1. Introduction
IntelliJ IDEA is a popular integrated development environment (IDE) for Java development, widely used by many developers. In this article, we will explore how to use IntelliJ IDEA for development on a Linux operating system.
2. Installing IntelliJ IDEA on Linux
2.1 Downloading IntelliJ IDEA
The first step in using IntelliJ IDEA is to download and install it on your Linux machine. To download the latest version of IntelliJ IDEA, visit their official website.
Once you have downloaded the installation file, you can install IntelliJ IDEA on your Linux machine by following the steps below:
tar -xzf ideaIC-2021.2.1.tar.gz
cd idea-IC-*/bin
./idea.sh
This will launch the IntelliJ IDEA installer on your Linux machine.
2.2 Configuring IntelliJ IDEA
Once you have installed IntelliJ IDEA on your Linux machine, you may want to configure it to better suit your needs.
One way to do this is to customize the key mappings. To change the key mappings in IntelliJ IDEA, go to File > Settings > Keymap. Here you can customize the key mappings to your liking.
Another way to customize IntelliJ IDEA is to install plugins. IntelliJ IDEA has a wide variety of plugins available that can enhance your development experience. You can install plugins by going to File > Settings > Plugins and selecting the plugins that you want to install.
3. Creating a New Project in IntelliJ IDEA
3.1 Creating a New Java Project
To create a new Java project in IntelliJ IDEA, follow the steps below:
Click on File > New > Project.
Select Java in the left-hand menu, and then choose a Java SDK version in the Project SDK dropdown menu.
Choose a project template from the list of available templates.
Enter a name and location for your project.
Click on Finish to create your new Java project.
Once you have created your new Java project, you can start adding code to it.
3.2 Adding Code to Your Java Project
To add code to your Java project in IntelliJ IDEA, follow the steps below:
Click on File > New > Java Class.
Enter a name for your new Java class and select a package for it.
Click on OK to create your new Java class.
You can now start adding code to your Java class by typing it in the editor.
Once you have added your code, you can run your Java program by clicking on Run > Run 'Main' in the top menu, or by pressing the green arrow icon in the top toolbar.
4. Debugging in IntelliJ IDEA
4.1 Adding Breakpoints
Debugging is an essential part of development, and IntelliJ IDEA makes it easy to debug your code. One way to debug your code in IntelliJ IDEA is to add breakpoints. A breakpoint is a specific point in your code where you want the debugger to stop and let you examine the state of the program.
To add a breakpoint in your code, follow the steps below:
Open the file that contains the code you want to debug.
Click on the line number where you want to add the breakpoint.
A red dot will appear on the line to indicate that a breakpoint has been added.
Once you have added your breakpoints, you can start debugging your code.
4.2 Running and Debugging Your Java Program
To run and debug your Java program in IntelliJ IDEA, follow the steps below:
Click on Run > Debug 'Main' in the top menu, or press the bug icon in the top toolbar.
Your program will start running, and the debugger will stop at the first breakpoint that you have added.
You can now examine the state of your program by using the debugger tools, such as the Variables or Watches tabs, which will show you the current values of variables in your program.
You can advance one step at a time using the Step Over button, or you can step into a method using the Step Into button.
You can also stop the debugger and return to the editor by clicking on the Stop button.
5. Conclusion
In this article, we have explored how to use IntelliJ IDEA for development on a Linux operating system. We have seen how to install and configure IntelliJ IDEA, create and add code to a Java project, and how to debug our code using breakpoints and the debugger tools. With the help of IntelliJ IDEA, developers can write better code more efficiently and with greater ease.