IntelliJ IDEA 2017.2 Help

Run/Debug Configuration: Android Application

Use this dialog box to create configurations used to run or debug Android applications and activities on actual or virtual devices.

This dialog box consists of three tabs:

The dialog also provides a toolbar and the options that are common to all run/debug configuration types.

General Tab

ItemDescription
Module From this drop-down list, select a module to which this configuration will be applied.
Installation OptionsUse this area to configure the following settings:
  • Deploy - use this drop-down list to appoint the .apk file that will be deployed to the target virtual or physical device. You can select one of the following options:
    • Default APK - select this option to have IntelliJ IDEA upload the .apk built from the module specified in the Module drop-down list above. The .apk is built automatically, no preliminary artifact configuration is required from your side.
    • Custom Artifact - select this option to have IntelliJ IDEA upload the .apk built from the code and resources appointed in a manually configured artifact. Select an artifact from the drop-down list which shows all manually created artifact definitions for the selected module. See Working with Artifacts for details.
    • Nothing - select this option to suppress uploading data to the device. This approach may be helpful if you have already deployed your application manually outside IntelliJ IDEA.
  • Install Flags - use this field to specify options for the pm install command.
    For more information, see the package manager page.
Launch Options In this area, appoint the activity that will be launched on the application start.
  • Launch - use this drop-down list to specify the following launch settings:
    • Default Activity - select this option to have IntelliJ IDEA automatically launch the activity marked as start-up.
    • Nothing - select this option to connect to an already running application provided that you have chosen Nothing in the Installation Options area. Executing a run configuration with these settings is the same as clicking the Attach debugger to Android process button addAndroidDebuggerToProcess.png on the toolbar.
    • Specified Activity - select this option to have IntelliJ IDEA launch an activity of your choice upon the application start. This option may be helpful when you want to run or debug a part of your application and have already chosen the Custom Artifact option in the Installation Options area. Type the activity name manually or click the Browse button browseButton.png and select it in the Select Activity Class dialog box that opens.

      The list of available activities is determined by the choice of the module.

    • URL - select this option to launch a browser when you run your application. You can specify the URL address in the URL field.
  • Launch Flags - use this field to specify additional options for the am start command.
    For more information, see the activity manager page.
Deployment Target Options In this area, select the type of device to run/debug the application on. The available options are:
  • Show Device Chooser Dialog: select this option to have IntelliJ IDEA display the Choose Device dialog box upon the application start.

    If you want to automatically use the device chosen through the Choose Device dialog in the future, select the Use same device for future launches option.

  • USB Device: select this option to have IntelliJ IDEA detect a plugged-in USB device upon the application start.

Selecting the Show Device Chooser Dialog or USB Device option may be helpful if you are going to run the application on a physical device which will be plugged in later and therefore the set of available devices cannot be foreseen.

  • Emulator: select this option to use one of the configured device emulators. From the Prefer Android Virtual Device drop-down list, select a virtual device that will be used to run/debug the specified activity. If you want to add/edit a virtual device configuration, click the Browse button browseButton.png to launch the Android Virtual Device (AVD) Manager (see Managing Virtual Devices for details).

Miscellaneous Tab

In this tab, configure the scope of log data shown during a run/debug session.

ItemDescription
LogcatUse this area to configure logcat settings for your Android run/debug configuration:
  • Show logcat automatically: select this check box to show logcat automatically every time an application is deployed and launched successfully.
  • Clear log before launch: select this check box if you want data from previous sessions to be removed from the log file before starting the application.
Installation OptionsUse this area to configure the installation options for running or debugging your Android application:
  • Skip installation if APK has not changed: select this check box to skip APK installation when you run your application if the APK has not changed.
  • Force stop running application before launching activity: select this check box to stop running an already launched application before you start running the activity from IntelliJ IDEA.

Profiling Tab

In this tab, specify the Graphic Trace options.

ItemDescription
Disable precompiled shaders and programsSelect this check box if you want to disable precompiled shaders and programs and compile them at the runtime instead.

Toolbar

ItemShortcutDescription
add Alt+Insert Click this button to add a new configuration to the list.
delete Alt+Delete Click this button to remove the selected configuration from the list.
copy Ctrl+D Click this button to create a copy of the selected configuration.
settings Edit defaultsClick this button to edit the default configuration templates. The defaults are used for newly created configurations.
arrowUp or arrowDown Alt+Up or Alt+Down Use these buttons to move the selected configuration or folder up and down in the list.

The order of configurations or folders in the list defines the order in which configurations appear in the Run/Debug drop-down list on the main toolbar.

folder Move into new folder / Create new folder Use this button to create a new folder.

If one or more run/debug configurations are in focus, the selected run/debug configurations are automatically moved to the newly created folder. If only a category is in focus, an empty folder is created.

Move run/debug configurations to a folder using drag-and-drop, or the arrowUp arrowDown buttons.

sortAlphabetically Sort configurations Click this button to sort configurations in alphabetical order.

Common options

ItemDescription
NameIn this text box, specify the name of a new run/debug configuration. This field is not available for the default run/debug configurations.
Defaults This node in the left-hand pane contains the default run/debug configuration settings. Select configuration to modify its default settings in the right-hand pane. The defaults are applied to all newly created run/debug configurations.
Share Select this check box to make the run/debug configuration available to other team members.

If the directory-based project format is used, the settings for a run/debug configuration are stored in a separate .xml file in the .idea\runConfigurations folder if the run/debug configuration is shared, or in the .idea\workspace.xml file otherwise.

If the file-based format is used, the settings are stored in the .ipr file for shared configurations, or in the .iws file otherwise.

This check box is not available when editing the run/debug configuration defaults.

Before launchUse the controls in this area to specify which tasks must performed before applying the run/debug configuration. The tasks are performed in the order they appear in the list. The following options are available:
  • add (Alt+Insert): click this icon to add a task to the list. Select one of the following task types:
    • Run External tool. Select this option to run an application which is external to IntelliJ IDEA. In the dialog that opens, select the application or applications that should be run. If the necessary application is not defined in IntelliJ IDEA yet, add its definition. For more information, see Configuring Third-Party Tools andExternal Tools.
    • Run Another Configuration: select this option to execute one on the existing run/debug configuration. Choose a configuration to execute from the dialog box that opens.
    • Make: select this option to have the project or the module compiled. The Make Module command will be executed if a particular module is specified in the run/debug configuration, or the Make Project command if no modules are specified.
    • Make, no error check: this option is the same as Make, the only difference being is that IntelliJ IDEA will start the run/debug configuration irrespective of the compilation result.
    • Build Artifacts: select this option to build artifacts. Select the artifact(s) you want to build in the dialog that opens. For more information, see Working with Artifacts.
    • Run Ant target: select this option to execute an Ant target. In the dialog that opens select a target that you want to build. For more information, see Ant.
    • Run Maven goal: select this option to run a Maven goal. In the dialog that opens, select a goal that you want to run. For more information, see Maven.
    • Run Gradle task: select this option to run a Gradle task. In the dialog that opens, select a task that you want to run. For more information, see Gradle
    • Compile TypeScript: select this option to run the built-in TypeScript compiler and thus make sure that all the changes you made to your TypeScript code are reflected in the generated JavaScript files. In the TypeScript Compile Settings dialog that opens, select or clear the Check errors checkbox to configure the behaviour of the compiler in case any errors are detected:
      • If the Check errors checkbox is selected, the compiler will show all the errors and the run configuration will not start.
      • If the Check errors checkbox is cleared, the compiler will show all the detected errors but the run configuration still will be launched.
    • Run File Watcher: select this option to run the File Watchers that are active in the current project. For more information, see Using File Watchers.
    • Generate CoffeeScript Source Maps. Select this option to have the source maps for your CoffeeScript sources generated. In the dialog that opens, specify where your CoffeeScript source files are located. For more information, see CoffeeScript.
    • Run Remote External tool: select this option to run a remote SSH external tool. In the dialog that opens, specify the SSH external tool that you want to run. For more information, see Remote SSH External Tools.
  • delete (Alt+Delete): click this icon to remove the selected task from the list.
  • edit1 (Enter): click this icon to modify the selected task. Edit the task settings in the dialog that opens.
  • arrowUp (Alt+Up): click this icon to move the selected task up in the list.
  • arrowDown (Alt+Down): click this icon to move the selected task down in the list.
  • Show this page: select this check box if you want to display the run/debug configuration settings before applying it.
  • Active tool window: select this option if you want the Run/Debug tool windows to be activated automatically when you run/debug your application. This option is enabled by default.
Last modified: 29 November 2017
Run/Debug ConfigurationsRun/Debug Configuration: Android Test

See Also

Procedures:

Reference:

Concepts: