Information Systems:Notes on development using Iptor Integrator - Revision history

Norwinu: /* Classpath length */

2021-06-03T20:32:47Z

Classpath length

Norwinu at 20:32, 3 June 2021

2021-06-03T20:32:16Z

Norwinu: /* General */

2021-06-02T20:52:11Z

General

Norwinu: /* General */

2021-06-02T20:49:43Z

General

Norwinu at 20:47, 2 June 2021

2021-06-02T20:47:27Z

Norwinu at 20:34, 2 June 2021

2021-06-02T20:34:04Z

Norwinu at 17:42, 2 June 2021

2021-06-02T17:42:04Z

Norwinu: Norwinu moved page Information Systems:Developing integrations using Java and Iptor Integrator to Information Systems:Notes on development using Iptor Integrator

2021-06-02T01:18:44Z

Norwinu moved page Information Systems:Developing integrations using Java and Iptor Integrator to Information Systems:Notes on development using Iptor Integrator

Norwinu: Added classpath issue, change section title

2021-06-02T00:48:44Z

Added classpath issue, change section title

Norwinu: Tweak third-party library section

2021-05-27T21:10:33Z

Tweak third-party library section

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
  Error when starting process -classpath. Ex: java.io.IOException: Cannot run program "C:\Integrator\java\jre\bin\ibs_EventLogMonitor_Default.exe": CreateProcess error=206, The filename or extension is too long
-[[Information Systems:Managing dependencies with Iptor Integrator|Read this article]] for more information on the problem and how it was avoided.
+[[Information Systems:Managing dependencies in Iptor Integrator|Read this article]] for more information on the problem and how it was avoided.
 ===Indispensable third-party libraries===

@@ Line 77: / Line 77: @@
 * Feature request - can ClassRunner be changed to accept runtime args?
 * Feature request - can there be a Delete All button for ClassRunner logs?
 [[Category: Programming/Development]]

@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 * What is the recommended way to manage the hash files that get generated as part of the duplicate detection mechanism for FolderWatcher jobs? One job currently has over 250,000 of these hash files. Do we just have to delete these manually?
 * Different question but same intent as the previous point - how best to use Integrator's connection pooling outside Design Studio i.e. in Java?
-* What is the best way to manage packages in IBSExternalUser? I've been upgrading this when there's version conflict with project dependencies. Is there a document stating the minimum/maximum versions supported for these dependencies?
+* What is the best way to manage the packages in IBSExternalPackages? I've been upgrading some JARs when there's version conflict with project dependencies, but I believe I had to revert once before as Integrator was not compatible with the newer version. Is there a document stating the minimum/maximum versions supported for these dependencies?
 * Is the IBSUserPackages folder used? Is this folder what its name indicates i.e. the location to put additional JARs? Why is it not part of the classpath?
 * Are there any caveats/considerations when developing Integrator-run programs in a different IDE? e.g. how to set classpath so that the XMLs in the config folder are read?

@@ Line 65: / Line 65: @@
 * Is there javadoc available for the Integrator framework libs/API? e.g. IBSFramework.jar
-* There seems to be a difference in args when running the same class from a Timer job vs ClassRunner. Is this by design or is it a bug? Specifically, I think Timer job takes args[0] while ClassRunner takes args[1].
+* There seems to be a difference in the index of the first program arg when running the same class from a Timer job vs ClassRunner. Is this by design or is it a bug? Specifically, I think Timer job takes args[0] while ClassRunner takes args[1].
 * Is there any way to access the java.sql.Connection object within JDBCConnection object? This is so I can use Integrator's connection pooling functionality outside of Design Studio. getJDBCConnection() seems to be the method but it returns null.
-* Can the FolderWatcher flow be explained in detail? i.e. the path of a new file and what conditions that make it stay in the temp folder or go to the error or incomplete folders.
+* Can the FolderWatcher flow be explained in more detail? i.e. the path of a new file and what conditions are that make it hang in the temp folder or go to the error or incomplete folders.
 * What is the recommended way to manage the hash files that get generated as part of the duplicate detection mechanism for FolderWatcher jobs? One job currently has over 250,000 of these hash files. Do we just have to delete these manually?
 * Different question but same intent as the previous point - how best to use Integrator's connection pooling outside Design Studio i.e. in Java?

