Software Developer's Guide

This guide explains to Software Developers and System Administrators how to configure and customise iDempiere. Solid technical experience is required.

Status: This is still Work in Progress, but it still may be useful as it is.

Introduction

The core iDempiere system supplies a range business functionality straight out of the box, such as role-based access, organisational structure, accounting, procurement, warehousing, and so on, but it is also flexible enough to be adapted to meet new requirements as they arise, using these mechanisms:

• Configuration: changing the system using built-in facilities such as modifying field labels, setting parameters, modifying workflows, and using report-writers;
• Localization: adapting the system for a specific country, region or language by adding locale-specific components and translating the terminology;
• Integration: linking disparate software applications and platforms using predefined interfaces so that the subsystems function together as one system to support the enterprise objectives;
• Extension: creating new functionality by adding database attributes and plugins which do not affect the core system;
• Modification: you have access to the source code so you can turn your system into a tar pit, or big ball of mud, so don't modify the code or database schema by hand unless you intend to push the code into the trunk.

This guide explains how iDempiere can be adapted to meet new business requirements, without changing the codebase.

Configuration

• Workflows
• "BusinessTeam" Theme

Localization

• Localization using language packs
• Example of German localization by changing country settings and installing a language pack
• Multilingual reports in Jasper

Integration

• Introduction to Web Services
• Describes the Web Service interface and its methods
• Web Services improvements to support composite services
• Web Services Security

Extension

Set up the development environment

• Prerequisites for the development environment
• Download the iDempiere source code: includes some Download Tips here if you have a slow line
• Set up Eclipse: there is a more detailed guide with videos here
• Install the seed database
• Running iDempiere within Eclipse

Develop plugins

• How to create a plug-in: a basic overview of how to create a plug-in
• Develop a plug-in to change the look-and-feel: includes a video
• Develop a plug-in for a new process
• Group plug-ins and fragments into a feature
• Load your new plug-in into a running instance of iDempiere: there is an explanation of how it works here

Build a customised instance of iDempiere

• Creating Installers from Eclipse
• Building iDempiere without Eclipse

Install and run iDempiere

• Installing from Installers
• Running iDempiere from Installers
• Post Installation

Structure of iDempiere

• Equinox OSGi framework describes OSGi and the technology stack that was used to build iDempiere so that developers and solution architects can see how the system hangs together
• Eclipse Buckminster Component Assembly looks at the use of Buckminster in the iDempiere project so that you can get a better understanding of the build process, and how Buckminster manages the components

References

• Category:Development: all Wiki pages regarding Development
• Category:Developer documentation: more specific Development topics
• read-only wiki of the predecessor Adempiere project for reference purposes: the project has moved on in the form of Idempiere+OSGi but the archive remains a valuable resource