I had seen this mentioned, and there is even a documented procedure that is related (Integrate Designer 3.0 Into Existing Eclipse Installation) and another article mentioning it feasibility/inabilities (Importing a Driver Export File Without Password Prompts). When I got my new iMac (27" core i7) last month, I wasn't satisfied with the performance of my current solution ('ssh -X'ing Designer from a lab machine). So I tried installing Designer on my Mac a few times. There are only a few noted steps, and never got it to work (btw... I think the steps are outdated and incomplete). I am sure any one that is a little familiar with Eclipse is laughing at me right now.

Click to view.

Figure 1 - Eclipse with Designer for Identity Manager perspective

But for anyone, like me, whose only previous interaction with Eclipse is through a pre-packaged product like Designer (or Analyzer), these steps are very easy.

What you'll need:

1. The latest download of Designer for Identity Manager (for Linux) found here:
   http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/dirxml/designer/
   I used:
   
   • Ver 3.5 dated Sept.30, 2009 - designer_linux_20090930.tar.gz

• The latest release of 'Eclipse IDE for Java EE Developers', (for Mac) found here:
  http://www.eclipse.org/downloads/
  I was successful with both:
  
  • (64-Bit) eclipse-jee-galileo-SR1-macosx-cocoa-x86_64.tar.gz
  
  
• (32-Bit) eclipse-jee-galileo-SR1-macosx-cocoa.tar.gz (32-Bit)

The process:

1. Extract you Eclipse download to wherever you want.
   I put it in my home directory, so it looked like:
   
   • /Users/Ryan/eclipse/Eclipse.app

• Extract the Designer download. It will create a 'designer_install' directory.

• Inside the designer_install directory, find and extract the 'designer-linux.gtk.x86.gz' file, this will create the directories 'features' and 'plugins'.

• Cut and paste the contents of the directories 'features/' and 'plugins/' to the corresponding eclipse directories:
  
  • .../designer_install/features/ ? .../eclipse/features/
  
  
• .../designer_install/plugins/ ? .../eclipse/plugins/

Click to view.

• Next copy-n-paste the following three .jar files:
  
  • jaxb-api.jar
  
  
• xalan.jar

• xerces.jar

• Find the Eclipse.app in the .../eclipse directory, right click, and select "Show Package Contents"
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  Click to view.

  
  

  Figure 3 - Show Eclipse package contents

  
  
  
  
  

• In the new 'Finder' window, browser go to "Contents" ? MacOs ? open 'eclipse.ini' with TextEdit and modify the following memory information.
  
  • -Xms512m
  
  
• -Xmx1024m

Click to view.

Figure 4 - Modify eclipse.ini file

• Again, find 'Eclipse.app' in the .../eclipse directory, right click, and select 'Make Alias'.

• Then you can copy 'Eclipse.app alias' to the 'Applications' directory and rename it (removing the "alias" part). Then you can also copy it to your Dock, if you want.

• Then launch Eclipse.app, it will prompt you for your "workspace", and then you will probably be able to see it loading the Designer plugins (along with a bunch of others).

• When Eclipse is up, it will show a vaguely similar welcome screen, you can close that.

• Select 'Window' from the menu bar ? 'Perspective' ? 'Other...' ? and then you can select 'Designer' from the list it will display in a popup window.
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  Click to view.

  
  

  Figure 5 - Select Designer perspective

  
  
  
  
  

Side notes:

1. Obviously its not supported.
   
2. If you don't follow (or forget) step 5, you get a warning message telling you what to do.
   
3. here is the completely illegal icon I use. (right click on your current icon --> select get info --> in the top left is the current icon --> left click on it (it will highlight) --> then right click on you desired icon and select copy (a .jpg or png file... or anything I think) --> then on the "info" page (with the original icon highlighted) press [command] [v] (paste) and it will change the icon. It is a lot less complicated than I just made it sound.. promise
   

   
   

   
   
   
   

   
   
   

   
   

   Click to view.

   
   
4. Now "Live" features will not work... due to no jclient for Macs
   
   importing
   
   • deploying
   
   
   • compare
   
   
   • tree/object browsing
   
   
   • you can manually import and export projects, and design, development, and troubleshooting tasks.
   
   
5. Set up SVN repository so that you can sync your project with another workstation that you can deploy from.

• I have also started using a LDAP browser feature plugin that works pretty well, it would be nice if there was integration to Designer through LDAP, bypassing the jclient issue.

• I got some errors on the start up page with the 64-bit Eclipse, not with the 32-bit though. It seemed cosmetic and not associated with the Designer "features/plugins".

• If you don't follow (or forget) step 5, you get a warning message telling you what to do.
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  

  
  
  

  
  

  Click to view.