Basic support IntelliJ IDEA as a Che editor

[l0rd]

Is your enhancement related to a problem? Please describe.

Che-theia is the default editor. We support alternative editors such as dirigible, desktop eclipse and code-server. But not IntelliJ.

Describe the solution you'd like

Add support for IntelliJ as an editor. IntelliJ would run in the browser. IntelliJ community edition should be used. These are the subtasks:

• publish the sidecar image of the intellij community + vnc
• publish a Red Hat based sidecar(fedora) image of the intellij community + vnc
• UBI-based Dockerfile for IntelliJ IDEA Che editor
  • initial investigation UBI-based Dockerfile for IntelliJ IDEA Che editor #18031
  • CRW-compatible image CRW#1239
• add the editor in the plugin registry Add IntelliJ IDEA as a Che Editor to Plugin Registry #17979
• document how to use it and extend it: RHDEVDOCS#2161
  • How to create a workspace that uses intellij as editor
  • How to customize it:
    • Inject a license key
    • Configure a Floating License Server using JETBRAINS_LICENSE_SERVER env variable
    • Use a different version of intelliJ
  • Current limitations
• persistent settings across workspace restart Storing Intellij Idea preferences between workspace restart #17968
• idle timeout che/intellij plug-in (to avoid it gets idled, no need to track activity) Create an activity tracker for the Intellij Idea #17953
• clone projects on boot Che to perform git clone of projects to reduce errors and for easier integration with editors #15973
• implement and run an end to end test Create automated E2E system tests of IntelliJ IDEA as a Che editor #18035
• handling Enter key in built-in terminal (solution provided in Basic support IntelliJ IDEA as a Che editor #17790 (comment)) or have preliminary preference set up on workspace startup Preliminary preferences for Intellij Idea #17986

What is NOT included in this issue

A fully supported editor should also:

• describe the IDE configuration in a devfile (commands, plugins, runtime services)
• automatically inject users configs in the IDE (such as proxy, git, kubernetes settings)
• airgap support

But these features are not in this issue scope. We will create dedicated issues for that.

Describe alternatives you've considered

• [CURRENT CHOICE] Running a VNC client in the browser (such as novnc)
• Using https://www.webswing.org/
• Running an X11 client in the browser (such as xpra-htlm5)

Additional context

This is a feature provided by coder enterprise (this is the dockerfile).

@benoitf has provided PoC that uses webswing and that can be tried out with the following devfile or using docker locally docker run --rm -it -p 8080:8080 quay.io/fbenoit/webswing-intellij:20200904.

[jeffmaury]

Please note that IntelliJ Community does not require a license

[jeffmaury]

Adding GTK broadway as an alternative (this is used by Desktop Eclipse)

[benoitf]

@jeffmaury broadway is for GTK/AWT but inteliij is not using AWT/gtk

[benoitf]

Here is with novnc:
https://che.openshift.io/f?url=https://gist.githubusercontent.com/benoitf/1b85a426971790687f5b057ff205dbea/raw/c6ea1b2a75c3e3c16ea217eef37965cb68606e47/devfile.yaml

[benoitf]

xpra:

http://che.openshift.io/f/?url=https://gist.githubusercontent.com/benoitf/6ccdb0ee11658c5efb794ca1b161bfb0/raw/f8cea506db476614ea9b94b898cac359df926fda/devile-intellj-xpra.yaml

[azatsarynnyy]

latest novnc attempt by Florent http://che.openshift.io/f?url=https://gist.githubusercontent.com/benoitf/3c69b0290e6b6901dd20a505e1024267/raw/7f6523f7ec8a5bcbdbbc82eb4800fe565cb74c9f/gistfile1.txt

[benoitf]

source code of POC are there

• https://github.com/benoitf/che-intellij-editor-vnc
• https://github.com/benoitf/che-intellij-editor-xpra
• https://github.com/benoitf/che-intellij-editor-webswing

(with VNC I was able to use browser resizing and maximize widgets using a lightweight wm (here it's fluxbox) where I can hide toolbar/workspaces, etc by default)

[benoitf]

I've moved vnc POC to https://github.com/che-incubator/che-editor-intellij-community

[l0rd]

I have added a few more requirements in the description:

• It should be possible to minimize the sidebar as it's possible for Theia.
• We should provide documentation about how to use the ultimate edition.
• We should test that it works properly with a Floating License Server.

[benoitf]

I would say order should be

1. publish image of the intellij community + vnc
2. Add plugin in the registry
3. Add devfile using this plug-in (turn into documentation)
4. doc: a) probably need to have a 'base image' that ppl can extend to their own use
   b) example of devfile with JETBRAINS_LICENSE_SERVER and ultimate edition
5. persistent settings across workspace restart
6. idle timeout che/intellij plug-in
7. image for CRW based on ubi8
8. clone projects on boot or do Che to perform git clone of projects to reduce errors and for easier integration with editors #15973
9. terminal/containers intellij/che plug-in
10. minimize che dashboard sidebar (workaround if not done is to open the ide in a new full window. I did that there: https://github.com/benoitf/che-intellij-editor-webswing/blob/master/index.html#L25-L30)
11. execute devfile tasks (let's avoid that for now)

[nickboldt]

What are the deliverables here? new container image(s)? new plugin(s)? new devfile(s)?

If any of the above, what are the dependencies, and how are they built? What licenses apply re: redistribution, attribution, etc.? is crypto involved? Are there any security concerns?

This smells like an Epic, which would need some subtasks under it re: the above items.

[vzhukovs]

Then this option needs to be disabled by default in settings all the time

[vzhukovs]

I think, we can add additional item into description, to have a preliminary IDE configuration and set up specific options like #17790 (comment). Because when workspace opens at first time, user has to configure this option to operate with terminal. //upd: updated the last item in the list

[azatsarynnyy]

I've added the issue for a UBI-based Dockerfile as it's a requirement for including it to CRW.
#18031

[nickboldt]

Two subtasks not yet complete, so move to 7.22 milestone:

• document how to use it and extend it: RHDEVDOCS#2161

  • How to create a workspace that uses intellij as editor
  • How to customize it:
    • Inject a license key
    • Configure a Floating License Server using JETBRAINS_LICENSE_SERVER env variable
    • Use a different version of intelliJ
  • Current limitations

• clone projects on boot Che to perform git clone of projects to reduce errors and for easier integration with editors #15973

[azatsarynnyy]

The basic support is done 🎉
If this will be our priority in the future, then all further enhancements will be tracked with separate issues.

[maxandersen]

how does one try out this feature ?

[benoitf]

you may find additional information there https://github.com/che-incubator/jetbrains-editor-images#run-jetbrains-ide-in-eclipse-che

short link to try on Hosted Che by Red Hat: https://workspaces.openshift.com#https://github.com/che-incubator/jetbrains-editor-images/raw/main/devfiles/latest/che-idea/latest.yaml