# Using the MDEX State Manager

In order to use your MDEX State Manager, you must specify a new class for the Discovery Framework to pick up and use in place of the default State Manager implementation.

The your-state-manager-name directory you created contains an ant build file. The ant deploy task places a .jar file containing your State Manager into the portal/tomcat-<version>/lib/ext directory.

To specify your new class to the Discovery Framework:

1. Point the cursor at the Dock in the upper-right corner of the page.
2. In the drop-down menu, choose Control Panel.
3. In the Portal section of the Control Panel navigation panel, select Discovery Framework Settings.
4. Change the df.mdexStateManager property to the full name of your class, similar to following example:

       df.mdexStateManager = com.endeca.portal.extensions.YourStateManagerClass

5. Click Update Settings.
6. Restart the Discovery Framework so the change can take effect. You may also need to clear any cached user sessions.