IntelliJ IDEA 2018.1 Help

Project Category and Options

This page of the New Project wizard opens when you select File | New | Project in the main menu or Create New Project on the Welcome screen.


In the left-hand pane, select the project category. This may be the technology that you are going to use, the platform or runtime that your development is going to target, etc.

In the right-hand part of the page, select additional options and specify associated settings.

Don't worry about selecting "wrong" options at the moment. Just select the ones that you think suit you best. If necessary, you will be able to make the necessary changes to your project at a later time.

Note that the set of options you can select from depends on which plugins are currently enabled in IntelliJ IDEA.

Java

Select this option if you are going to develop a Java application.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK (JDK) for your project.

If the necessary JDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and select JDK. Then, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired JDK. (By this time, the corresponding JDK must already be installed on your computer.)

If necessary, select additional options and specify associated settings. For more information, see Additional Libraries and Frameworks.

Java Enterprise

Select this option if you are going to develop a Java EE application.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK (JDK) for your project.

If the necessary JDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and select JDK. Then, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired JDK. (By this time, the corresponding JDK must already be installed on your computer.)

Java EE version Select the Java EE version to be supported. (Affects the corresponding version setting for the Web Application, EJB and JavaEE Application options.)
Application ServerSpecify the application server that you are going to use to deploy and run your application. As a result, IntelliJ IDEA will create a run/debug configuration for the specified server. (You can specify the server later.)

You can select a server which IntelliJ IDEA is already aware of, or specify another "new" server.

To specify a new server, click New and select the server of interest. Then, specify the server settings:

  • For a server installed locally, specify the path to the server installation directory. (Click browseButton to select the directory in the corresponding dialog.)
  • For a hosted server (Cloud Foundry or CloudBees), specify your user account details.

Select additional options and specify associated settings. For more information, see Additional Libraries and Frameworks.

J2ME

Select this option if you are going to develop for Java ME.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK for your project.

If the necessary SDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired Java ME SDK. (By this time, the corresponding SDK must already be installed on your computer.)

SQL Support Select the checkbox to enable SQL support. Select the SQL dialect to be used by default from the list.

Android

Select this option if you are going to develop for the Android OS.

For more information, see Getting Started with Android Development and Andoid New Project References.

Clouds

Select this option if you are going to deploy your application to a cloud platform such as CloudBees, Cloud Foundry, Heroku or OpenShift. See also, Working with Cloud Platforms.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK (JDK) for your project.

If the necessary JDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and select JDK. Then, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired JDK. (By this time, the corresponding JDK must already be installed on your computer.)

Account Specify your cloud user account.

If the corresponding user account is already registerd in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New, select the cloud platfrom and specify your user account settings in the dialog that opens.

Application Cloud platform-specific application settings.

CloudBees and Cloud Foundry. IntelliJ IDEA will create a sample Java web application which you'll be able to deploy to the cloud and run straight away.

  • Version. The version of the Servlet specification to be supported.
  • Create web.xml. For version 3.0 or later: select this checkbox to create the deployment descriptor file web.xml. (For earlier versions, this file is always created.)

Heroku. You can select to create a new application or to git-clone the source code for one of your applications already deployed on Heroku.

  • Template. A new sample application will be created. You'll be able to deploy this application to Heroku straight away.
  • Existing. Select the application whose source code you want to clone.

OpenShift. You can select to git-clone the source code for one of your applications already deployed OpenShift or to create a new application.

  • Existing. Select the application whose source code you want to clone.
  • New. Select this option to create a new application. Specify the settings for your new application (for OpenShift terminology, see OpenShift documentation):
    • Standalone Cartridge. Select the primary cartridge.
    • Gear size. Select the gear size.
    • Scaling. Select the checkbox if the application should be scalable.
    • Embeddable Cartridges. Select (additional) embedded cartridges.

Spring

Select this option if you are going to develop a Spring application.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK (JDK) for your project.

If the necessary JDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and select JDK. Then, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired JDK. (By this time, the corresponding JDK must already be installed on your computer.)

For information on other options and settings, see:

Java FX

Select this option if you are going to develop a JavaFX application.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK (JDK) for your project.

