JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA Blog

It’s now about three months since the IntelliJ IDEA blog was started. So, we decided to update it a little bit. We hope you’ll like the new color schema. But that’s not all. We also improved navigation (yes, now we have that “back-to-home” link on all the pages and the blog title is also a link to home).
Furthermore, now there is a registration. So, if you want to write your own IntelliJ IDEA tip or how-to, you are welcome. For writing posts we provided the standard WordPress interface. Of course, the posts will be moderated (nobody wants this blog to be filled up with spam).
Finally, we added “friendly” blogs to our blogroll. Everyone who is blogging about Java in general and IntelliJ IDEA in particular can send us a link to the personal blog using the “Share your knowledge” text box on the right side bar.
Welcome and enjoy the new look-and-feel!

Code completion is now a must for each and every IDE. But are you using all its power in IntelliJ IDEA? Check out the tricks below to get the answer.

Complete variables names

How often do you need to declare something like ArrayList list? Using Ctrl + Space you can complete the name of the variable. In this example, you will be suggested to choose between arrayList and list names.



Use “CamelHump”

Probably, you already used “CamelHump” for navigation and search. But it works for code completion too. Everything you typed in the editor will be replaced with the relevant code.



Replace expressions

For example, you have the following expression:

And then you decided that this should be the minimum size. The fastest way to change this code in IntelliJ IDEA is to place the caret after the dot, then press Ctrl + Space. Find the setMinimumSize() method (don’t forget about “CamelHump”!), and press Tab.



The setPreferredSize() method will be replaced with the setMinimumSize(). Don’t worry about your parameters – they will stay where they are.



There are more tricks in IntelliJ IDEA related to completion (such as smart completion) that will be described in the future blog posts. But if you don’t want to wait, check out the Productivity Guide in IntelliJ IDEA or see description of java code assistance features.

Note   This tip&trick was originally posted at www.javalobby.org.

The Monthly Meeting of the Java Special Interest Group (SIG) will take place on Tuesday, June 06 2006, 6:30 PM. Everyone who happens to be near Cubberly Community Center in Palo Alto, California is welcome.

The agenda includes two presentations (and pizza!). The first presentation - “Effective Java Reloaded” - will be made by Josh Bloch. And then, after a short break, Etienne Studer - an IntelliJ IDEA enthusiast and a valuable member of IntelliJ community - will make a presentation about IntelliJ IDEA.

Etienne Studer will demonstrate IntelliJ IDEA’s coding assistance, refactoring support, and plugin API. He’ll also highlight some features of the forthcoming IntelliJ IDEA 6.0.

Thanks in advance, Etienne, and break a leg!