JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA 4
by Drew Falkman
Summary
JetBrains' IntelliJ IDEA is somewhat of an anomaly: a third-party, non-open-
source, Java-only integrated development environment(IDE) made
by a company that doesn't have it's own J2EE application server.
I think it's mere existence in the marketplace speaks volumes
about how it is accepted. IDEA has consistently won awards, users' choice, good reviews, etc., because of their
innovation and solid usability.
Version 4.0 seems to be no different; JetBrains has added a
number of features that make Java development even easier.
Introduction
Version 4.0 of IntelliJ IDEA brings with it a number of useful new
features. Some of these features include:
- BEA WebLogic integration
- Better Swing and GUI development
- Support for JDK 1.5 Generics
- Better CVS integration
- JUnit testing integration
- Integrated plug-in manager
- More productivity/usability features
Setup and Installation
One of the great things about IDEA is that you can run it on
just about any OS including, Windows, Linux, Unix and Mac OS X. You
will need at least 256 MB of RAM and an 800 Mhz processor
(Windows/Linux/Unix) or 1.42 Ghz G4 (Mac). Installation is a
snap in all environments--provided you have a stable JDK 1.4.2
installed. Note that if you are using the 30-day trial, you will
need to register at their Web site to obtain a temporary license
key.
The User Interface
IDEA's user interface is similar to most popular IDEs out there
today. What I find most useful about IDEA's interface is how
simple it is to display and hide the different windows within
the environment. For example, if I want to see my to-do list, I
can click the ToDo(s) button at the bottom of the screen and it
will show me what I need to see, click it again and it's gone.
This may seem fairly rudimentary, but other IDEs tend to use
archaic icons or options in the file menu that require some
searching. How often have you closed a window only to spend 15
minutes at a later time trying to see it again. More
advanced users can toggle using key commands also.
Any developer will find IDEA's interface similar enough to be
comfortable, yet like the above example, it seems to have
features that you always wished your other IDE had, although you
wouldn't have known to ask for it. One really cool feature is
the floating mode. This mode allows tool windows to have a
transparency level and just "float" over the other windows, to be
positioned wherever you like. This works great for the
times when you want to have access to a set of tools without
having to significantly shrink the main editing window.
Additionally, the IDE interface is entirely customizable. All of
the elements in a file are color-coded. These colors can be
customized to represent different types of objects or even
display differently depending on whether you are editing an XML
file, an EJB or a JSP template. Additionally, the location of
window tools and appearance are easily customized. Figure one
shows IDEA's basic user interface.
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