Designer enables you to do the following:
Carry projects with you, work offline, and save projects to disk.
Keep a project open for an extended period of time.
Work on multiple projects at the same time.
Experience higher performance because processing is performed on the local CPU.
Enjoy a smoother interface with fewer clicks and fewer sub-windows to resize or close.
Benefit from an included development/debugging environment and integration with other client-based tools for editing and debugging.
Designer has abundant, easy-to-use features.
Basic views: Error Log, Outline, Project, Navigator, Tasks
A fully indexed and searchable Help system
General undo/redo capabilities
Internal common services: utilities, APIs, widgets, and resource caches
Log and trace files
Perspective management: open close, copy, and reset
Preferences: general appearance, fonts, colors, styles, file associations, and history
Text editor: CUA keyboard, tabs, print margins, line numbers, colors, preferences, find/replace, bookmarks, go-to line, print
Toolbar, menu bar, welcome bar, perspective bar, and fast view bar
Trace view with preferences for controlling the output
View and editor management
Welcome page: what’s new, updates, and Flash demos
Localized software for international customers
Ability to install newer plug-ins, manage installed plug-ins, and back-rev if necessary
Option to place the Designer icon on the desktop
Option to run Designer directly from the install
Automatic (or manual) checking for updates, with a setting to turn updates on or off
Language selection for localized installs
Alignment capabilities: grid, snap, ruler, distribution, and hints
Auto-layouts: star, circle, half-circle, and expand or contract in and out
Copy/paste within editors and across editors
Color themes
Delete (with multiselect support)
Driver Configuration Wizard integration
A graphical Dataflow view and the ability to manipulate data flow arrows: update filters, schema, and mapping policies visually
Decoration support: change vaults to trees, mark drivers as remote or communicating across firewalls, resource icons (help desk, log, and audit)
Domain group management: add to group, ungroup, nest groups, clear, minimize/maximize, expand/collapse all, restore, auto-size, icon library
Drag and drop Identity Vaults, driver sets, applications, domain groups, and resources
Integration among editors
Modeling Palette: drag and drop, folders, configurable in Preferences
Graphic snapshot services
Help: context-sensitive, search, browse, and demos
Direct link from the help menu to the Identity Manager forums
High-level architect mode and low-level developer modes
Inline editing of titles and labels
Integrated hierarchical Outline view
Keyboard support
Edit icons
Manage line connections: auto-connecting, auto-highlight, mouse gravitation, collapsing lines when groups collapse, line straightening, reconnect, eDir-to-eDir connections, multidriver connections
Preferences: many preferences for display behaviors, prompts, and auto-wizards
Print support with various fit-to-page options
Search a model: case sensitivity, integrated editors, and searching by class
Manage selections: marquee and selection tools, synchronized selections with external views, select all, and extend or remove from selection
Integrated services: start or stop drivers, driver information, and import or deploy
Subapplication modeling with applications that contain applications
Table editor: sort columns and launch editors
Dataflow editor
Server creation requests version information
Zoom, pan, and scan (in the Thumbnail view)
Copy projects
Delete projects
Create projects with the New Identity Manager Project Wizard
Expand/collapse all
Help-me-get-started process
Import from directory or file system
Move project
Multiproject support
Project documentation folder and content management
Create new items: vaults, drivers, driver sets, and applications
Delete a selected item
Integrated launching of editors
Expand/collapse all
Export to a driver configuration file
Filter the view to show only certain objects
List all project items hierarchically
Host the Modeler Thumbnail view and the Policy Flow view
Import/deploy integration
Save and restore the expansion state and selection
Synchronize selections with the Modeler
Undo/redo
Deploy groups, identity vaults, driver sets, drivers, policies, channels, and e-mail templates
Import an existing Identity Manager solution from the directory into a project
Import driver sets, drivers, policies, and channels
Import both sides of eDir-to-eDir drivers
Import and deploy driver configuration files
Handle multiserver environments
Set up driver security
Easily protect overwriting during conflicts
View changes before you deploy
Used in policy management and configuration editing
For notification templates, you can use an HTML editor.
Outline view support
Find and replace
Highlight syntax
Auto suggest
Auto-insert end tags
Edit applications: name, type, icon, environment, and administrator notes
Edit drivers: Global Communication Values (GCVs), log level, module, authentication, driver parameters, startup option, driver manifest, named passwords, icon, and trace
Edit driver sets: GCVs, servers, trace, and log level
Edit e-mail templates: collections, e-mail notification server, and all template content with token support
Edit Identity Vaults: credentials, administrator notes, and server list
Edit resources: name, type, icon, and administrator notes
Edit servers: name, context, host, DNs name, notes, and contact information
Properties view: column resizing, hierarchical groups, inline editors and editor launching, and support for simultaneously editing selected items
Reorder, add, and delete policies (Policy Script or XSLT)
Policy editor integration
View policy flow between an application and the Identity Vault
View Policy Set details in the Policy Set view
In the Outline view, view a hiearchical organization of policies in the Policy Set view
Add classes and attributes
Copy the filter
Delete
Multiselect support
Keyboard support
Refresh the schema
Expand/collapse all
Configure default values
Create a home directory
Track member templates
Merge authority
Optimize modifications
Undo/redo
XML editor integration
Add classes and attributes
Delete
Multiselect support
Keyboard support
Refresh the schema
Expand/collapse all
Non-class specific handling
Integrated XML editor
Create and edit policy scripts
Define rules: conditions, actions, groups
Support for predefined rules
Emphasis on productivity
Nested inline editors
Keyboard support
Copy/paste within an editor and across editors
Drag and drop
Integrated Help
Policy creation wizards
Import/export
Namespace editing
Expand/collapse all
Reordering
Integrated e-mail templates
Integrated Global Configuration Values
Integrated schema
Various display preferences
Argument builder and token editor
Undo/redo
Validation
Integrated XML editor
Launch a simulation wizard from the Policy Flow view, policy editors, and the Policy Set view
Load sample input documents: user add, delete, query, modify, and association
Edit input documents by using an inline XML editor
Query document input
Render output documents
See the Metadirectory engine log of event processing
Clear logs
Select a policy set you want to simulate
Chain simulation from one policy to the next
View the filters that allow the data to flow between all of the systems and the Identity Vaults
View how the passwords flow through the different systems
Add, delete and edit driver sets, drivers, filters and Identity Vaults from one location
Generate HTML reports of the data flow and password flow
Set up criteria that, once met, initiate an event to grant or revoke access to business resources
Use Role-Based entitlements (automated) and workflow provisioning entitlements (approval required)
Use the Entitlement Wizard graphical interface to create the types of entitlements that you can use
For a number of drivers, use preconfigurations that already contain entitlements
Manage entitlements by using either of two packages: iManager through Role-Based Entitlement Policies, or the User Application for workflow entitlements
Provide users with hints when they forget passwords
E-mail new passwords
Explain why a password wasn’t reset or didn’t synchronize
Add or import templates
Customize e-mail messages
Click a button and generate a PDF document of your project
Edit the content of the document: title, name, legal disclaimer, executive summary, and overview
Edit the Document Style (template) to format the style and content any way you want
Generate a linkable appendix and a table of contents
Generate graphical filter policy tables with a legend
Generate Policy Builder rule tables
Generate detailed information on all vaults, driver sets, drivers, and policies
Generate schema tables
Generate server configuration tables
Include model diagrams
Manage and view multiple styles in the Project view
Number pages
Directory browser for selecting objects: filtered on type; switch to another vault
Import and deploy the schema to a directory or . sch file
Use available eDirectory™schemas for offline-from-scratch modeling
Manage schema attributes: add, rename, delete, set constraints, syntax, size, see what classes are used, define hierarchy, and specify mandatory/naming/optional attributes
Manage schema classes: add, rename, delete, set class flags, define hierarchy, specify mandatory/naming/optional attributes
Schema management filter to see only changes that you’ve made in a project
Remotely control desktop applications and resources
Launch and use iManager
Manage directory objects
Most Designer components are now sensitive to the version of Identity Manager that the piece of configuration is going to run on
Prevents incompatible configurations by adapting the UI to show only available features for theselected version.
