Posts Tagged ‘continuous integration’

17 Apr

TechTip: Dbunit Export from Jetbrains DataGrip

Posted by ssmusoke in database, software development lifecycle, styx technology group, test driven development (TDD), tips and tricks. Tagged: , , .

I am an avid test driven development (TDD) advocate nowadays, with a pragmatic slant of course, looking to bullet proof the features that I deliver to ensure that they do what is expected, and work out edge cases.

A big challenge to testing is generating of test data, which is needed to setup some integration test work flows. I have been using Jailer (http://jailer.sourceforge.net/) to generate data from existing tables in a Dbunit format which can then embed in my test dataset xml files.

This is a challenge due to the mapping of relationships by Jailer (a neat feature by the way). So while working Datagrip, the database IDE of choice, we were struck by how to export different formats when looking at a table. This solution would allow us to leverage available filtering and searching features, to nail down the datasets that needs to be exported.

On contacting the support team through Twitter (https://twitter.com/0xdbe/status/853900122828222465/photo/1), the recommendation was to modify the existing XML groovy script to generate DBunit XML, following the steps at https://www.jetbrains.com/help/datagrip/2017.1/extending-the-datagrip-functionality.html

And well an hour later below is a groovy script to do just that can be found at https://gist.github.com/ssmusoke/ca4c55b4e52de97acb99a590644a677f which can be used by creating a new script DbUnit-Groovy.xml.groovy 

The code was not being well rendered hence the move to a Gist

24 Sep

OpenMRS Module Development Learnings – 102

Posted by ssmusoke in eHealth, java, openmrs, opensource, software development lifecycle, tips and tricks. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Update November 2018: This blog post has been superseded by the OpenMRS SDK (https://wiki.openmrs.org/display/docs/OpenMRS+SDK)
My team mates and I are completing a number of OpenMRS workshops focused on improving our module development capability. This blog post captures the unwritten lessons that we have picked up as a way of giving back our lessons to help others in the community (and will be moved to the OpenMRS Wiki once the lessons have been internalized and consolidated, as that is its natural home).
The approach is based on the following OpenMRS community articles:
  1. Creating Modules – https://wiki.openmrs.org/display/docs/Creating+Modules
  2. Creating your First Module – https://wiki.openmrs.org/display/docs/Creating+Your+First+Module
As you develop the module it is important to keep testing and verifying whatever you do especially when the module involves user interface components, extending the OpenMRS UI. The process we ended up using was as follows:
  1. Setup a module using the module creation command line utility
  2. Downloaded Spring Loaded from its maven repository http://mvnrepository.com/artifact/org.springframework/springloaded
  3. Downloaded and setup OpenMRS standalone from http://openmrs.org/download/ picking a version greater than 1.11.x which supports debugging options
  4. Once the standalone version is installed, open the openmrs-standalone-runtime.properties and add the following variables to the vm_arguments: (should all be one line – separated here for clarity)
    • -Xdebug -Xnoagent -Xrunjdwp:transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=8000
    • -Dmodule.development.directory={absolute path to root folder of the module}
    • -javaagent:{absolute path to spring loaded jar}
    • -noverify -Dspringloaded=inclusions=org.openmrs.module.modulepackage..* (note the two trailing dots before the *)
  5. Setup newly the module into an IDE (tested with IntelliJ & Eclipse)
  6. Installed a FileSync utility, RemoteSynchronizer for IntelliJ & FileSync (http://andrei.gmxhome.de/filesync/) for Eclipse
  7. Setup sync for the omod webapp folder into the standalone webapp folder located at WEB-INF/view/module/{modulename}
Our development workflow is smoothened out since any changes to Java classes & JSPs are automatically applied & reflected in the standalone app.
Additional Tips and Tricks
  1. Tomcat – Change the following init params in web.xml:
    • modificationTestInterval from 4 to 0, so that JSPs are automatically recompiled
    • development is true (this is the default)
  2. Intellij – the Java classes are not automatically recompiled on saving changes so there is need to run mvn package -DskipTests
  3. Follow the OpenMRS conventions as much as possible by cloning openmrs-core to see how the design of the interfaces, service layers is done. This will help get access to lots of the magic that happens behind the scenes.
  4. Java 8 will give you trouble, stick to 1. 7 as we did not try 1.6 anywhere.

