Setting JIRA plugin configuration parameters

[Jannik Luyten]

Hi everyone

I am developing a plugin that uses a few configuration parameters (database connection stuff) which I want set through either a configuration file (database.properties kind of thing), or maybe the plugin administration section (if this is at all possible?), or even the atlassian-plugin.xml file.

How would I go about doing this? Any help is appreciated!

Kind regards

Jannik

[Jannik Luyten · Accepted solution]

I ended up implementing a simple property loader that loaded the properties from a file, which I then used everywhere I needed to load the plugin properties:

public class PropertyLoader {
	
	private Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(PropertyLoader.class);
	public PropertyLoader(){}
	
	public String loadProperty(String key) {
        try {
            Properties properties = new Properties();
            InputStream stream = getClass().getClassLoader().getResourceAsStream("/somePropertiesFile.properties");
            properties.load(stream);
            stream.close();
            
            String property = properties.getProperty(key);
			if(property == null) {
            	String message = "No property for key '" + key + "' found.";
    			logger.error(message);
				throw new IllegalArgumentException(message);
            }
            
            return property;
        } catch (Throwable t) {
            String message = "Error while loading property";
			logger.error(message, t);
            throw new RuntimeException(message, t);
        }
	}
}

[Gert-Jan van de Streek]

Check https://developer.atlassian.com/display/DOCS/Storing+plugin+settings. This is a general way for storing configuration properties for plugins, even across the atlassian products. Combine it with a configuration link for your plugin:

<plugin-info>
  ..
  <param name="configure.url">/secure/admin/configsla.jspa</param>
</plugin-info>

Implement that configuration link with a webwork action. See https://developer.atlassian.com/display/JIRADEV/Webwork+plugin+module for details.

[Jannik Luyten]

Would this allow you to change the plugin settings through configuration? Or would you have to crack open the plug-in and change the atlassian-plugin.xml file?

[Gert-Jan van de Streek]

You will always have to write custom code for this. See the jspa in the above example. That is the implementation of a settings screen.

The correct link to the atlassian developer documentation is now: https://developer.atlassian.com/display/DOCS/Storing+plugin+settings

[Jobin Kuruvilla [Adaptavist]]

Have a look at Active Objects: https://developer.atlassian.com/display/DOCS/Developing+your+plugin+with+Active+Objects

[Thomas Heyne]

import com.atlassian.sal.api.ApplicationProperties;

public class MyPluginComponentImpl implements MyPluginComponent {
    protected final ApplicationProperties applicationProperties;

    public MyPluginComponentImpl(ApplicationProperties applicationProperties) {
        this.applicationProperties = applicationProperties;
    }

    public String getName() {
        if (null != applicationProperties) {
            return "myComponent:" + applicationProperties.getDisplayName();
        }

        return "myComponent";
    }
}

[Jannik Luyten]

Does this file match JIRA's General Configuration parameters? (https://confluence.atlassian.com/display/JIRA042/Advanced+JIRA+configuration+with+jira-application.properties)

If so, these are for _all_ plugins within JIRA, no? I would need some form of configuration visible to my plugin only, not to all plugins.

[Thomas Heyne]

no, the file(s) I speak about will be automatically created if you are using the atlassian maven plug-in to set-up your plug-in either in Eclipse or in IDEA (I did)

as far as I remmeber correctly you will be asked on the console option to set them up or not if you create the plug-in module

you get two java classes generated (the interface and the implementation class *Impl) plus a properties file

via the variable applicationProperties you have access to the properties you need
you should be able to read from atlassian-plugin.xml as well

[Jannik Luyten]

This does not seem the way to go. The application properties file contains general information about the application in question, e.g. JIRA. There is a getPropertyValue(key) method on it, but as of SAL 2.7.0, this is deprecated (http://docs.atlassian.com/sal-api/2.7.0/sal-api/apidocs/com/atlassian/sal/api/ApplicationProperties.html#getPropertyValue(java.lang.String) )

I need a way to provide my own configuration parameters, specific to my plugin, which I can specify in a file or through JIRA administration, and then read in my code.

[Thomas Heyne]

how about this:

private static final String PROPERTYNAME = "<yourpath>/<yourfilename>.properties";
    private List properties;

    ...

    private List getProperites() {
        if (this.properties == null) {
            try {
                InputStream resourceInputStream = getClass().getClassLoader().getResourceAsStream(PROPERTYNAME);

                if (resourceInputStream != null) {
                    DataInputStream inputStream = new DataInputStream(resourceInputStream);

                    this.properties = new ArrayList();
                    String line;
                    while ((line = inputStream.readLine()) != null) {
                        line = line.trim();
                        // your logic here
                    }

                    inputStream.close();
                }
                else {
                    this.properties = Collections.EMPTY_LIST;
                }
            }
            catch (IOException e) {
                this.properties = Collections.EMPTY_LIST;
                e.printStackTrace();
            }
        }

        return this.properties;
    }

[Timothy]

If you want it on the fly, store the data in the database and pull it from your code.

If not, you can pull it from a .properties file.

[Jannik Luyten]

And how would I go about creating such a file?