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Sakai Config Viewer / Config Editor

Introduction

The Sakai Config Viewer is a tool to help administrators make sense of the configuration options that can be set in sakai.properties. It displays a list of available properties along with a host of value added data. The list of properties is based on a careful review of the source code and existing documentation for 2.2.x and higher, and is typically updated immediately after each new release.

The Config Editor is a new tool that allows real-time modification of selected properties. The Configuration Editor will most likely eventually replace the Config Viewer.

Features

Configuration Viewer

  • Provides a new level of insight into the sakai.properties file.
  • Acts as a reference when configuring and troubleshooting a Sakai installation.
  • Displays 374 configuration properties.
  • Displays the current setting for each property.
  • Provides hints about what most options actually do.
  • Provides hints regarding the syntax of each property to assist in setting values appropriately.
  • Properties are flagged by tool to assist in configuring or troubleshooting specific components.
  • Searchable by property name, current value, help text, and syntax hints (see screenshot below).

Configuration Editor

  • Allows run time configuration of 140+ properties
  • Validates properties as they are entered.

Features Added in Version 2.2.x

Config Viewer

  • More complete list of configuration options (thanks to everyone who pointed out ones I'd missed)
  • Support for internationalization
  • Improved interface:
    • combined bean property view into default view
    • cleaned up the display by moving long text blocks to tool tips

Features Added for Version 2.4

Config Viewer

14-Feb-2007

  • Added documentation for 49 new or previously undocumented properties (for a total of 321)
  • Improved interface by adding a detailed view for configuration options and making javascript optional.
  • A vastly improved search parsing engine which allows for phrases, negated searches, and qualified searches (such as searching for properties related to a specific tool or version or sakai)
  • Added help documentation to explain what the tool is and how to use it.

Features Added for Sakai 2.5

05-Dec-2007

Config Viewer

  • migrated to Maven 2 (thanks to John Ellis)
  • Added the ability to export to a usable sakai.properties file
  • continued improvements of help text and validation rules
  • Added the ability to export properties data to a set of Confluence pages: check out the pages here

Config Editor

  • Initial Implementation allows editing of properties real-time on a single node.
  • Property editing uses evolvers to present drop-downs for fields with a list of valid values, WYSIWYG editors for values that allow HTML, et cetera.
  • Added a preference to disable the "welcome" disclaimer.
  • Added support for updating repeated data (such as bottomnav).

Features Planned for Sakai 2.6

05-Dec-2007

Config Viewer

  • As always, update the list of configuration properties to reflect additions and subtractions in 2.6

Config Editor

  • Propagate changes across all nodes in a clustered environment ( (warning) FLASH: this has been achieved in a working prototype. Stay tuned.)
  • Incorporate John Ellis' tool to update the default tool order using the same front-end as the page order helper.
  • Add support for updating bean properties
  • Migrate the sakai.properties exporter from the Config Viewer to the Config Editor
  • Incorporate searching from the Config Viewer
  • Added warning icons to indicate invalid data

Screen Shot(s)

Config Viewer

Config Editor


The main view of configurable properties.


The property update view.


The confirmation message following an update.

Credits

Both the Config Viewer and the Config Editor were written by Former user (Deleted), with much advice from Former user (Deleted) and Former user (Deleted). Thanks to both of them for their patience and humor.

The initial structure of both projects was generated by Sakai App Builder plugin for Eclipse, which was written by Former user (Deleted) (azeckoski@gmail.com).
Thanks to him for lowering the bar to new developers. For more information about the App Builder Plugin for Eclipse, visit the following page:

http://bugs.sakaiproject.org/confluence/display/BOOT/Sakai+App+Builder

This tool uses RSF, thanks to Former user (Deleted) for helping simplify that part of the equation. For more information about RSF, including helpful and active forums, visit the following the following page:

http://www2.caret.cam.ac.uk/rsfwiki/

Installation

Config Viewer

The source code for the Config Viewer can be found at:

http://source.sakaiproject.org/contrib/config-viewer/

Detailed installation instructions can be found in the README.txt file included with the source.

Config Editor

The source code for the Config Editor can be found at:

http://source.sakaiproject.org/contrib/config-editor/

The Config Editor currently requires the Config Viewer. You must also patch the server configuration service with an included patch, which has been tested with Sakai 2.5.X and Sakai 2.4.X. Detailed installation instructions can be found in the README.txt file included with the source.

Notes

The properties referenced by both tools are complete as of Sakai 2.5.x (think otherwise? let me know). The tools do not reflect legacy options from prior to Sakai 2.2.X.

If you have questions about either tool, or find omissions or inaccuracies in this page or the tool data, please send a note to duhrer@gmail.com.