IntelliJ IDEA Usage Tips and Advanced Features

IntelliJ IDEA is a powerful Java development tool, and this guide introduces both basic operations and many advanced features to improve developer productivity.

Key shortcuts and settings:

CTRL+D – duplicate the current line.

ALT+ENTER – quick import of classes and packages.

CTRL+ALT+L – format code.

CTRL+SHIFT+Enter – complete statement endings.

CTRL+J – generate code templates.

Debugging shortcuts:

F7 – step into.

ALT+SHIFT+F7 – force step into.

F8 – step over.

Maven configuration errors: When creating a Maven project, IDEA may show Error:Maven Resources Compiler: Maven project configuration required for module 'xxx' isn't available... . Ensure the Maven project is properly imported and the external build is started from the IDE.

Hot‑reload and automatic compilation: Enable Build Project automatically via File → Settings → Build Execution Deployment → Build Project automatically and check the registry option Compiler.autoMake.allow.when.app.running . Add the following Maven dependency for Spring Boot devtools:

<dependency>
  <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
  <artifactId>spring-boot-devtools</artifactId>
  <optional>true</optional>
</dependency>

Configure the Maven plugin for automatic forking:

<build>
  <plugins>
    <plugin>
      <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
      <artifactId>spring-boot-maven-plugin</artifactId>
      <configuration>
        <fork>true</fork>
      </configuration>
    </plugin>
  </plugins>
</build>

IDE UI customizations: Hide the navigation bar with Alt+V → Navigation bar , disable unnecessary plugins to reduce memory usage, and turn off Chrome cache during debugging (F12 → Network → Disable Cache). Additional tweaks include enabling Chinese display in property files and disabling code inspections to improve performance.

By applying these tips, developers can streamline their workflow, reduce IDE lag, and focus more on writing quality Java code.