Prepare JBoss Developer Studio for Working Offline

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There may be times when you want to use the IDE while offline. Many of the IDE features will work as expected when offline without any pre-configuration. However, some features do need pre-configuring while online to enable their continued use when offline, as detailed here.

Instructions are provided for completing the following tasks:

  1. Prepare for Using JBoss Central Project Wizards when Offline
  2. Prepare for Installing JBoss Central Software when Offline

Important: You must be online to complete the configuration tasks detailed here. After which, you will be able to use the JBoss Central project wizards and install the software available in the JBoss Central Software/Update tab when offline.

1. Prepare for Using JBoss Central Project Wizards when Offline

When you use a JBoss Central project wizard, the IDE searches online repositories for necessary project dependencies. You can create a cache of these dependencies when you are online so that you can use the project wizards offline. As detailed below, this is achieved by first creating the cache and then informing the IDE to use that cache.

Important: The following prerequisites must be met before continuing with this task:

  • Groovy must be installed and configured as stated in the Groovy documentation. For more information, see http://groovy.codehaus.org/Installing+Groovy at the Groovy website.
  • A version of Maven later than 3.2.2 must be installed as this version causes caching errors.
  • Maven must be correctly configured for all the project wizards before the cache script is run. The JBoss Public and Red Hat maven repositories must be specified in your settings.xml file. This can be achieved from within the IDE by clicking Window>Preferences>JBoss Tools>JBoss Maven Integration, clicking Configure Maven Repositories, and following the onscreen instructions to add repositories. Both of these repositories are listed in the Profile ID list for quick addition.

To cache the project wizard dependencies and inform the IDE to use this cache when subsequently offline, complete the following steps:

Important: You must be online to complete this configuration task.

  1. In the IDE, click Window>Preferences>JBoss Tools>Project Examples>Offline Support.
  2. Click Copy to Clipboard.
  3. On a command line, paste the copied text and press Enter.
    Note: The script may take some time to complete.
  4. Once the script has successfully completed, copy the generated offline/.jbosstools/cache directory to the directory where you want to keep the project examples cache.
  5. Copy the contents of the generated offline/.m2/repository directory to your local maven repository.
  6. In the IDE, click Window→Preferences>JBoss Tools>Project Examples>Offline Support.
  7. Select the Enable offline mode for project examples check box.
  8. Ensure the correct cache location is specified in the Offline directory field.
  9. Click Apply and click OK to close the Preferences window.

Now, when you are offline, you can use the JBoss Central project wizards just as you would when online.

2. Prepare for Installing JBoss Central Software when Offline

You can install the JBoss and third-party plug-ins listed in JBoss Central in offline mode using the JBoss Central Site .zip file. The JBoss Central Site .zip file is available from the Red Hat Customer Portal and must be downloaded while you are online.

This feature is useful if you regularly work offline or if you are installing these auxiliary plug-ins in a number of JBoss Developer Studio installations; doing this removes the need to repeatedly download the same plug-ins. Note that the JBoss Central Site .zip file is a snapshot of the plug-ins at the time of the given JBoss Developer Studio release and that you can only install updated versions of the plug-ins from JBoss Central when online.

To prepare for installing JBoss Central software when later offline, complete the following steps:

Important: You must be online to download the JBoss Central .zip file.

  1. Locate and download Red Hat JBoss Developer Studio Central Site Zip.
  2. In the IDE, click Window>Preferences>Install/Update>Available Software Sites.
  3. Click Add and click Archive to locate the JBoss Central Site zip file.
  4. Click Apply and click OK to close the Preferences window.

Now when you are offline, you can install software available in the JBoss Central Software/Update tab by completing the following steps:

  1. Click Help>Install New Software.
  2. From the Work with list, select the JBoss Central Site .zip file.
  3. Clear the Group items by category check box. This action makes the contents of the JBoss Central Site .zip file visible in the table of components.
  4. From the table of components, select the software to be installed and click Next.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.

During the installation process, you may receive warnings about installing unsigned content. If this is the case, review the details of the content and if satisfied click OK to continue with the installation.

Once installation is complete, you are prompted to restart the IDE. Click Yes to restart immediately and No to save any unsaved changes to open projects.

Warning: The IDE changes do not take effect until the IDE is restarted and the IDE may be unstable until it is restarted.

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