. What could be causing this problem?

Answer:

This problem can occur for the following reasons:

• You are using the Identity Manager IDE 7.0 or 7.1 plugin.

  Use the Identity Manager IDE 8.0 plugin. Several adjustments were made to the Identity Manager IDE 8.0 Configuration Build Environment (CBE) to improve performance.

• You might be using the Clean commands unnecessarily.

  When you use Clean Project or Clean And Build Project, the Identity Manager IDE deletes the entire image directory, which contains several thousand files. Identity Manager IDE must copy all of these files from idm-staging during the next build.

  To use the Identity Manager IDE efficiently, you must understand when to use the Clean commands. Refer to the “When to Use Clean” section in the Identity Manager IDE README.txt file for more information.

Question:

Now that I have created an Identity Manager project, what files should be checked into source control?

Answer:

See the “CVS Best Practices” section in the Identity Manager IDE README.txt for information.

Question:

What are the best practices for using project management in CVS?

Answer:

See the “CVS Best Practices” section in the Identity Manager IDE README.txt for information.

Question:

When are objects imported into the repository?

Answer:

See Working with the Repository for information.

Question:

How do I add a new JAR to the project?

Answer:

See the “How to add a new JAR dependency” section in the Identity Manager IDE README.txt.

Working with the Repository

Question:

Which repository should I use for my sandbox repository?

Answer:

Use the embedded repository for your sandbox— particularly if you are using Identity Manager 7.1 (or higher), which has an HsSQL repository available. You lose functionality if you do not use the embedded repository.

Refer to the “Working with the Repository” section in the Identity Manager IDE README.txt for more information.

Question:

When are objects imported automatically?

Answer:

You have to configure Identity Manager IDE to import objects automatically.

The steps are as follows:

1. Select Repository > Manage Embedded Repository from the IdM menu.

2. Enable the Automatically Publish Identity Manager Objects option on the Manage Embedded Repository dialog.

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   Note –

   This option is not available for Identity Manager Project (Remote) or if you specify your own repository.

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3. Select Project > Run Project or Project > Debug Project.

   The Identity Manager IDE automatically imports all objects that have changed since the last time you ran the project.

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   Tip –

   Automatically publishing Identity Manager objects increases the time needed to start the server. To minimize server start time, disable this option and explicitly upload objects to the repository.

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Question:

What is the most effective way to upload objects?

Answer:

Use one of the following methods to upload modified objects:

• Right-click one or more edited objects in the project tree and select Upload Object from the pop-up menu.

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  Tip –

  To upload multiple objects, press and hold the Control key as you select objects from the list.

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• Select one or more edited objects, and then select Repository > Upload Objects from the IdM menu. A dialog is displayed so you can select the objects to upload.

Either method uploads the object(s) directly to the server, so there is no cache latency issue and it is much faster than using Run Project or Debug Project. The Upload Objects feature is available regardless of which repository you are using.

Using the Identity Manager IDE Debugger

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Note –

The Netbeans embedded application server automatically shuts down whenever you perform any of the following project operations:

• Clean Project

• Create Delta Distribution

• Create Jar

• Debug Project

• Manage Embedded Repository

• Profile Project

• Run Project

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Question:

The Identity Manager IDE Debugger is sluggish. What could be causing this problem?

Answer:

To improve the Debugger’s performance:

• Always disable Tomcat’s HTTP Monitor, as follows:

  • Select the Identity Manager IDE Runtime Tab.

  • Expand the Servers node and right-click Bundled Tomcat > Properties.

  • Disable the Enable HTTP Monitor option, and then close the dialog.

    The next time you start Tomcat, the HTTP Monitor will be disabled.

• If you are not debugging Java, select Project > Run Project, and then select Attach Debugger > Identity Manager XML Object Debugger to use just the XPRESS Debugger.

  Selecting Project > Debug Project for a non-remote Identity Manager IDE project starts both the XPRESS Debugger and Java Debugger, and the Java Debugger adds substantial overhead.

Question:

I cannot set a breakpoint in the Debugger. What could be causing this problem?

Answer:

The following conditions might prevent you from setting a breakpoint:

• You just installed the NBM, but did not restart Netbeans.

• Your XML contains a <Waveset> wrapper element.

  The Identity Manager IDE basically ignores any file that starts with a <Waveset> wrapper element because the Identity Manager IDE parses that element as a multi-object file.

  The following features do not work on multi-object files:

  • Debugger

  • Rule Tester

  • Form Previewer

  • Any of the editors

  • Import file generator

  • Upload Object

  • Diff Object

    Basically, all you can do with multi-object files is import them. The only files that should contain <Waveset> wrapper elements are your project’s top-level import files.

Question:

I set a breakpoint in the Debugger and it is not suspending on the breakpoint. What could be causing this problem?

Answer:

There are two things to check:

• Be sure the object name does not contain a CBE replacement string (%%). CBE replacement strings are not allowed in object names.

• Verify that the code you think is being executed is actually being executed. Try adding a trace and see if anything prints out.

Working with Rules

Question:

When developing rules in Netbeans, why is design mode not available for a Rule Library?

Answer:

The design mode functionality is available from the explorer tree in Projects view. Use the following steps:

1. Expand the library node and right-click a rule.

2. When the pop-up menu displays, select Properties and then click Body.