In this article I am going to share some cool features I stumbled upon while coding with Intellij. These are not the most popular/productivity improving ones - for these you should watch this video.
1. Set debugger breakpoint by pattern
Problem: You want to check if the debugger steps into some code during the run. Usually you suspect where the flow will end up but sometimes finding the exact line could be hard.
Solution: Breakpoints in Debugger pane -> Click (+) -> Java Method Breakpoint -> Fill class/method pattern.
For example this setting will stop the debugger anytime the code enters any method from any class from com.fasterxml.jackson package.
2. Attaching custom log file to be followed after Spring Boot app startup.
Problem: You have your app log configured to write to the file after the startup. However, this makes it harder to read that log because now you have to open this file somehow instead of just checking the console output.
Solution: Run/Debug Configuration -> Your Spring Boot app -> Logs -> Click (+) -> Fill alias and Log File Location. This will open additional pane with file content after you run the configuration that is easy to work with.
3. Invoke any code one the screen when in debug mode
Problem: You want to check the result of invoking some code on the screen but you are to lazy to paste it to Evaluate Expression console.
Solution: When the program is paused in debug mode, hit the alt key and click any fragment you want to see the result.
4. Compare with clipboard
Problem: You would like to compare some text the same way Intellij’s VCS diff shows changes in files.
Solution: Copy text to the clipboard -> Select any other text -> Right Click -> Click Compare With Clipboard.
I think it is worth to have a key assigned to this one.
5. Shelve changes
Problem: I used to use Git stash command externally to save some changes I didn’t want to commit yet. Is there a way to do this from Intellij?
Solution: VCS -> Local Changes -> Select the files you want to stash -> Right Click -> Shelve changes.
You can move them back from the shelf by right clicking on the selection and choosing Unshelve.
Conclusion
I hope you have learned at least one thing that might be helpful at you work. Please share other cool but less know Intellij features in the comment section.
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