Reviews : JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA 4 :

JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA 4

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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