iDempiere CLI - Setup Development Environment

This skill guides you through setting up a complete iDempiere development environment using idempiere-cli.

Prerequisites

The user must have idempiere-cli installed. If not, install it with:

bash

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/devcoffee/idempiere-cli/main/install.sh | bash

Workflow

•Check environment: Run idempiere-cli doctor to validate that all required tools are installed.
•Fix missing tools: If tools are missing, run idempiere-cli doctor --fix to auto-install them.
•Bootstrap environment: Run idempiere-cli setup-dev-env to clone source, create database, and configure Eclipse.

Step 1: Doctor - Environment Validation

bash

# Check all required tools
idempiere-cli doctor

# Auto-fix missing required tools (Java, Maven, Git, PostgreSQL)
idempiere-cli doctor --fix

# Also install optional tools (Docker)
idempiere-cli doctor --fix --fix-optional

# Validate a plugin directory too
idempiere-cli doctor --dir /path/to/my-plugin

# JSON output for CI/CD
idempiere-cli doctor --json

What doctor checks

Tool	Required	Purpose
Java JDK	Yes	Compilation and runtime
Maven	Yes	Build system
Git	Yes	Source control
PostgreSQL	Yes	Database (psql client)
Docker	No	Containerized database

Auto-fix sources by platform

Platform	Package Manager
macOS	Homebrew
Linux	apt / SDKMAN
Windows	winget

Step 2: Setup Dev Env - Full Bootstrap

bash

# Full setup with Docker database (recommended)
idempiere-cli setup-dev-env --with-docker

# Use existing native PostgreSQL
idempiere-cli setup-dev-env

# Oracle database with Docker
idempiere-cli setup-dev-env --db=oracle --with-docker

# Custom configuration
idempiere-cli setup-dev-env \
  --branch=release-12 \
  --db-host=localhost \
  --db-port=5432 \
  --db-name=idempiere \
  --db-user=adempiere \
  --db-pass=adempiere \
  --db-admin-pass=postgres

# Skip steps
idempiere-cli setup-dev-env --skip-db          # Database already configured
idempiere-cli setup-dev-env --skip-build       # Source already built
idempiere-cli setup-dev-env --skip-workspace   # Headless server (no Eclipse)

# Non-interactive for CI/CD
idempiere-cli setup-dev-env --with-docker --non-interactive

# Dry run (validate parameters only)
idempiere-cli setup-dev-env --with-docker --dry-run

What setup-dev-env does

•Clones iDempiere source from GitHub
•Creates and configures database (PostgreSQL or Oracle, native or Docker)
•Imports seed data and applies migrations
•Downloads and configures Eclipse IDE
•Imports projects into Eclipse workspace
•Configures target platform and preferences

Important options

Option	Default	Description
`--db`	postgresql	Database type: `postgresql` or `oracle`
`--with-docker`	false	Create database using Docker
`--branch`	master	iDempiere branch to checkout
`--db-host`	localhost	Database host
`--db-port`	5432	Database port
`--db-name`	idempiere	Database name
`--db-user`	adempiere	Database user
`--db-pass`	adempiere	Database password
`--db-admin-pass`	postgres	Database admin password
`--skip-db`	false	Skip database setup
`--skip-build`	false	Skip Maven build
`--skip-workspace`	false	Skip Eclipse workspace setup
`--include-rest`	false	Also clone idempiere-rest repository
`--install-copilot`	false	Install GitHub Copilot in Eclipse
`--docker-postgres-name`	idempiere-postgres	Docker container name for PostgreSQL
`--docker-postgres-version`	16	PostgreSQL Docker version
`--non-interactive`	false	Run without prompting for confirmation
`--continue-on-error`	false	Continue setup even if a step fails
`--dry-run`	false	Validate parameters only

Example Usage

If the user asks "I want to start developing iDempiere plugins", guide them through:

bash

# 1. Check environment
idempiere-cli doctor

# 2. Fix any missing tools
idempiere-cli doctor --fix

# 3. Bootstrap everything with Docker (easiest path)
idempiere-cli setup-dev-env --with-docker

If the user has an existing PostgreSQL installation:

bash

idempiere-cli setup-dev-env --db-admin-pass=mypostgrespass

Notes

•setup-dev-env requires a graphical environment (display) for Eclipse workspace setup. Use --skip-workspace on headless servers.
•Docker is the recommended approach for database setup as it requires no manual PostgreSQL/Oracle configuration.
•The command is idempotent: it can detect existing source directories and Docker containers.