Operation Advisor - Custom Precondition for Work Items

What do you mean when you say "I keep getting null returned for this call"? Do you mean you get NullPointerException exception? If so, can you please provide the exception stack? Or, did you see any error log in the console?

I know nothing about the Extensions Workshop. I am just trying to figure our the problem from the basic technical view.

I get a pop-up error box when trying to use the UI config for the precondition in the operation behavior editor that gives a NullPointerException. And when I debugged it looks like either the getWorkbench() or getActiveWorkbenchWindow() returned null. I googled and it looks like it's possible to for the latter call to return null. Every other precondition editor I looked at had it coded the same way.

Eventually, in my attempts to figure this out, it went away but I am not sure why. I never changed that code either. It was quite strange.

2. I am not sure I understand how I can determine exactly what services I require for what I want to do.

FWIW when writing future extensions, I've posted the following on my blog about one approach to figuring out which services you require: http://ryehle.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/finding-the-right-service-api-for-your-process-extension/

Thanks Robin! I'll check this out because I have a few more extensions to write after working my way through this one which is almost complete.

2. I am not sure I understand how I can determine exactly what services I require for what I want to do.

FWIW when writing future extensions, I've posted the following on my blog about one approach to figuring out which services you require: http://ryehle.wordpress.com/2011/11/21/finding-the-right-service-api-for-your-process-extension/

So one challenge I am having is in creating the Aspect Editor.

I keep getting null returned for this call:
PlatformUI.getWorkbench().getActiveWorkbenchWindow().run(true, true, new RunnableWithProgress() {....

Is there any reason for why this happens or how to avoid? I am following the pattern in the getWorkItemsType call of the 3.0.1 Extensions Workshop labs which is consistent with what I see in the out of the box preconditions.

Thanks.

What do you mean when you say "I keep getting null returned for this call"? Do you mean you get NullPointerException exception? If so, can you please provide the exception stack? Or, did you see any error log in the console?

I know nothing about the Extensions Workshop. I am just trying to figure our the problem from the basic technical view.

I don't use that, so sorry no help

Sam

So one challenge I am having is in creating the Aspect Editor.

I keep getting null returned for this call:
PlatformUI.getWorkbench().getActiveWorkbenchWindow().run(true, true, new RunnableWithProgress() {....

Is there any reason for why this happens or how to avoid? I am following the pattern in the getWorkItemsType call of the 3.0.1 Extensions Workshop labs which is consistent with what I see in the out of the box preconditions.

Thanks.

Same here Sam. Most of my material is also from helping people.

I hope we can pull more material together to provide more workshop material. It is just a matter of how much time I can spend.

Thanks so much for contributing!

Thanks Sam and Ralph. I will follow up with any preconditions I am able to write as well to help others.

Thanks again for updating the extensions workshop. I really thought it was well done.

Same here Sam. Most of my material is also from helping people.

I hope we can pull more material together to provide more workshop material. It is just a matter of how much time I can spend.

Thanks so much for contributing!

no problem.. don't care about attribution.. just trying to help others as they have helped me

I also submitted this to enhancement 182769.. build it, ship it and let users select it.. vs having to write code.

https://jazz.net/jazz/resource/itemName/com.ibm.team.workitem.WorkItem/182769

Sam

Hi Sam,

I ruthlessly stole your code and intent to incorporate it in my set of example trophies, if that is OK with you. I will put your name in as author.

Phillip,

there are several examples in the WiKi: https://jazz.net/wiki/bin/view/Main/RtcSdk20 they are hard to find.

I agree, it would be great to have all these examples. It comes down to be get clearance to publish code and resources to create, collect and worse maintain it.

The workshop has been updated recently.
The services, you need at least

com.ibm.team.repository.service.IRepositoryItemService

com.ibm.team.scm.common.IScmService

I think it does not matter if pre- or postcondition as long as the required interface is similar.

Ralph,

Thanks so much for this information. I reviewed the extensions workshop and I found a lot of helpful information. I think it's the most comprehensive thing I've read so far.

Just some feedback:
1. I think this path is helpful at the conclusion of the workshop to include additional sample code that can be downloaded for review. Something like a series of example preconditions and followups for a few common classes you may be using with a paragraph description of each. No need to step through everything but at least it provides an additional template to start from.
2. I am not sure I understand how I can determine exactly what services I require for what I want to do.

My struggle is that currently I want to do something which I believe is probably fairly simple but I get stuck on a few questions.

To be more specific, we currently require an associated work item to deliver a change set. Now I want to create another condition that further verifies the type and state of that associated work item before you can deliver.
However, I am not sure of what applies from the workshop because:
1. I am not sure what services I require
2. I don't know #1 partly because the lab covered a different operationID and because it was a followup not a precondition

I think any examples for deliver (server) preconditions may be helpful to me here as a result.