Using IntelliJ IDEA

IntelliJ IDEA can be setup so that it already has the preferred code style, import order, etc. for the Candlepin Project. IDEA is slightly different than Eclipse in that it understands nesting: in IDEA you can have an overall project that is composed of multiple modules.

Process

Before you begin, ensure you have the Candlepin git repository checked out, Buildr working, and IntelliJ IDEA installed and registered. I also recommend running buildr artifacts; buildr artifacts:sources so that you will be able to browse the source code of the libraries we use from within IDEA.

1. Begin by running buildr idea. This task will take care of generating the assorted classpaths, module definitions, etc.
2. Start IDEA. On the “Welcome to IntelliJ IDEA” dialog, select Open since we already have the project files generated.
3. Navigate to your checkout and select the candlepin.ipr file in the checkout directory.
4. Immediately, open the Project Structure dialog (File -> Project Structure). I’m not certain how Buildr constructs the value for Project SDK setting, but if it is highlighted red you will need to correct it. Select New... next to the incorrect Project SDK, then select JVM and then navigate to your $JAVA_HOME (/usr/lib/jvm/java-1.8.0-openjdk for me).
5. Go to the Modules branch of the Project Settings tree.
6. For each module, go to the Dependencies tab and select “Project SDK” from the Module SDK combo box.

Settings Import

If you wish, you can import some existing settings that I have exported. Unfortunately, IDEA doesn’t let you really pick and choose the settings you want to export, so the exported settings include both the useful (e.g. the team’s accepted import order) and the personal (e.g. my color scheme).

If you do want to import these settings just to get a jump-start, here’s what you should do.

1. Open the Settings dialog found under File -> Settings.
2. Go to the Tools branch and expand it.
3. Go to the Settings Repository item.
4. Next to “Read-only Sources” click the green plus sign and enter https://github.com/candlepin/intellij in the dialog.
5. Now you will be able to read from the settings repository but not write to it. Once those settings have been imported, you will likely want to just uncheck the box next to the settings repository you just created so that your personal settings aren’t overwritten. (I am not sure what order IntelliJ resolves conflicts in).