Working with resources - AWS Toolkit for JetBrains
IAM permissions for accessing resourcesAdding and interacting with existing resourcesCreating and updating resources

Working with resources

In addition to accessing AWS services that are listed by default in the AWS Explorer, you can also go to Resources and choose from hundreds of resources to add to the interface. In AWS, a resource is an entity you can work with. Some of the resources that can be added include Amazon AppFlow, Amazon Kinesis Data Streams, AWS IAM roles, Amazon VPC, and Amazon CloudFront distributions.

After making your selection, you can go to Resources and expand the resource type to list the available resources for that type. For example, if you select the AWS::Lambda::Function resource type, you can access the resources that define different functions, their properties, and their attributes.

After adding a resource type to Resources, you can interact with it and its resources in the following ways:

  • View a list of existing resources that are available in the current AWS Region for this resource type.

  • View a read-only version of the JSON file that describes a resource.

  • Copy the resource identifier for the resource.

  • View the AWS documentation that explains the purpose of the resource type and the schema (in JSON and YAML formats) for modelling a resource.

  • Create a new resource by editing and saving a JSON-formatted template that conforms to a schema.*

  • Update or delete an existing resource.*

Important

*In the current release of the AWS Toolkit for JetBrains the option to create, edit, and delete resources is an experimental feature. Because experimental features continue to be tested and updated, they may have usability issues. And experimental features may be removed from the AWS Toolkit for JetBrains without notice.

To allow the use of experimental features for resources, open the Settings pane in your JetBrains IDE, and expand Tools, and then choose AWS, Experimental Features. Select JSON Resource Modification to allow you to create, update, and delete resources.

For more information, see Working with experimental features.

IAM permissions for accessing resources

You require specific AWS Identity and Access Management permissions to access the resources associated with AWS services. For example, an IAM entity, such as a user or a role, requires Lambda permissions to access AWS::Lambda::Function resources.

In addition to permissions for service resources, an IAM entity requires permissions to permit the AWS Toolkit for JetBrains to call AWS Cloud Control API operations on its behalf. Cloud Control API operations allow the IAM user or role to access and update the remote resources.

The easiest way to grant permissions is to attach the AWS managed policy, PowerUserAccess, to the IAM entity that's calling these API operations using the Toolkit interface. This managed policy grants a range of permissions for performing application development tasks, including calling API operations.

For specific permissions that define allowable API operations on remote resources, see the AWS Cloud Control API User Guide.

Adding and interacting with existing resources

  1. In the AWS Explorer, right-click Resources and choose Add or remove resources.

    Additional Explorer Resources in the Settings pane displays a list of resource types that are available for selection.

    Note

    You can also display the list of resource types by double-clicking the Add or remove resources node, which is under Resources.

    Selecting resources to configure.

  2. In the Additional Explorer Resources, select the resource types to add to the AWS Explorer and press Return or choose OK to confirm.

    The resource types that you selected are listed under Resources.

    Note

    If you've already added a resource type to the AWS Explorer and then clear the checkbox for that type, it's no longer listed under Resources after you choose OK. Only those resource types that are currently selected are visible in the AWS Explorer.

  3. To view the resources that already exist for a resource type, expand the entry for that type.

    A list of available resources is displayed under their resource type.

  4. To interact with a specific resource, right-click its name and choose one of the following options:

    • View resource: View a read-only version of the JSON-formatted template that describes the resource.

      After the template is displayed, you can change it by choosing Edit if you have the required experimental feature enabled.

      Note

      You can also view the resource by double-clicking it.

    • Copy identifier: Copy the identifier for the specific resource to the clipboard. (For example, the AWS::DynamoDB::Table resource can be identified using the TableName property.)

    • Update resource: Edit the JSON-formatted template for the resource in a JetBrains editor. For more information, see Creating and updating resources.

    • Delete resource: Delete the resource by confirming the deletion in a dialog box that is displayed. (Deleting resources is currently an experimental feature in this version of the AWS Toolkit for JetBrains.)

      Warning

      If you delete a resource, any AWS CloudFormation stack that uses that resource will fail to update. To fix this update failure, you need to either recreate the resource or remove the reference to it in the stack's AWS CloudFormation template. For more information, see this Knowledge Center article.

    Menu options for a selected resource.

Creating and updating resources

Important

The creation and updating of resources is currently an experimental feature in this version of the AWS Toolkit for JetBrains.

Creating a new resource involves adding a resource type to the Resources list and then editing a JSON-formatted template that defines the resource, its properties, and its attributes.

For example, a resource that belongs to the AWS::SageMaker::UserProfile resource type is defined with a template that creates a user profile for Amazon SageMaker Studio. The template that defines this user profile resource must conform to the resource type schema for AWS::SageMaker::UserProfile. If the template doesn't comply with the schema because of missing or incorrect properties, for example, the resource can't be created or updated.

  1. Add the resource type for the resource you want to create by right-clicking Resources and choosing Add or remove resources.

  2. After the resource type is added under Resources, right-click its name and choose Create resource. You can also access information about how to model the resource by choosing View documentation.

    Menu options for a selected resource type.

  3. In the editor, start to define properties that make up the resource template. The autocomplete feature suggests property names that conform with your template's schema. When your temple fully conforms with JSON syntax, the error count is replaced by a green checkmark. For detailed information about the schema, choose View documentation.

    Note

    As well as conforming to basic JSON syntax, your template must conform to the schema that models the resource type. Your template is validated against the schema model when you try to create or update the remote resource.

    Editor displaying the template that describes a resource type.

  4. After you finish declaring your resource, choose Create to validate your template and save the resource to the remote AWS Cloud. (Choose Update if you're modifying an existing resource.)

    If your template defines the resource in accordance with its schema, a message displays to confirm that the resource was created. (If the resource already exists, the message confirms that the resource was updated.)

    After the resource is created, it's added to the list under the resource type heading.

  5. If your file contains errors, a message displays to explain that the resource couldn't be created or updated. Open the Event Log to identify the template elements that you need to fix.