Hidden Features IntelliJ IDEA

Just another Hidden features and tips and tricks WIKI.

After seeing the hidden features of eclipse, java, spring framework I thought we need to have a list of the features, TIPS for IntelliJ too which is the best and the Intelligent IDE available for java.

Help -> Productivity Guide: See all the fun you've been missing out.

I love syntax-aware selection. Control + W.

When I'm forced to work with other IDEs, that key sequence usually causes files to close. It's a nasty negative feedback loop.

Shift-F7 (Smart Step Into) is a useful debugging feature that I haven't seen with other IDE's. I also like CTRL-J to pull up Live Templates, and (unrelated) CTRL-SHIFT-J to merge the next line with this one.

Update

Got a few more:

• Ctrl-Alt-F7 to show usages in a pop-up list
• Call Hierarchy is like a more through "find usages" and shows a tree that traces method calls leading to the current code

I've got a few extra mouse buttons, so I have bound each of these to the buttons for fast access.

Shift Control Space

I love Shift + Control + Space for code completion, it is not a secret thought. You can use it everywhere - in a Spring configuration file, at the right side of an attribution, to complete a method call, to pass a parameter.

The nice thing about it is that if you have a parameter of type "X" inside an object "y", when you press Shift + Control + Space twice, it will actually display "y.X" as one of the possible options. I guess I could classify that as a secret :-).

Other shortcuts that I use often are Shift + Insert to generate code (such as equals and hashcode, or a constructor to initialize my final variables), Ctrl + I and Ctrl + O to implement/ override methods, Alt + Enter to fix a compilation error/ warning (a code inspection suggestion).

CTRL+ALT+V - For variable extraction

CTRL+ALT+M - For method extraction

I use the above shortcuts very frequently.

The one I very frequently see under utilised is Crtl-Alt-F7 (⌘⌥-F7 in OS X), which is show usages. Much faster than "find usages". Both are indispensable for understanding code and how it is used.

Another one hidden away is column mode, which allows you to highlight and even replace code vertically. The shortcut for this is Ctrl-Shift-Insert (⌘⇧* in OS X).

What about starting with the Intellij version of the most voted response on the Hidden features of Eclipse post? =)

> Don't forget Ctrl+Shift+A, which > displays a list of all the keyboard > shortcut combinations (just in case > you forget any of those listed here).

also:

I also suggest to print out the official: Intellij IDEA 9 Default Keymap: WINDOWS-LINUX, OS X, OS X 10.5+

the iteration based live templates seem to save more typing than any other feature, my own templates which I use frequently:

private final org.slf4j.Logger logger = org.slf4j.LoggerFactory.getLogger($CLASS_NAME$.class);

(add optional static keyword after private according to taste) where the variable CLASS_NAME is defined to have the expression className() and check "Skip if defined", together with

logger.debug("$END$");

Closure Folding makes Java programming slightly more tolerable after writing Scala.

From persistence tool Window you can see the diagram of your database structure by clicking Open ER Diagram very useful tool