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Overview

This repository implements an IntelliJ Platform plugin.

Demo Functionality

The sample plugin adds a My Tool Window tool window with a simple functionality of shuffling a random number.

Plugin structure

A generated project contains the following content structure:

.
├── .run/                   Predefined Run/Debug Configurations
├── gradle
│   ├── wrapper/            Gradle Wrapper
│   ├── libs.versions.toml  Version catalog
├── src                     Plugin sources
│   └── main
│       ├── kotlin/         Kotlin production sources
│       └── resources/      Plugin resources
│           ├── META-INF/   Plugin configuration file and logo
│           └── messages/   Message bundles
├── .gitignore              Git ignoring rules
├── build.gradle.kts        Gradle build configuration
├── gradle.properties       Gradle configuration properties
├── gradlew                 *nix Gradle Wrapper script
├── gradlew.bat             Windows Gradle Wrapper script
├── README.md               This file
└── settings.gradle.kts     Gradle project settings

In addition to the configuration files, the most crucial part is the src directory, which contains our implementation and the manifest for our plugin – plugin.xml.

Note

To use Java in your plugin, create the /src/main/java directory.

The plugin logo is placed in src/main/resources/META-INF/pluginIcon.svg. See Plugin Logo for more information and logo requirements.

Build script

The build.gradle.kts is the core of the project definition. It applies three Gradle plugins:

Plugin Description
org.jetbrains.kotlin.jvm Adds Kotlin support
org.jetbrains.changelog Simplifies patching the CHANGELOG.md file
org.jetbrains.intellij.platform The IntelliJ Platform Gradle Plugin

The intellijPlatform dependencies block selects the IDE to compile against:

intellijIdea("2025.3.5")

See Target Versions for more information.

The intellijPlatform dependencies block also contains a dependency on the platform testing framework:

testFramework(TestFrameworkType.Platform)

See Testing for more information

Plugin configuration file

The plugin configuration file is a plugin.xml file located in the src/main/resources/META-INF directory. It provides general information about the plugin, its dependencies, extensions, and listeners.

You can read more about this file in the Plugin Configuration File section of our documentation.

Plugin ID and name

Generated plugin ID and name may require adjustment.

These values are generated based on Group ID and Artifact ID provided in the IDE Plugin wizard. It is recommended to review <id> and <name> elements in the plugin.xml file, and adjust them if needed.

Please note that Gradle properties rootProject.name and project.group don't need to match the <id> and <name> elements. There is no IntelliJ Platform-related reason they should as they serve different functions.

Predefined Run/Debug configurations

Within the default project structure, there is a .run directory provided containing predefined Run/Debug configurations that expose corresponding Gradle tasks:

Configuration name Description
Run IDE with Plugin Runs :runIde IntelliJ Platform Gradle Plugin task. Use the Debug icon for plugin debugging.
Run Tests Runs :check Gradle task.
Run Verifications Runs :verifyPlugin IntelliJ Platform Gradle Plugin task to check the plugin compatibility against the specified IntelliJ IDEs.

Note

You can find the logs from the running task in the idea.log tab.

Publishing the plugin

Tip

Make sure to follow all guidelines listed in Publishing a Plugin to follow all recommended and required steps.

Releasing a plugin to JetBrains Marketplace is a straightforward operation that uses the publishPlugin Gradle task provided by the intellij-platform-gradle-plugin.

You can also upload the plugin to the JetBrains Plugin Repository manually via UI.

Useful links