User Interface
User friendly! How many times have you heard that one? Everybody has to say user friendly - but how many of their users would actually agree?
IntelliJ IDEA is the Java™ IDE that raised the bar on usability for an entire industry, as proved by a long string of top awards and IntelliJ IDEA style usability features imitated in other IDEs. And let's not forget the many thousands of Java developers worldwide who have made it their tool of choice. When they use words like "WOW interface", "really easy to use" and "truly user-friendly", and back them up by buying licenses, then you can be confident that user friendly is more than mere hype.
On this page you can learn about what makes IntelliJ the Java IDE that so many top Java and J2EE™ developers swear by (instead of swearing at!)
Friendly "Welcome" Screen
IntelliJ IDEA's user-friendly approach is evident from the outset. Unlike so many products that start up for the first time (or every time) with large blank areas that leave you wondering "now what?" - or bombard you with "user-friendly" wizards, IntelliJ IDEA's handy Welcome Screen provides the all most useful links for helping you get oriented quickly. The single, attractively-designed control panel-like interface puts you in control of what comes next. Once you know your way around, you can turn it off and jump right into your work on start-up.
Easy to use interface
The user interface is simple to learn yet incredibly powerful and efficient to use. Work via keystroke or mouse, or a combination - whatever way suits you. Features become available as you need them, and don't clutter up the interface. Optionally displayed "Tip of the Day" quickly teaches you how to take advantage of many features and shortcut keys.
Keyboard-centric Interface: 100% of features available via keystroke
Some IDEs behave as if developers have three hands - two for the keyboard and one for the mouse. That's maybe fine for space aliens in a sci-fi movie, but most Earthling developers trying to work with optimal efficiency tend ot focus on the keyboard. IntelliJ IDEA enables you to work exclusively with keystrokes and keyboard shortcuts. Your total efficiency is maximized - no wasted time reaching for the mouse and navigating click paths. Of course, anything you might actually want to do with that rodent – you can!
All keyboard shortcuts are customizable
User-defined keymaps can change or set keyboard shortcuts for any menu item or Java editor command. Three pre-defined keymaps are available, emulating keyboard shortcuts for Mac OS X™, Emacs and Microsoft® VisualStudio™.
Convenient multi-pane layout with easy switching between panes (tool windows)
The main frame has several panes (tool windows) and you can easily hide whatever you don't need at the moment to provide more space for the Java editor. Quickly switch between panes and views using the relevant shortcut key or the mouse.
Floating & transparent mode tool windows
A rich set of tool windows helps you to view your project details in different modes, as well as to browse compilations, search results, inspection results, and more. Any tool window can be switched to floating mode and positioned anywhere on the screen. This is especially convenient when working with multiple monitors. In floating mode, tool window transparency level can be adjusted. When they float on top of the Java editor, tool windows fade conveniently into the background allowing you to continue working without cluttering your screen.
Multiple projects support
Open several projects at once, each in its own frame, so you can quickly switch between them. This can be useful when running and debugging server and client applications simultaneously (as just one example).