If the necessary JDK (version 7 or later) is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and select JDK. Then, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired JDK. (By this time, the corresponding JDK must already be installed on your computer.)

IntelliJ Platform Plugin

Select this option if you are going to develop a plugin for IntelliJ IDEA or other IntelliJ Platform-based IDE.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK for your project.

If the necessary SDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired IntelliJ IDEA version. (An IntelliJ IDEA installation acts as an IntelliJ Platform Plugin SDK.) (By this time, the corresponding IntelliJ IDEA version must already be installed on your computer.)

Groovy Select the checkbox to be able to use Groovy. Specify the Groovy installation to be used.

Use library. If the desired version of Groovy is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list. (Groovy in IntelliJ IDEA is represented by a library.)

Create. Click this button to create a library for Groovy. In the dialog that opens, select the Groovy installation directory.

SQL Support Select the checkbox to enable SQL support. Select the SQL dialect to be used by default from the list.

Spring Initializr

Select this option if you are going to develop a Spring Boot application.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK (JDK) for your project.

If the necessary JDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired JDK. (By this time, the corresponding JDK must already be installed on your computer.)

Initializr Service URL Specify the Spring Initializr instance URL. By default, it is https://start.spring.io, but you can use any other custom instance if needed.

Maven

Select this option if you are going to develop a Java application with dependencies managed by Maven.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK (JDK) for your project.

If the necessary JDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired JDK. (By this time, the corresponding JDK must already be installed on your computer.)

Create from archetypeIf this checkbox is not selected, the new pom.xml file will contain the basic information.
If this checkbox is selected, the new module will be created on the base of a Maven archetype chosen from the list that includes both the standard archetypes, and the ones found in Maven indices. You can modify Maven properties on Maven Settings Page.
If you want to populate the list with some archetype from a remote Maven repository, click the Add Archetype button, and find the desired archetype by Maven coordinates specified in Add Archetype Dialog.

Gradle

Select this option if you are going to develop a Java application with dependencies managed by Gradle.

See also Gradle.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK (JDK) for your project.

If the necessary JDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and select JDK. Then, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired JDK. (By this time, the corresponding JDK must already be installed on your computer.)

If necessary, select additional options and specify associated settings. For more information, see Additional Libraries and Frameworks.

Groovy

Select this option if you are going to develop a Groovy application.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK (JDK) for your project.

If the necessary JDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and select JDK. Then, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired JDK. (By this time, the corresponding JDK must already be installed on your computer.)

Groovy library If the desired version of Groovy is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list. (Groovy in IntelliJ IDEA is represented by a library.)

Create. Click this button to create a library for Groovy. In the dialog that opens, select the Groovy installation directory.

If necessary, select additional options and specify associated settings. For more information, see Additional Libraries and Frameworks.

Grails

Select this option if you are going to develop a Grails application.

See also Getting Started with Grails 3.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK (JDK) for your project.

If the necessary JDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and select JDK. Then, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired JDK. (By this time, the corresponding JDK must already be installed on your computer.)

Grails SDK Home If the desired version of Grails is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list. (Grails in IntelliJ IDEA is represented by a library.)

Click browseButton this button to create a library for Grails. In the dialog that opens, select the Grails installation directory.

Createcreate-app - select this option if you want to create a Grails application.
create-plugin - select this option if you want to create a Grails plugin project.
OptionsUse this field to specify additional options such as profiles, for example.

If necessary, select additional options and specify associated settings. For more information, see Additional Libraries and Frameworks.

Application Forge

Select this option if you are going to develop a project using Grails Application Forge service.

See also Grails Application Forge.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK for your project.

If the necessary SDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and select JDK. Then, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired JDK. (By this time, the corresponding JDK must already be installed on your computer.)

Project TypeUse this drop-down list to specify what you want to develop (Application or Plugin).
Grails VersionUse this drop-down list to specify a Grails version for your project.
ProfilesUse this drop-down list to specify a profile for the project.
FeaturesSelect the necessary checkboxes to specify features for your project.

Griffon

Select this option if you are going to develop a Griffon application.

See also Creating a Griffon Application Module.

ItemDescription
Project SDK Specify an SDK (JDK) for your project.

If the necessary JDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and select JDK. Then, in the dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired JDK. (By this time, the corresponding JDK must already be installed on your computer.)

Griffon library If the desired version of Griffon is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list. (Griffon in IntelliJ IDEA is represented by a library.)

Create. Click this button to create a library for Griffon. In the dialog that opens, select the Griffon installation directory.

If necessary, select additional options and specify associated settings. For more information, see Additional Libraries and Frameworks.

PHP

Select PHP if you are going to develop an application using PHP. This option is available only in the Ultimate edition when the PHP plugin is installed and enabled. The plugin is not bundled with IntelliJ IDEA, but it can be installed from the JetBrains plugin repository as described in Installing, Updating and Uninstalling Repository Plugins and Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

In the right-hand pane, choose one of the following project types:

  • PHP Empty Project: choose this option to get just a project folder without any contents.

Kotlin

Select this option if you are going to create a Kotlin project. Specify the associated settings.

ItemDescription
Project nameSpecify the project name.
Project locationSpecify the path to the directory in which you want to create the project. (By default, a directory having the same name as the project is created.)

You can click browseButton (Shift+Enter) and select the necessary directory in the dialog that opens. (You can create a new directory in that dialog, e.g. by using icon newFolder.)

Project SDKSpecify an SDK for your project. If the necessary SDK is already defined in IntelliJ IDEA, select it from the list.

Otherwise, click New and select SDK type. Then, inkotlin_intro_p dialog that opens, select the installation folder of the desired SDK. (By this time, the corresponding SDK must already be installed on your computer. If it isn't, download and install it first.)

Kotlin runtimeSpecify here the runtime library kotlin-runtime.jar. The library resides within the Kotlin plugin and contains the standard Kotlin classes.

If the desired library is missing, click Create.

When a project is being created, one can either copy the said jar to the project (option Copy to), or just refer to the jar from the Kotlin plugin (option Use library from plugin).

More SettingsClick the arrow (arrow right show settings or arrow down hide settings) to show or hide additional settings. Mainly, these are the settings for the module to be created (discussed below).

Note that in certain cases those additional settings are unavailable.

Module nameSpecify the module name.
Content rootSpecify the path to the module content root folder. (This is where all the files that make up you module will be stored; for more information, see Configure content roots.)

To use a different folder, click browseButton (Shift+Enter) and select the necessary folder in the dialog that opens. (You can create a new folder in that dialog, e.g. by using icon newFolder.)

Module file locationSpecify the path to the folder where the .iml module file should be created.

By default, this file is created in the module content root folder (recommended).

To use a different folder, click browseButton (Shift+Enter) and select the necessary folder in the dialog that opens. (You can create a new folder in that dialog, e.g. by using icon newFolder.)

Project formatSelect the project format to be used. (The .idea directory-based format is recommended).

Static Web

Select Static Web if you are going to develop a Web application using HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Node.js, and related frameworks.

Choose this option also if you want to generate a project stub based on a framework template.

In the right-hand pane, choose one of the following project types:

Project type Description
Static Web Choose this option to get just a project folder without any contents.
Angular CLI The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the NodeJS and AngularJS plugins are installed and enabled.

The plugins are not bundled with IntelliJ IDEA, but they can be installed from the JetBrains plugin repository as described in Installing, Updating and Uninstalling Repository Plugins and Enabling and Disabling Plugins. Once enabled, the plugins are available at the IDE level, that is, you can use them in all your IntelliJ IDEA projects.

Choose this option to get a stub where later you can automatically generate specific structures, such as Classes, Components, Routes, Pipes, Services, etc. using the Angular CLI command line interface.

In the right-hand pane:

  1. Specify the project name and the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
  2. In the Node Interpreter field, specify the Node.js interpreter to use. Choose a configured interpreter from the drop-down list or choose Add to configure a new one
  3. In the Angular CLI field, specify the path to the angular-cli package.

AngularJS The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the NodeJS and AngularJS plugins are installed and enabled.

The plugins are not bundled with IntelliJ IDEA, but they can be installed from the JetBrains plugin repository as described in Installing, Updating and Uninstalling Repository Plugins and Enabling and Disabling Plugins. Once enabled, the plugins are available at the IDE level, that is, you can use them in all your IntelliJ IDEA projects.

Choose this option to have the project structure set up and some sources generated based on the AngularJS framework template.

In the right-hand pane, specify the project name and the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.

Foundation The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the JavaScript Support plugin is installed and enabled.

The plugin is activated by default. If the plugin is disabled, enable it on the Plugins settings page as described in Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

Choose this option to have the project structure set up and some sources generated based on the Foundation framework template.

In the right-hand pane:

  1. Specify the project name and the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
  2. From the Version drop-down list, choose the template version to use and click Create.

Dart The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the Dart plugin is installed and enabled.

The plugin is not bundled with IntelliJ IDEA, but it can be installed from the JetBrains plugin repository as described in Installing, Updating and Uninstalling Repository Plugins and Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

Choose this option to have the project structure set up and some sources generated for a Dart application.

HTML5 Boilerplate The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the JavaScript Support plugin is installed and enabled.

The plugin is activated by default. If the plugin is disabled, enable it on the Plugins settings page as described in Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

Choose this option to have the project structure set up and some sources generated based on the HTML5 Boilerplate template.

In the right-hand pane:

  1. Specify the project name and the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
  2. From the Version drop-down list, choose the template version to use and click Create.

Meteor App The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the Meteor plugin is installed and enabled.

The plugin is not bundled with IntelliJ IDEA, but it can be installed from the JetBrains plugin repository as described in Installing, Updating and Uninstalling Repository Plugins and Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

Choose this option to have the project structure set up and some sources generated based on the Meteor frameworks.

In the right-hand pane:

  1. Specify the project name and the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
  2. Specify the location of the Meteor executable file (see Installing Meteor).
  3. From the Template drop-down list, choose the sample to generate. To have a basic project structure generated, choose the Default option.
  4. In the Filename text box, type the name for the mutually related .js, .html, and .css files that will be generated. The text box is available only if the Default sample type is selected from the Template drop-dow list.

Node.js Express App The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the Node.js plugin is installed and enabled.

The plugin is not bundled with IntelliJ IDEA, but it can be installed from the JetBrains plugin repository as described in Installing, Updating and Uninstalling Repository Plugins and Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

Choose this option to have the project structure set up and some project sources generated based on the Express framework.

In the right-hand pane:

  1. Specify the project name and the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
  2. The path to the Node.js executable file node.exe and to the Node.js package manager file npm.cmd.
  3. The Express template engine to use. From the Template engine drop-down list, choose one of the following:
  4. The CSS engine to use. From the CSS engine drop-down list, choose one of the following:

PhoneGap/Cordova App The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the PhoneGap/Cordova plugin is installed and enabled.

The plugin is not bundled with IntelliJ IDEA, but it can be installed from the JetBrains plugin repository as described in Installing, Updating and Uninstalling Repository Plugins and Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

Choose this option to have the project structure set up and some sources generated based on the PhoneGap, Apache Cordova, and Ionic frameworks.

In the right-hand pane:

  1. Specify the project name and the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
  2. Specify the location of the executable file phonegap.cmd, or cordova.cmd, or ionic.cmd (see Installing PhoneGap/Cordova/Ionic).

React App The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the JavaScript Support plugin is installed and enabled.

The plugin is activated by default. If the plugin is disabled, enable it on the Plugins settings page as described in Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

Choose this option to generate a project using a globally installed create-react-app package, see Generating a React application with create-react-app for details.

In the right-hand pane:

  1. Specify the project name and the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
  2. In the Node Interpreter field, specify the Node.js interpreter to use. Choose a configured interpreter from the drop-down list or choose Add to configure a new one
  3. In the create-react-app field, specify the path to the create-react-app package.
  4. Optionally, in the Scripts version field, specify a custom package to use instead of react-scripts during the project generation. This can be one of the packages forked from react-scripts, for example, react-awesome-scripts, custom-react-scripts, react-scripts-ts, etc.

