Mastering Data Modeling with Liferay Objects

Course Overview

Course Environment Setup

Throughout this course, you’ll use a local Liferay environment to implement Clarity’s apps. Here you’ll prepare your system and set up the Clarity workspace you’ll use in course exercises.

Prerequisites

Ensure your system satisfies the following prerequisites:

  • Git

  • Java JDK 21

  • Liferay CLI Tools

Git

To verify Git is installed and ready for use, open a terminal window and run this command:

git version
If you’re on Windows, use Command Prompt, PowerShell, or BASH to execute terminal commands.

This returns the version of your git installation. For example,

git version 2.46.2

If the Git command is not found, please see official documentation for how to install Git for your OS (macOS|Windows|Linux/Unix).

Java JDK 21

This course requires Java JDK 21. You can find the appropriate OpenJDK distribution for your OS here. You can download the JDK as a ZIP (Windows) or TAR.GZ (Linux/Mac) package. To install, extract the file in a folder of your choice, then set the JAVA_HOME environment variable to that folder. Alternatively, you can install Java using native installers according to your OS (macOS|Windows|Linux).

Once you’ve installed Java JDK 21, open a terminal window and run this command to ensure it is ready for use:

java -version

The JDK version appears. For example,

openjdk version "21.0.4" 2024-07-16

If it does not, you may need to perform additional troubleshooting steps that are beyond the scope of this course. Please see the relevant Java JDK installation documentation for your system.

Liferay CLI Tools

Liferay provides two command-line tools (Blade CLI and Liferay Cloud CLI) to empower users to perform essential lifecycle operations without the need of a graphical user interface. For this course, they are optional. Though if you’re working with Liferay SaaS and plan to create client extensions, the Liferay Cloud CLI tool is necessary.

Blade CLI

The Blade CLI tool can simplify many development tasks. You can use it to create new workspaces, get server bundles, spin up Liferay instances, and more. See Blade CLI installation instructions.

Once finished, run this command to verify Blade is installed and ready to use:

blade version

It should return the CLI’s version:

blade version 7.0.1.202407261807

If the output indicates there is a newer version, run this command to update it:

blade update

While we recommend using Blade to set up Liferay Workspace, you can also use Gradle to complete the process manually. See Creating a Liferay Workspace Manually for more information.

Liferay Cloud CLI

The Liferay Cloud CLI tool is for managing instances without using the Liferay Cloud Console UI. This versatile tool provides support for almost all management functions, though its primary uses are

  • Project and Service Management

  • Deployment and Updates

  • Log Management

  • Environment Management

  • Domain Management

Using the Cloud CLI tool, you can do all this with just a few commands, which are tasks that would otherwise require navigating around the Cloud Administrator Console. To use it, you’ll have to log in when it first runs and set the URL for your Liferay environments, but after that you’re ready to go.

If you’re on Liferay PaaS, this tool is not required for deployment, but it is highly recommended. If you’re on Liferay SaaS, it is required for deploying client extensions. Please see Liferay Cloud Command-Line Tool for installation instructions.

Great! With the prerequisites in place, let’s explore Liferay Workspaces and set up your Liferay environment.

Setting Up the Clarity Workspace

As explained in the previous module, you’ll help implement Clarity’s app throughout this course. Instead of starting from scratch, you’ll use a partially complete app provided in a Liferay workspace: liferay-course-objects. Here you’ll set up this workspace locally in preparation for the following modules.

To do this,

  1. Open your terminal and clone the training workspace to your computer:

    git clone https://github.com/liferay/liferay-course-objects.git

    This saves a copy of the project in your current terminal directory.

    If you’ve cloned the repo previously, ensure your workspace is up to date by running git pull origin main.
  2. Go to the workspace’s root folder in your terminal:

    cd liferay-course-objects
  3. Initialize your Liferay bundle.

    blade server init

    This downloads and builds dependencies for running Liferay, including the Liferay Tomcat server.
    If you don’t have Blade installed, run the correct gradlew command for your OS:
    Unix-based:

    ./gradlew initBundle

    Windows:

    .\gradlew.bat initBundle
    This sample workspace includes a hotfix, which you'll need to install before starting your server.
  4. Go to the patching tool folder.

    cd bundles/patching-tool
  5. Install the hotfix using the correct command for your OS.
    Unix-based:

    ./patching-tool.sh install
    
    Windows:
    .\patching-tool.bat install
    
  6. Verify that the hotfix has been successfully installed.

    Success in 0.369 seconds. hotfix-33 is installed on the system.
    
    If you've started your Liferay server previously, go to the bundles/osgi/state folder and remove its contents.
  7. Use Blade to start your Liferay server:

    blade server run

    Alternatively,
    Unix-based:

    ./bundles/tomcat/bin/catalina.sh run

    Windows:

    .\bundles\tomcat\bin\catalina.bat run
    You may notice some errors during your initial startup (e.g., reindexing). You can safely ignore these errors.
  8. When finished, access your Liferay DXP instance by going to localhost:8080 in your browser.

  9. Sign in using these credentials:

    • Username: admin@clarityvisionsolutions.com

    • Password: learn

  10. Take some time to explore the site and resources included in the training workspace.

Conclusion

Great! With your environment set up, you’re ready to start contributing to Clarity’s apps. Next, you’ll start learning the fundamentals of Liferay Objects.

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