IntelliJ IDEA 2017.1 Help

Maven. Importing

File | Settings | Build, Execution, Deployment | Build Tools | Maven | Importing

ItemDescription
Keep projects files inSelect this check box to specify the location of your project's files after the import. For example, when you import a project and want to keep the .iml file and .idea directory files in a specific location instead of the default one. By default, IntelliJ IDEA places project's files next to your pom.xml.
Import Maven projects automaticallySelect this check box, if you want IntelliJ IDEA to perform reimport automatically each time you change your pom.xml.
Create IntelliJ IDEA modules for aggregator projects (with 'pom' packaging)If this check box is selected, IntelliJ IDEA Maven Modules will be created for each module included in the pom.xml file of an aggregative project, provided that its packaging is set to 'pom'.
Create module groups for multi-module Maven projectsIf this check box is selected, IntelliJ IDEA will create a module group from an aggregative Maven project, with the nested modules included in this group.
Keep source and test folders on reimportIf this check box is selected, all the source and test folders will be preserved on every import.
If this check box is cleared, all previously configured source and test folders will be removed on every import.

By default, this check box is set as follows:

  • For new projects: the check box is cleared.
  • For already imported projects: the check box is selected.
Exclude build directory
(PROJECT_ROOT/target)
Select this check box to exclude a build directory from the project. This might be useful, if you want to speed up the project's importing process . If this check box is cleared, IntelliJ IDEA will index files in the build directory every time you import a project which might take additional time.
Use Maven output directoriesIf this check box is not selected, the build will be created in the regular IntelliJ IDEA's output directory USER_HOME\IdeaProjects\<project>\classes\Production\.
If this check box is selected, the build is generated in the Maven's output directory, and the results of IntelliJ IDEA's compilation are reused. However, IntelliJ IDEA itself does not reuse Maven build results, and performs compilation from scratch.
Generated sources foldersSpecify the directory of your source root when you reimport a project.
You can select one of the following options:
  • Detect automatically This is a default option. When you select this option, IntelliJ IDEA automatically detects the location of the generated sources. IntelliJ IDEA also detects which directory to mark as a source root. However, IntelliJ IDEA searches for the generated sources only in target/generated-sources and target/generated-sources/* directories.
  • target/generated-sources This option enables you to mark the directory as source root manually.
  • subdirectories of "target/generated-sources" This option enables you to mark a subdirectory as a source root manually.
  • Don't detect This option lets you skip the detection process.
Phase to be used for folders updateSelect Maven phase to be used for folders update. This might be useful, if you adjust your plugins so that additional sources are loaded at some phase.
Automatically downloadSelect the corresponding check boxes to automatically download sources (Sources) and documentation comments (Documentation) on opening Maven projects.
Dependency typesUse this field to specify dependency types that you want to include when you reimport your project.
VM options for importerUse this field to specify VM options. The default option is -Xmx512m.
When you specify the options, follow the following rules:
  • Use spaces to separate individual options, for example, -client -ea -Xmx1024m.
  • If an option includes spaces, enclose the spaces or the argument that contains the spaces in double quotes, for example, some" "arg or "some arg".
  • If an option includes double quotes (e.g. as part of the argument), escape the double quotes by means of the backslashes, for example, -Dmy.prop=\"quoted_value\".
JDK for importerUse this drop-down list to specify which JDK to use when the maven project is imported.
You can choose one of the following options:
  • Internal JRE - this is a default option that uses the installation directory for JRE.
  • JDK versions - this option uses your project's JDK.
  • Use JAVA_HOME - this option uses the value that is specified in the user's environment variable settings.
Generate Flex compiler configuration files when importing Flexmojos projects If this check box is selected, when importing Flexmojos projects, the Flex compiler configuration files are generated automatically.

The automatic generation of the configuration files is a rather time-consuming process, especially for large projects. Besides, for the reasons independent of IntelliJ IDEA, the automatic generation of the configuration files may sometimes be impossible or may lead to erroneous results.

In all such cases, you may want to turn this option off and generate the Flex compiler configuration files from the command line using this command:

mvn compile -DconfigurationReport=true

Create run configuration for Spring Boot application Select this option if you want IntelliJ IDEA to automatically create a run/debug configuration for Spring Boots projects on Maven import.

See Also

Last modified: 18 July 2017