React Native The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the JavaScript Support plugin is installed and enabled.

The plugin is activated by default. If the plugin is disabled, enable it on the Plugins settings page as described in Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

Choose this option to get a stub for developing a React Native application.

In the right-hand pane:

  1. Specify the project name and the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
  2. In the Node Interpreter field, specify the Node.js interpreter to use. Choose a configured interpreter from the drop-down list or choose Add to configure a new one
  3. In the React Native field, specify the path to the react-native-cli package.

Twitter Bootstrap The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the JavaScript Support plugin is installed and enabled.

The plugin is activated by default. If the plugin is disabled, enable it on the Plugins settings page as described in Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

Choose this option to create a project, set up its structure, and generate some sources based on the Twitter Bootstrap template.

In the right-hand pane:

  1. Specify the project name and the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
  2. From the Version drop-down list, choose the template version to use and click Create.

Web Starter Kit The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the JavaScript Support plugin is installed and enabled.

The plugin is activated by default. If the plugin is disabled, enable it on the Plugins settings page as described in Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

Choose this option to create a project, set up its structure, and generate some sources in accordance with the Web Starter Kit requirements.

In the right-hand pane:

  1. Specify the project name and the path to the folder where the project-related files will be stored.
  2. From the Version drop-down list, choose the template version to use and click Create.

Yeoman The feature is supported only in the Ultimate edition when the Yeoman plugin is installed and enabled.

The plugin is not bundled with IntelliJ IDEA, but it can be installed from the JetBrains plugin repository as described in Installing, Updating and Uninstalling Repository Plugins and Enabling and Disabling Plugins.

Choose this option to get interface for generating framework-specific project stubs using the Yeoman tool.

The right-hand pane shows all the previously installed Yeoman generators. Select the required generator from the list, click Next.

Flash

Select this option if you are going to develop for the Adobe Flash runtimes using Flex or ActionScript. Specify the associated settings.

ItemDescription
Target platformSelect the target environment for the content that you are going to develop:
  • Web for Flash player / Web browser-targeted content.
  • Desktop for Adobe AIR-targeted content.
  • Mobile for the content intended for mobile devices (Android, iOS, etc.).
Pure ActionScriptSelect this checkbox if you are not going to use MXML (i.e. all your source code will be written in ActionScript).
Output typeSelect the intended output type, that is, what your resulting content is going to be:
  • Application. A runnable application, an SWF file.
  • Runtime-loaded module. A dynamically-loadable module, an SWF file.
  • Library. An SWC file.
Target devices For a Mobile Application: use the Android and iOS checkboxes to specify the intended target devices for your application.

As a result, IntelliJ IDEA enables or disables creating an application descriptor and packaging your application for the corresponding devices. (The Android and iOS checkboxes on this page correspond to the Enabled checkboxes on the Android and iOS tabs in the build configuration that will be created.)

Flex/AIR SDKSelect the Flex or AIR SDK to be used.

If the list is empty or does not contain the required SDK, click browseButton (Shift+Enter) and add the required SDK in the Configure SDK dialog.

Target playerFor the Web target platform: the target Flash Player version (readonly). (This setting is defined by the selected Flex SDK version.)
Create sample appFor the Application output type: select this checkbox if you want a sample application to be created.

You can use this sample application for learning and also as a basis for your own application development.

If necessary, change the source file name suggested by IntelliJ IDEA.

Create HTML wrapper templateFor a Web Application: select this checkbox if you want an HTML wrapper template for your application to be created.

Select or deselect the associated options as needed:

  • Enable integration with browser navigation. Select this option to enable deep linking.

    Deep linking lets users navigate their interactions with the application by using the Back and Forward buttons in their browser.

  • Check Flash player version. If you select this option, the compiled application will check for the correct version of Flash Player.
  • Express install. If you select this option, the application will run an SWF file in the existing Flash Player to upgrade users to the latest version of the player.

Empty Project

If you select this option, IntelliJ IDEA will create just a minimal folder structure and the necessary project definition files. You'll be able to expand your project later.

Last modified: 24 July 2018