Liferay Workspace

Liferay Workspace is a predefined project structure that simplifies Liferay module development, providing:

• Standardized directory layout
• Built-in Gradle support
• Environment configuration management
• Deployment automation
• Tooling integration

Workspace Structure (Gradle)

liferay-workspace/
├── configs/                  # Environment configurations
│   ├── common/
│   ├── dev/
│   └── prod/
├── gradle/                   # Gradle wrapper files
├── modules/                  # Custom modules
│   ├── apps/
│   ├── core/
│   └── themes/
├── plugins-sdk/              # Legacy plugins (if needed)
├── build.gradle              # Main build file
├── gradle.properties         # Gradle properties
├── gradlew                   # Gradle wrapper (Unix)
└── gradlew.bat               # Gradle wrapper (Windows)

Key Features

1. Environment Management

• configs/ folder holds environment-specific configurations
• Automatically applies settings based on active profile (-Pliferay.workspace.environment=dev)

2. Module Organization

• Logical separation of module types (apps, core, themes)
• Supports multiple module projects within one workspace

3. Gradle Integration

• Preconfigured build scripts
• Dependency management
• Liferay-specific tasks

Setting Up a Workspace

1. Install prerequisites:

   • Java JDK 8/11
   • Gradle (or use wrapper)
   • Liferay Blade CLI

2. Create workspace:

   blade init -v 7.4 my-liferay-workspace

3. Import into IDE:

   • IntelliJ: Open as Gradle project
   • Eclipse: Import Gradle project

Best Practices for Developers

1. Module Organization Strategy

• Group related modules together
• Use clear naming conventions
• Separate by functionality (not by technical layer)

2. Dependency Management

• Use build.gradle for common dependencies
• Leverage BOM (Bill of Materials) for version alignment:

  dependencies {
      compileOnly group: "com.liferay", name: "com.liferay.portal.kernel"
      compileOnly group: "org.osgi", name: "org.osgi.service.component.annotations"
  }

3. Environment Configuration

• Keep environment-specific settings in configs/
• Use separate configurations for DB, portal properties, etc.
• Example structure:

  configs/
    ├── dev/
    │   ├── portal-ext.properties
    │   └── osgi/
    └── prod/
        ├── portal-ext.properties
        └── osgi/

4. Build Optimization

• Use Gradle’s incremental builds
• Configure parallel execution in gradle.properties:

  org.gradle.parallel=true
  org.gradle.daemon=true

5. Version Control Strategy

• Include in VCS:
  • build.gradle
  • gradle.properties
  • configs/ (without secrets)
• Exclude:
  • build/ folders
  • .gradle/
  • Local deployment artifacts

Important Gradle Tasks

Task	Description
gradle deploy	Deploy all modules to Liferay
gradle build	Build all modules
gradle clean	Clean build artifacts
gradle formatSource	Format Java sources
gradle checkFormat	Verify source formatting
gradle test	Run unit tests
gradle watch	Continuous deployment mode

Workspace Configuration

gradle.properties Essentials

liferay.workspace.bundle.url=https://releases-cdn.liferay.com/portal/7.4.3.4-ga4/liferay-ce-portal-tomcat-7.4.3.4-ga4-20210419214101527.tar.gz
liferay.workspace.home.dir=/path/to/bundles
liferay.workspace.modules.dir=modules
liferay.workspace.themes.dir=themes

build.gradle Customizations

subprojects {
    apply plugin: "com.liferay.plugin"

    dependencies {
        compileOnly group: "com.liferay", name: "com.liferay.portal.kernel"
        compileOnly group: "org.osgi", name: "osgi.cmpn"
    }

    repositories {
        maven {
            url "https://repository.liferay.com/nexus/content/groups/public"
        }
    }
}

Advanced Workspace Techniques

1. Multi-Module Projects

settings.gradle

include 'modules:apps:my-app', 'modules:core:my-core'

2. Custom Source Sets

sourceSets {
    main {
        resources {
            srcDirs += ["src/main/resources", "../configs/common"]
        }
    }
}

3. Profile-Specific Builds

./gradlew build -Pliferay.workspace.environment=prod

4. Docker Integration

task buildDockerImage(type: Exec) {
    commandLine 'docker', 'build', '-t', 'my-liferay-app', '.'
}

Troubleshooting

1. Deployment Issues:

   • Check [LIFERAY_HOME]/osgi/logs
   • Verify bundle status with blade sh lb

2. Build Failures:

   • Run with --stacktrace flag
   • Check dependency versions

3. Module Not Found:

   • Verify settings.gradle includes the module
   • Check module directory structure

Conclusion

Liferay Workspace with Gradle provides:

• Standardized project structure
• Simplified build configuration
• Environment management
• Powerful development tools

Best practices include:

• Logical module organization
• Proper environment separation
• Consistent dependency management
• Leveraging Blade CLI for productivity

The combination of Liferay Workspace, Gradle, and Blade CLI creates a powerful development environment for building modular, maintainable Liferay applications.