@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 These questions have come up from using and dissecting Integrator without prior formal training.
 * What is the best way to manage packages in IBSExternalUser? I've been upgrading this when there's version conflict with project dependencies. Is there a document stating the minimum/maximum versions supported for these dependencies?
 * Is the IBSUserPackages folder used? Is this folder what its name indicates i.e. the location to put additional JARs? Why is it not part of the classpath?

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:34, 2 June 2021
Line 54:		Line 54:
	* System cleanup functions in the overnight schedule and in purge jobs: clear outqueues, prune tables.		* System cleanup functions in the overnight schedule and in purge jobs: clear outqueues, prune tables.

		+	==Questions==
		+	These questions have come up from using and dissecting Integrator without prior formal training.
		+
		+	* Is there javadoc for the Integrator framework libs? e.g. IBSFramework.jar
		+	* Is there any way to access the java.sql.Connection object within the JDBCConnection object? This is so I can use Integrator's connection pooling functionality outside of Design Studio.
		+	* What is the best way to manage packages in IBSExternalUser? I've been upgrading this when there's version conflict with project dependencies. Is there a document stating the minimum/maximum versions supported for these dependencies?
		+	* Is the IBSUserPackages folder used? Is this folder what its name indicates i.e. the location to put additional JARs? Why is it not part of the classpath?
		+	* Are there any caveats/considerations when developing Integrator-run programs in a different IDE? e.g. how to set classpath so that the XMLs in the config folder are read?
		+	* Is it possible to change the content body for alert emails sent by the Monitor feature? i.e. to include more of the stack trace, or to incorporate HTML content
		+	* How can the "forward to syslog" feature be utilized? Does JMX have to be incorporated? Or what Design Studio functions correlate to this feature in Integrator Server?
		+	* Feature request - can ClassRunner be changed to accept runtime args?
		+	* Feature request - can there be a Delete All button for ClassRunner logs?

