Setting up IntelliJ and Tomcat for Debugging Sakai

IntelliJ IDEA 2020.2.3

Tomcat 8.5.59

Sakai 20.x

Prerequisite: Having Sakai Source Code cloned to local Repository and a Tomcat working with deployed sakai

Configure IntelliJ

Got to: Run → Edit Configuration

then add a new remote:  + → Tomcat Server → Remote

Open

> Server Tab

>> choose your Application Server: Application Server → Configure → choose your Tomcat Container deployed sakai to (e.g. /opt/apache-tomcat-8.5.46)

>> Remote Connection Settings → Port:  8000 (has to match port set under Startup/Connection → Debug)

> Startup/Connection Tab

>> select Debug

>> Copy the String (e.g. "-agentlib:jdwp=transport=dt_socket,address=8000,suspend=y,server=y -javaagent: .../.local/share/JetBrains/Toolbox/apps/IDEA-U/ch-0/202.7660.26/plugins/Groovy/lib/agent/gragent.jar")

Open

Configure Tomcat

create a file setenv.sh at $CATALINA_HOME/conf/setenv.sh and assign the string from IntelliJ  to JPDA_OPTS environment variable

setenv.sh

Start Tomcat in Debug Mode

e.g. with Terminal

Start Tomcat in Debug Mode

You will see tomcat listening to Port 8000 then. 

Open

Start Debugging in Intellij

Run → Debug (or press Debug button on the right top corner)

Open

That's it! 

Now you should see the tomcat logs starting up sakai. Feel free to set breakpoints in Intellij