Setting Up IntelliJ IDEA

This article describes how to configure your IntelliJ IDEA workspace for plugin development with the Sponge API.

Starting Your Project

We recommend using Gradle or Maven when developing plugins with the Sponge API. Gradle and Maven help significantly when managing dependencies, such as the Sponge API, for your project. This is preferable to including the .jar file in your project.

Gradle

To create your project:

  • Open IntelliJ IDEA.
  • Click Create New Project.
  • Select Gradle in the popup, and click Next.
  • Enter your Group ID, Artifact ID, and Version.
    • Your Group ID should correspond to your organization name, or something similar.
    • Your Artifact ID should correspond to your project name.
    • Your Version is up to you.
  • Click Next twice, name your project, and click Finish.

To import the Sponge API as a dependency:

  • Open build.gradle in the navigator and add the dependencies.
  • Have a look at the dependencies page for an example Gradle file.
  • Open the Gradle tab on the right of the IntelliJ window and hit the refresh button.
  • Gradle setup is done! Now you can start coding your plugin.

Maven

To create your project:

  • Open IntelliJ IDEA.
  • Click Create New Project.
  • Select Maven in the popup, and click Next.
  • Enter your Group ID, Artifact ID, and Version.
    • Your Group ID should correspond to your organization name, or something similar.
    • Your Artifact ID should correspond to your project name.
    • Your Version is up to you.
  • Click Next.
  • Enter your project’s name, and click Finish.

To import the Sponge API as a dependency:

  • Open pom.xml in the navigator.
  • With the editor tab in focus, choose Code > Generate.
  • Click Dependency in the popup.
  • Search for the official Sponge API Maven artifact under Search by artifact, and click Add.
  • Import the Maven changes, if prompted.

Git Integration

JetBrains offers documentation on Git integration:

https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/help/using-git-integration.html