Chapter 4. Selecting a workspace IDE

The default in-browser IDE in a new workspace is Che Theia.

You can select another supported in-browser IDE by either method:

Table 4.1. Supported in-browser IDEs

IDEidNote

Che-Theia

eclipse/che-theia/latest

This is the default IDE that loads in a new workspace without the URL parameter.

IntelliJ IDEA

che-incubator/che-idea/latest

Community Edition - stable version

4.1. Selecting an in-browser IDE for a new workspace by using a URL parameter

You can select your preferred in-browser IDE when starting a new workspace. This is the easiest way and it doesn’t affect your other workspaces or other users.

Procedure

  1. Include the URL parameter for the workspace IDE in the URL for starting a new workspace. See Section 2.2.2, “URL parameter for the workspace IDE”.
  2. Visit the URL in the browser. See Section 2.1, “Starting a new workspace with a clone of a Git repository”.

4.2. Specifying an in-browser IDE for a Git repository by using che-editor.yaml

4.2.1. Using the OpenShift Dev Spaces editor file to select an IDE

Use the che-editor.yaml file to define a default IDE for the project users. For a list of supported IDs, see Optional parameters for the URLs for starting a new workspace.

Procedure

  1. Place the che-editor.yaml file in the .che folder in the root directory of your project.

  2. In the che-editor.yaml file, specify the ID of the IDE you are selecting. For example: 

    id: che-incubator/che-idea/latest

Additional resources

  • Check the sample file sample here.
  • Load experimental new IDEs from the default plug-in registry by using the IDs shown in che-editors.yaml.

4.2.2. Customizing IDE selection with the che-editor.yaml file

You can further customize your IDE selection to suit the specific needs of the project by adding various directives to the che-editor.yaml file. These customization options include following directives:

  • Custom plug-in registry
  • Web reference
  • Embedded editor definition

4.2.3. Using a custom plug-in registry for your IDE

To include different IDEs than the default list in the OpenShift Dev Spaces plug-in registry, use an optional registryUrl directive.

Procedure

  • Set an optional registryUrl directive in your che-editor.yaml file. For example: 

    id: eclipse/che-theia/next            # mandatory
registryUrl: https://my-registry.com  # optional
override:                             # optional
  containers:
    - name: theia-ide
      memoryLimit: 1280Mi

4.2.4. Using a web reference for your IDE

Use a web reference for your IDE by pointing at a YAML file with the reference directive.

Procedure

  • Set a reference directive in your che-editor.yaml file. For example: 

    reference: https://gist.github.com/.../che-editor.yaml # mandatory
override:                                              # optional
  containers:
      - name: theia-ide
        memoryLimit: 1280Mi

4.2.5. Using an embedded editor definition for your IDE

If you have specific requirements for your project that aren’t addressed by standard IDE behaviour, you can customize the project IDE by using the inline directive to put a complete IDE definition in the che-editor.yaml file.

Procedure

  • Set an inline directive in your che-editor.yaml file. For example: 

    inline:
  endpoints:
    - name: "theia"
      public: true
      targetPort: 3100
      attributes:
        protocol: http
        type: ide
        secure: true
        cookiesAuthEnabled: true
        discoverable: false
    (...)
  containers:
    - name: theia-ide
      image: "quay.io/eclipse/che-theia:next"
      env:
        - name: THEIA_PLUGINS
          value: local-dir:///plugins
      volumeMounts:
        - name: plugins
          path: "/plugins"
        - name: theia-local
          path: "/home/theia/.theia"
      mountSources: true
      ports:
        - exposedPort: 3100
      memoryLimit: "512M"
      cpuLimit: 1000m
      cpuRequest: 100m
  initContainers:
    - name: remote-runtime-injector
      image: "quay.io/eclipse/che-theia-endpoint-runtime-binary:next"
      volumeMounts:
        - name: remote-endpoint
          path: "/remote-endpoint"
          ephemeral: true
      env:
        - name: PLUGIN_REMOTE_ENDPOINT_EXECUTABLE
          value: /remote-endpoint/plugin-remote-endpoint
        - name: REMOTE_ENDPOINT_VOLUME_NAME
          value: remote-endpoint