Work in IntelliJ IDEA

You can do your ALM Octane work directly from the IntelliJ IDEA IDE. To do so, install the ALM Octane plugin for IntelliJ IDEA.

Limitations: User-defined fields are not accessible from IntelliJ IDEA.

About the plugin for IntelliJ IDEA

Using the plugin, developers can connect to an ALM Octane workspace, view ALM Octane items, and make updates.

The plugin is open source. To access the source code, see https://github.com/MicroFocus/octane-intellij-plugin.

The plugins support two-way integration:

  • The plugin updates all data in the host IntelliJ IDEA application.

  • Changes made in the IntelliJ IDEA impact data in ALM Octane.

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Prerequisites

This section describes the prerequisites for the ALM Octane plugin for IntelliJ IDEA

Supported operating systems

Operating system supported version
Windows 10, 8, 7 (Normal and Darcula themes)
Ubuntu 16.04
macOS 10.12

Supported software

App / Plugin Version
ALM Octane IntelliJ IDEA plugin 12.53.21 and later
ALM Octane 12.53.20 and later
IntelliJ IDEA 2017.1 and later

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Install the plugin for IntelliJ IDEA

This section describes how to download and install the ALM Octane plugin for IntelliJ IDEA.

To install the plugin:

  1. Go to the JetBrains Plugins store: https://plugins.jetbrains.com/idea/plugin/9540-alm-octane.

    Click Download.

  2. In IntelliJ IDEA, choose File -> Settings -> Plugins.

  3. Click Install plugin from disk...

  4. Go to and select the zip file that you downloaded.

  5. Click Apply and OK.

  6. Restart IntelliJ IDEA.

Tip: You can also look for the plugin in the IntelliJ store and install it directly using the Browse Repositories… button.

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Connect to ALM Octane

After installation, a new category of settings is available in IntelliJ IDEA. This category contains the fields you need to connect IntelliJ IDEA to ALM Octane.

To configure IntelliJ IDEA to connect to ALM Octane:

  1. In IntelliJ IDEA, choose File -> Settings -> ALM Octane Settings.

  2. Enter the URL for the ALM Octane server. The URL can include the query parameters for the relevant space and the workspace, in which case the Space and Workspace fields are automatically populated. Either of the following formats is valid: 

    • https://<server>:<port>
    • https://<server>:<port>/ui/?p=<spaceID>/<workspaceID>

  3. Log in with a browser or directly from the IDE:

    • Log in using a browser. The ALM Octane login window opens, allowing you to enter your credentials. Use this option for both non-SSO and SSO, federated environments, and for session timeouts.

      Tip: In the login window, you can also click the Click here to use your system default browser link to open an authentication page for logging in. Enter your credentials, close the browser, and you will be logged into ALM Octane.

    • Log in with a username and password. Enter your credentials for logging into ALM Octane directly. This option retains your credentials so you do not have to enter them each time.

  4. Click Test connection.

You can now work with ALM Octane from within IntelliJ IDEA.

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Work on your ALM Octane items

You can perform the following actions on your ALM Octane items:

Action Details
Open the ALM Octane My Work tab

On the bottom left, click and select ALM Octane.

The tab for My Work opens, displaying work assigned to you, grouped by category. Use the checkboxes to in the My Work tab to filter which items you can see.

When you start another session, the ALM Octane IntelliJ IDEA plugin remembers what you were working on last time, and opens tabs in the ALM Octane pane accordingly.

Most ALM Octane items are available from the IDE.

You can use the buttons to refresh the display and to expand or collapse the My Work categories.

To indicate that you are working on a particular item, and associate code changes with the item, right-click the item in the My Work list, and select Start work. When you are done, right-click and select Stop work.

View an item's details

Double-click most items to open their details in a separate pane.

Click to select which fields to see. You can also select None or All. These settings only affect you. When you start another session, the ALM Octane IntelliJ IDEA plugin remembers your field selection.

To display the details of an item in ALM Octane, click the item name, which is a link.
Search for items

You can search the list of items in My Work. The search results open in a new tab.