	[[Category: Programming/Development]]		[[Category: Programming/Development]]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ==Overview==
-This document discusses generally the concepts behind programming integrations using Java and Iptor Integrator.
+This document discusses various topics regarding software development using Java and Iptor Integrator.
 ==Topics==
-===Avoiding Integrator Studio as an IDE===
+===Not using Integrator Studio as an IDE===
-Iptor Integrator includes an IDE called Integrator Studio, but even 10 minutes of use is enough to indicate its inferiority as any kind of serious IDE. Specifically, some of its limitations are listed below.
+Iptor Integrator includes an IDE called Integrator Studio, but even 10 minutes of use is enough to indicate its inferiority as any kind of serious IDE (if you're a developer and not a power/business user). Specifically, some of its limitations are listed below.
-* There are two modes, a drag-drop user mode and a Java/code mode. Except the Java mode does not show you everything. Upon inspecting the source reverse-generated (i.e. decompiled) from the Java class, it was discovered that additional code is added on later or is in the background, and so even the raw Java mode doesn't show you all the code of the resulting program. For example, import statements are not shown, as well as the main() function.
+* There are two modes, a drag-drop user mode and a Java/code mode. Except the Java mode does not show you everything. Upon inspecting the reverse-generated source (i.e. using IntelliJ's decompiler), it was discovered that additional code is added on later by Integrator Studio's build process. So even the supposed developer mode doesn't show you all the code. For example, import statements are not shown, as well as the main() function.
-* Apart from the inability to see code altogether, code that deals with proprietary features is also marked up. For example, doing something in the visual editor will translate to what looks like Java code, but in the actual source file the code indicates a more complicated syntax.
+* Apart from the inability to see code altogether, some code that deals with proprietary features is also marked up. For example, doing something in the visual editor will translate to what looks like Java code, but appears in the decompiled source with more complicated syntax i.e. marked up.
-* Often, compiler errors point to a line containing an error but don't suggest further information about what the error could be.
+* Often, compiler errors point to a line containing an error but the IDE doesn't suggest further information about what the error could be. So debugging is a painful process, often involving a line-by-line, trial-and-error approach to try and pinpoint the exact location of the error.
 * Sometimes, the code inspector will get hung up on an error that is no longer present, and the IDE has to be restarted.
-* ''Running a program crashes the IDE a lot.''
+* ''Running a program crashes the IDE. A LOT.''
-* Their data mapping wizard also crashes a lot, especially when you browse database libraries on the i.
+* The data mapping wizard also crashes a lot, especially when you browse database libraries on the i.
 * The lack of a dark theme (lol).
- Personally, I find the IDE unusable for developing programs beyond the complexity of a simple sript. Therefore, I use the IDE to learn Integrator-specific capabilities by testing them out using the visual editor and then studying the generated java source. Then I code in IntelliJ IDEA. Actually, the real value in Integrator from a development aspect comes from the Integrator libraries e.g. net.ibs.*, not their crappy IDE -[[User:Norwinu|norwizzle]] ([[User talk:Norwinu|talk]]). However, these are not documented (because you're supposed to use their IDE), so their functionality has to be studied by inference. -[[User:Norwinu|norwizzle]] ([[User talk:Norwinu|talk]])
+ Personally, I find the IDE unusable for developing programs beyond the complexity of a simple sript. Therefore, I use the IDE to learn Integrator-specific capabilities by testing them out using the visual editor and then studying the generated java source. Then I code in IntelliJ IDEA. Actually, the real value in Integrator from a developer's perspective comes from the Integrator libraries e.g. net.ibs.*, not their crappy IDE -[[User:Norwinu|norwizzle]] ([[User talk:Norwinu|talk]]). However, these are not documented (because you're supposed to use their IDE), so their functionality has to be studied by inference. -[[User:Norwinu|norwizzle]] ([[User talk:Norwinu|talk]])
 ===Indispensable third-party libraries===
@@ Line 24: / Line 30: @@
 :* Apache Commons Net - FTPClient class used for FTP connections
 :* Apache Commons CSV - Useful for reading/writing CSV files.
 * JCraft - For sFTP communication, as Apache Commons Net above is limited to FTP.
 * univocity - CSV parser/writer. The CSVWriter class has features that are not found in Apache Commons CSVPrinter.

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
  Personally, I find the IDE unusable for developing programs beyond the complexity of a simple sript. Therefore, I use the IDE to learn Integrator-specific capabilities by testing them out using the visual editor and then studying the generated java source. Then I code in IntelliJ IDEA. Actually, the real value in Integrator from a development aspect comes from the Integrator libraries e.g. net.ibs.*, not their crappy IDE -[[User:Norwinu|norwizzle]] ([[User talk:Norwinu|talk]]). However, these are not documented (because you're supposed to use their IDE), so their functionality has to be studied by inference. -[[User:Norwinu|norwizzle]] ([[User talk:Norwinu|talk]])
-===Indispensable libraries===
+===Indispensable third-party libraries===
 * [[Information Systems: IBM Toolbox for Java|IBM Toolbox for Java]] - Programming in Java for IBM i would be useless without this quintessential package.
 * Apache Commons - another immensely useful library. Actually, Commons is an umbrella for a collection of many libraries. The one that have been used significantly thus far are:
 :* Apache POI - For reading/writing to Microsoft document formats. The XSSF is particularly useful for dealing with XLSX files e.g. the Health Canada MAR report uses this to output and stylize the report.
-:* Apache Commons Net - FTPClient class used for creating
+:* Apache Commons Net - FTPClient class used for FTP connections
 :* Apache Commons CSV - Useful for reading/writing CSV files.
-* JCraft - For sFTP communication. Apache Commons Net is limited to FTP.
+* JCraft - For sFTP communication, as Apache Commons Net above is limited to FTP.
 * univocity - CSV parser/writer. The CSVWriter class has features that are not found in Apache Commons CSVPrinter.
 * MariaDB JDBC driver - to read/write to the database.
 ===Potential Integrator projects===