Pipeline Editor
Visual pipeline XML editing and pipeline debugging support in JetBrains IDEs
Configure JCEF for smooth pipeline editing
Before using the Pipeline Editor, open Help → Edit Custom VM Options, add
-Djcef.remote.enabled=false on its own line, save the file, and fully restart the IDE. This disables JetBrains'
remote/out-of-process JCEF mode for the IDE process and gives the editor smoother scrolling, trackpad gestures,
pinch-to-zoom, and graph interaction.
The JetBrains plugin registers a pipeline editor provider for SFCC pipeline XML and contributes actions to switch between graph editor and source.
Why the VM Option Is Needed
The visual pipeline graph is a canvas-heavy web application embedded in JetBrains through JCEF. Intellij SFCC asks JCEF for a normal windowed browser so Chromium can handle wheel, trackpad, keyboard, and focus input directly.
When remote JCEF is enabled, JetBrains can override that per-browser request and force off-screen rendering. The IDE then forwards rendered frames and input through the remote JCEF process instead of using the native windowed path. That extra process/RPC boundary and synthetic input path can make continuous scrolling, zooming, and editing feel delayed or jumpy.
Adding this custom VM option forces JCEF to use the local in-process mode from IDE startup:
-Djcef.remote.enabled=falseWith remote mode disabled, the Pipeline Editor's windowed rendering request can be honored and Chromium receives input through the smoother native path. The setting is read when JCEF initializes, so a complete IDE restart is required after adding or removing it.
The option is IDE-wide
This setting affects every embedded JCEF browser in the IDE process, not only Intellij SFCC. If another embedded browser feature behaves incorrectly, remove the option and restart the IDE. See Pipeline Editor Performance for Toolbox and manual VM options paths, platform-specific fallbacks, and the full trade-offs.
Capabilities
- Open pipeline XML in a visual editor.
- Switch between visual editor and source.
- Create new pipeline files from SFCC new-file actions.
- Add supported pipeline breakpoints.
- Inspect pipeline call stack and variables during debugger sessions.
Entry Points
- Open a pipeline XML file.
- Use Show Pipeline Editor or Show Pipeline Source from the editor context menu.
- Create a new pipeline from New > Salesforce B2C Commerce > Pipeline.