The plugin remembers the last five searches you ran. Click to select one and re-run the search.

The search runs in the scope of the current IntelliJ IDEA project only.

The search looks through all ALM Octane items, not just the ones assigned to you. You can use the search to assign an item to yourself, or click Add to My Work from the context menu.
Update your items

As you implement stories and fix defects in IntelliJ IDEA, update your ALM Octane items.

  • Move the status of an item from one phase to another, according to the defined ALM Octane workflow.

  • Update field values.

    Limitation:  You cannot edit the Feature field.

    If a rule exists that makes a field read-only, and you modify its value, the plugin notifies you when you save the item.

  • Click Comments to view and add comments.

Make sure to save .
Download Gherkin test scripts to implement automation

Gherkin tests can be initially created in ALM Octane, and then automated using IntelliJ IDEA.

In My Work, right-click a Gherkin test, and choose Download script.

Select the folder into which you want to download the Gherkin test. Click OK.

The downloaded script name is in the following format: 

<TestName>-<TestID>.feature

If the file already exists, you are prompted to overwrite it. Alternatively, you can cancel, and first rename the original script.

Download BDD scenarios to implement automation

This is supported with IntelliJ 2020.2 (plugin version 2020.2-15.1.40.1) and later.

You can create and run BDD (behavior-driven development) tests in ALM Octane using Gherkin scenarios, with the Cucumber-JVM framework.

In My Work, right-click a BDD scenario, and choose Download script.

Select the folder into which you want to download the BDD test. Click OK.

The downloaded script name is in the following format: 

<BDD Name>_<BDD ID>

If the file already exists, you are prompted to overwrite it. Alternatively, you can cancel, and first rename the original script.

Start work and commit changes

You can declare to the SCM system, such as Git, that you have started work on an item.

You can commit changes for user stories, quality stories, defects, or tasks.

  1. In My Work, right-click a user story, a quality story, a defect, or a task and choose Start work.

    • A triangular "play button" is displayed on the item icon.

    • The item is displayed as a button in the toolbar in IntelliJ IDEA. You can click this button to open the item's details on a tab.

  2. In My Work, right-click a user story, a quality story, a defect, or a task and select Copy Commit Message. Alternatively, you can also click in the toolbar in IntelliJ IDEA.

    You do not have to "start work" to copy the commit message.

    For details about editing commit messages, see Track commits to your SCM system.

    A notification appears to let you know that the commit message has been copied to the clipboard. You can paste it into your source control management (SCM) system.

  3. If you chose to Start work, click Stop work in the toolbar in IntelliJ IDEA.

You can also manually edit commit messages, without using auto-complete. For details, see Track commits to your SCM system.

Dismiss items

Remove items from your My Work list if they are no longer relevant. Right-click the item and select Dismiss. The items are removed from My Work, but are not deleted in ALM Octane.

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Add navigation links to work items

You can configure IntelliJ to add navigation links to the Version Control Log and History tab. These links open ALM Octane work items in your browser.

To add navigation links:

  1. Open the IntelliJ settings.
  2. Go to Version Control > Issue Navigation, or search for 'issue navigation' using the search bar.

  3. In the Issue Navigation window, click +.

    The Add Issue Navigation Link dialog box opens:

  4. Enter the following details:

    Field Value
    Issue ID

    Enter the following regular expression to instruct IntelliJ to parse the version control log and highlight the links to ALM Octane items:

    ([Dd][Ee][Ff][Ee][Cc][Tt]|[Ss][Tt][Oo][Rr][Yy]|[Uu][Ss]|[Qq][Ss]).*#(\d+)

    Issue links

    Enter a URL for the ALM Octane items.

    https://<serverURL>:<serverport>/ui/entity-navigation?&p=1001/1002&entityType=work_item&id=$2

    For example: https://acme.com:8080/ui/entity-navigation?&p=1001/1002&entityType=work_item&id=$2

    The Example fields show the result of your input.

  5. Click OK.

  6. Open the Control log. It contains direct links to the ALM Octane items, such as defects and user stories.

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See also: