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This documentation applies to the on-premises installation of watsonx Code Assistant on IBM Software Hub. For IBM Cloud documentation, see Installing the plug-in for the Eclipse IDE.

Installing the plug-in for the Eclipse IDE

Create an API key and add the watsonx Code Assistant plug-in to your Eclipse IDE.

Compatibility

The plug-in is compatible with:

  • Eclipse IDE for Java Developers or Eclipse IDE for Enterprise Java and Web Developers
  • Package 2024-06
  • On Windows, the plug-in requires the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime. In newer versions of Windows this might already be installed.

Before you begin

To set up your plug-in, you need these items from your IBM Software Hub administrator:

  • URL of your organization's instance of IBM Software Hub instance
  • An IBM Software Hub username

Create a platform API key on IBM Software Hub

Each developer uses a personal API key to log in to the extension.

To create a platform API key, follow the instructions in Generating API keys for authentication.

Install the plug-in

You can install the plug-in from the Eclipse Marketplace or from within your Eclipse IDE.

From the Eclipse Marketplace

To install the plug-in from the Eclipse Marketplace:

  1. Open your Eclipse IDE.

  2. Choose the installation for the type of work that you plan to do:

    • For integrated generative AI for code suggestions, code explanations, code documentation, and unit tests, open the watsonx Code Assistant page in the Eclipse Marketplace.
    • To add enterprise Java modernization capabilities, enhanced code explanation, and enhanced unit test generation, open the IBM watsonx Code Assistant page in the Eclipse Marketplace.

  3. Click and drag the Install button into the workspace in your Eclipse IDE.

  4. On Confirm Features, review the items, then click Confirm.

  5. On Review Licenses, read the license, click to agree, then click Finish.

  6. On Trust Authorities, click the checkbox, then click Trust Selected.

  7. On Trust Artifacts, click the Type checkbox, then click Trust Selected.

  8. You need to restart Eclipse. On Software Updates, click Restart Now.

From the Eclipse IDE

To install the plug-in from your Eclipse IDE:

  1. In your Eclipse IDE, click the Help menu, then choose Eclipse Marketplace.

  2. Choose the installation for the type of work that you plan to do:

    • For integrated generative AI for code suggestions, code explanations, code documentation, and unit tests, search for watsonx Code Assistant.
    • To add enterprise Java modernization capabilities, enhanced code explanation, and enhanced unit test generation, search for watsonx Code Assistant for Enterprise Java Applications.

  3. Click the Install button.

  4. On Confirm Features, review the items, then click Confirm.

  5. On Review Licenses, read the license, click to agree, then click Finish.

  6. On Trust Authorities, click the checkbox, then click Trust Selected.

  7. On Trust Artifacts, click the Type checkbox, then click Trust Selected.

  8. You need to restart Eclipse. On Software Updates, click Restart Now.

Update settings with IBM Software Hub URL and username

You need to add the IBM Software Hub URL and username to the extension settings. Contact your IBM Software Hub administrator for help.

  1. Open the settings for the Eclipse IDE.

  2. In the watsonx Code Assistant Settings entry, expand to open the Security settings.

  3. In URL for your Cloud Pak for Data instance, enter the URL for your organization's instance of IBM Software Hub.

  4. In Enter the username of your on-premises installation instance, enter your IBM Software Hub username.

  5. Click Apply and close.

Open the plug-in

To open watsonx Code Assistant:

  1. After Eclipse restarts, click Window, select Show View, then click Other.

  2. In the Show View dialog, open the watsonx Code Assistant folder, select Chat, then click Open.

  3. Click Log in, then enter your IBM Software Hub platform API key.

Set up your enterprise Java environment

If you want to work with enterprise Java applications, you need to set up your environment. For more information, see Setting up your enterprise Java environment.

Secure your setup

IBM watsonx Code Assistant doesn't provide any additional security controls. Use these steps to properly secure your setup.

Your Eclipse environment

Apply all Eclipse IDE updates to help ensure you have the latest security and bug fixes.

The watsonx Code Assistant extension logs are stored in *.log files under <your home directory>/.wca. These files are not encrypted, other than the encryption that your file system provides. Safeguard the logs against improper access.

Chat conversation storage

IBM watsonx Code Assistant stores all your chat conversations locally in your file system in <your home directory>/.wca/chat.db, in a database format defined by SQLite. IBM watsonx Code Assistant does not share these conversations with anyone. This file is not encrypted, other than the encryption that your file system provides. Safeguard this file against improper access.

Telemetry data

IBM watsonx Code Assistant does not collect any telemetry data. In general, watsonx Code Assistant doesn't send any data that it processes to a third party, IBM included.

Use the Console to see activity details

You can use the Console view of the Eclipse IDE to see details about what the plug-in is doing and logging, and check for any errors.

To open the Console view:

  1. In Eclipse, click Window, select Show View, then click Console.

  2. In the Console view, click the Display Selected Console icon to select watsonx Code Assistant or watsonx Code Assistant: LSP. Both provide more details about what the plug-in is doing.

To adjust the Console view and logging for the Eclipse plug-in:

  1. Open the settings for the Eclipse IDE.

  2. Click the watsonx Code Assistant Settings entry.

  3. In Log level, switch from the default of INFO to another setting such as WARN.

Uninstall the plug-in

If you need to uninstall watsonx Code Assistant, follow these steps:

  1. In your Eclipse editor, click Help, then click Install New Software.

  2. Click What is already installed?.

  3. On the Installed Software tab, select watsonx Code Assistant, then click Uninstall.

  4. On Uninstall, review the items, then click Finish.

  5. You need to restart Eclipse. On Software Updates, click Restart Now.