Setting Up IntelliJ IDEA

Download

Note

If you choose to use IntelliJ IDEA when developing plugins with the Sponge API, we recommend using Community Edition 14 or later.

IntelliJ IDEA can be downloaded from https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/.

After downloading the appropriate version of IntelliJ IDEA for your platform, you may proceed to install it.

Starting Your Project

Note

You may skip this section if you only plan on developing plugins with the Sponge API.

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.
  • Name your project, and click Finish.

To import the Sponge API as a dependency:

  • Open build.gradle in the navigator.
  • With the editor tab in focus, choose Code > Generate.
  • Click Add Maven artifact dependency in the popup.
  • Search for the official Sponge API Maven artifact under Search by artifact, and click Add.

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

Track Continuation

If you are following a track in Preparing for Development, your next step is: