Settings sync doesn't seem to work

[sdrzazga]

When I start a client with IDEA only a subset of my plugins seems to be available. For instance, Terraform is unavailable and has to be installed manually.

Furthermore, nothing happens when trying to use Settings Sync except that eventually the client crashes.

OS: Mac OS X OS Version: 13.1 OS Architecture: x86_64 Java Version: 17.0.5 Java Runtime Version: 17.0.5+1-b653.23 Java Vendor: JetBrains s.r.o. Available CPUs: 12 Max Memory: 536870912 Free Memory: 73023016 Total Memory: 201326592 IDE Version: 2022.3.1 IDE: JetBrains Gateway 2022.3.1 Plugin Version: 0.3.0.971 Plugin path: /Users/t958072/Library/Application Support/JetBrains/Toolbox/apps/Gateway/ch-0/223.8214.51/JetBrains Gateway.app.plugins/github-codespaces-gateway Plugin ID: com.github.codespaces.jetbrains.gateway

[cmuto09]

Thanks for the report @sdrzazga! JetBrains has not implemented settings synchronization in the Gateway yet, which is why it is not working. You can track their progress in this YouTrack ticket.

Regarding the subset of plugins- can you share a bit more about what plugins you expect to see vs. what you actually see?

[sdrzazga]

Hello @cmuto09 thanks for your response. In terms of Settings Sync it makes no sense to have the UI enabled, but nothing is working as you highlighted. I sure wish they had a piece of information there that states that it is not implemented, but I can raise that through YouTrack.

A question in this context, if you don't mind. When settings sync is currently not supported, how do I get plugins automatically installed and configured? I looked at the documentation and I assume it would currently be by using the Settings Repository Plugin which would then be a chicken-egg scenario since it is not bundled with the IDE anymore.

Regarding the issue, I raised that I could only see a subset of plugins seems to have resolved itself. As far as I know, a few weeks back it wasn't working but now with GitHub Codespaces 0.3.0.1042 it seems fine. I can say that it is working now and I'm able to see/install all the plugins I wanted.

[cmuto09]

Hey @sdrzazga- settings sync and plugin management aren't technically part of the GitHub Codespaces plugin, their management is controlled by the JetBrains Gateway and the remote IDEs themselves. We do plan to incorporate JetBrains plugin management into the devcontainer.json (the same way it works for VS Code). This would enable you to define a set of plugins to install, however it would take effect for every user who creates a codespace based on that devcontainer.

Personal plugin management will require JetBrains to implement Settings Sync or potentially dotfiles, though I have not tried the dotfiles approach so am unsure about the feasibility.

@trent-j @thomas-sickert is dotfiles a potentially valid approach, and if so what would be the right way of doing it given the IDE installation path?

[chadxzs]

I’m also interested in any workarounds to the lack of settings sync, like pre-baking the backend, settings and plugins into the Codespaces image for a smoother onboarding experience.