The Add Server Wizard lets you specify the Identity Manager version. Easily change to another version.
Loads the Legacy Policy Builder loads if your Identity Manager version earlier than Identity Manager 3.5. Loads the new Policy Builder loads if your Identity Manager version is 3.5.
Warning or preventing deployment to a legacy server if an incompatible configuration is detected during import or deployment.
Driver configuration files report the minimum required engine version.
Is a framework of chained converters
Converts earlier projects to Identity Manager 3.5 formats
Provides a backup of an earlier project in case you need to use the earlier version
Launches automatically
Checks project for validity and completeness before deploying
In manual mode by default, but can be changed to run at every save
Checks whether global variables exist as GCVs when referenced from conditions or actions
The following help you be highly productive in your environment:
Rich-client environment: work in a highly productive rich-client environment, with a native look and feel
Disconnected mode: work well in a disconnected mobile environment when you’re “on the go”
Strong visual editors, minimal pop-ups, and well-synchronized views laid out to maximize productivity
Powerful window, view, perspective, and tool management
Reduction of steps to configure solutions
Wizards to help you get started and configure projects
Auto-creation of objects, auto-value, auto-connection, auto-layouts
Strong copy/paste within and across editors
Full keyboard support in all editors in a way that only a client can perform
Full undo/redo in most editors and views
Ability to scale the UI from basic to more advanced views
Ability to filter key views to see as much or as little as you need to see
Integrated XML editor with syntax highlighting, auto-suggest, and search and replace
Very efficient, compact, powerful, and productive off-line schema management tools
Value history on many fields to reduce typing
Many preferences and settings that tailor the UI to how you want to use the product
Logs and traces that are easy to access and view
Thorough contextual help and powerful searchable help system
Quick and very easy installation
Auto-Update
Auto-update installation notifies you of any updates and easily pulls them in.
Easily add and model something not in the shipping version.
For example, you can add your own applications, drivers, resources, and icons.
Configure Designer to use a different editor.
Configure all file types (for example, .xml and .txt) to use your editor of choice. Eclipse-based editors work best, but you can also include various artifacts (for example, word processing documents and spreadsheets). The native editor is automatically integrated into Designer if the platform supports it.
Develop and debug in Java*.
If you install Designer plug-ins into a full Eclipse install, you can do Java development and debugging, ANT, C#, and UML modeling, all in the same tool alongside Designer. This has particular value to Identity Manager driver writers (Java or C) who want the tools all together.
Use public APIs.
Identity Manager uses fully published public Eclipse APIs, an underlying project data model that is consistent with open industry standards in its format, and published Eclipse extension points.
Though not public yet, a strong set of APIs and extension points is being developed to make it easy to add your own integrated wizard, editor, process, view, menu, toolbar item, or help page. For the most part, you can use the public APIs and extension points that Eclipse already provides. We are further augmenting that with additional APIs and extension points, based on Eclipse standards, to give you more power and options.
We use these APIs ourselves. Many internal developers are currently using them. When they are stable enough, they will be made public. We are not appending APIs as an afterthought, but building them in from the beginning. We fully support the open model, patterns, and API standards as outlined by Eclipse, rather than taking a proprietary approach.
In the future, with an off-the-shelf Eclipse book and knowledge of our extension points, you should be able to contribute very rich content to Designer. You will have an abundance of books, resources, and forums in the Eclipse community to address most of your needs. Some developers are having success doing this now, even without access to our APIs.