 

17 Feb

State of PHP Feb 2012 – Symfony 2, Zend Framework 2, IDE Support, MySQL

Posted by ssmusoke in content management systems, database, doctrine2, html, joomla, mysql, opensource, php, software development lifecycle, symfony, web development, Zend Framework. Tagged: , , , , , , .

There is just too much going on so I thought I should put these thoughts down so that I do not lose my mind from the excitement and anticipation that comes from things moving very fast and innovation being spured at a pace which is mind boggling.

PHP

In my opinion the stabilization of PHP 5.3 which introduced namespaces (similar to Java Packages) was the first shot across the bow, and I expect 5.4 with traits to bring even more reusability. However our hosting providers are slow to upgrade most are still running PHP 5.2, without general availability for 5.3 just starting to appear

Frameworks

There are two main frameworks in the bull pen Symfony 2 (http://symfony.com/) and Zend Framework 2 (http://zendframework.com/) currently in beta. However they are as different as can be. While Symfony 2 has been refactored from a full blown framework to a bunch of core reusable components, its moving towards ZF2, in that its not trying to be all MVC, forms etc, but is rather a set of building blocks to provide web application framework. So good is it that Fabien Potencier the lead developer has a series on how to build your own framework on top of Symfony at http://bit.ly/zVLi7X

ZF2 on the other hand is a bunch of reusable components which you can mix and match with other frameworks which also provides an MVC, ORM etc.

If you have been in the Java world, Symfony is more like Spring Source () while Zend Framework is Apache Jakarta (http://jakarta.apache.org/)

Interesting tweet that sums it all up:
Every time a developer complains about php, the #Symfony2 community creates another great, namespaced, decoupled and reusable component

IDE Support

Zend Studio 9 was let loose at ZendCon, Oracle released Netbeans 7 (which supports ZF1, and Symfony), Eclipse PDT is chugging along, PHP Storm from Jetbrains creating  a storm with others  Vim, Notepad++, Sublime Text basically all you need to do is pick your poison.

Communities

Github (http://www.github.com) is the new Facebook and LinkedIn for developers, where all the action is happening for all the major PHP communities, you had better be there. Forking and making changes is as easy as a button press. I am yet to push my first commit to a project but I am getting there.

MySQL

The best know web database is getting losta love from Oracle, and also the community led by Percona, SkySQL, Monty DB, and many others. Where it seemed lost with lost of FUD during the $1bn Sun takeover by Oracle, it seems to just be gaining steam (at least from my viewpoint as a consumer, developer and user). Now at 5.5, with 5.6 starting to appear over the horizon …

While there is a barrage of NoSQL solutions, Hadoop leading the charge, MySQL provides a NoSQL interface via HandlerSocket (https://github.com/ahiguti/HandlerSocket-Plugin-for-MySQL) and MySQL Cluster (http://www.mysql.com/products/cluster/)

Supporting Infrastructure

This is where all the fun happens, who is using the language and what are the trends. Here is a snapshot:

  1. Content Management Systems – WordPress is getting lots of love, while Joomla now at 2.5 supports databases other than MySQL. Drupal is adopting Symfony 2 as its core framework while Magento runs off a modified ZF1 kernel, while XOOPS (http://xoops.org) is being rewritten to use ZF1 or two
  2. Template Engines – an area where battles are found won, and lost. Smarty now at 3.0 (www.smarty.net), has to battle Twig (http://twig.sensiolabs.org)  which is surging due to its usage in Symfony 2
  3. Web services – JSON, XML, AjaX, Rest Interfaces are no longer buzz words they are the norm with native support being baked into PHP
  4. Object Relational Mappers (ORMS) are one of the core developer architectural choices, in PHP we have ZF Table (Table Gateway), Doctrine 1 (Active Record), Doctrine 2 (Data Mapper), Propel (not used) in addition to plain old PDO all of which provide rich choices. Interesting is that Doctrine 2 provides an mapping for MongoDB which shows its versatility similar to Hibernate for Java
  5. Continuous Integration – with Hudson and Jenkins, and now Travis which is also hooked into Github provides a great way to continuously monitor the quality of your development
  6. Quality Control – PHP Unit has always been there but now we have mess detectors, and other metrics (do not make sense of them yet), but whatever you want to measure there is probably a tool for it.
  7. UI Toolkits – JQuery took the world by storm with JQuery UI providing a set of theme-able components, but we have HTML5 boiler plate and Twitter Bootstrap which are simplifying the cross browser issues we developers face.
  8. Performance – always a PHP problem but it has improved through 5.3 to 5.4, and other techniques like OP Caches are becoming more maintream, Memcache is pre-built into Apache …

Exciting times to be a PHP web developer oopsss we are not web developers we are Software Mechanics (http://www.brandonsavage.net/the-mechanics-of-code/)

4 Jan

2012 – Todo List

Posted by ssmusoke in family, marathon. Tagged: , , , , , , .

Updated: 01/05/12 – a friend suggested that I better make my tasks SMART (Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Timely) so I have added items in italics where I think I was not SMART

Well a new year is upon us and many resolutions have been made and will be broken before the first half of the year is done, so what does one do. Well based on a post by @XSTROLOGY whom I follow on twitter, this morning:

  1. #Aries need to make wish lists. With your abundant energy, having a focus list will get you the things you want fast!
  2. #Aries can imagine anything and invoke the inner power to make it a reality.
  3. #Aries knows how to get shit done.

So it seems that I will need to build a list of things to get done this year. What sections, what categories, so I am sticking to only two: Family and Career so that I can make the best of this year. And I am limiting to only 10 items here goes

Family:

  • Spend at least 3 weeks with my kids – dunno how I am gonna swing this, but hey I have the whole year to do this. These  exclude Sundays (have been working 6 day weeks)  so these include afternoons or mornings when we spend times together
  • 4 special things for my wife
  • Pickup a sport – squash or lawn tennis and spend at least 240 hours this year (assuming 3 hours per day those are about 40 sessions) 
  • Run the 10km marathon under 1 hour – took 1hour 45 minutes at my first try 2 years ago

Career:

  • Certifications – Zend Certified Engineer and Zend Framework Certification + MySQL Certified Developer and MySQL Certified Administrator
  • New Frameworks – Zend Framework 2 (currently in Beta) and Symfony 2 and use each for 1 working application whether client or personal 
  • New Version Control – GIT and use it for one working application
  • Continuous Integration Server – PHP looking at Travis and deploy 1 working application
  • Take part in one app competition as a developer and/or mentor
  • Contribute 100 lines of code and 100 forum responses to at least one open source project

Hey is that not a long list of 10 items now to get working on it …

Update: March 1 – instead of 100 forum posts I will be gunning for a 5000 reputation on Stack Exchange (http://stackexchange.com/users/68620/ssmusoke?tab=accounts)

2 Dec

Year End New Challenge – Symfony 2

Posted by ssmusoke in php, software development lifecycle. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , .

Well a new month December the last one of the year, and I am tackling a new challenge Symfony 2 (http://www.symfony-project.org/) For client projects we are using Zend Framework 1.11 + Doctrine 1.2 + JQuery which all run on PHP 5.2

I think the coming holidays give me a chance to jump into PHP 5.3+ along with Symfony 2 + Doctrine 2 + the latest PHP unit and dabble into Continuous Integration either Jenkins or Travis.