IntelliJ IDEA 2018.2 Help

Live Template Variables

When a live template abbreviation is expanded, variables are replaced by predefined values (default or calculated using functions) and appear as input fields that the user can modify.

Variables within templates are declared in the following format:

$<variable_name>$

Each variable is defined by an expression, and can accept some default value for cases when the expression fails to evaluate.

This expression may contain constructs of the following basic types:

  • String constants in double quotes.

  • The name of another variable defined in a live template.

  • Predefined functions with possible arguments.

Template variables can be configured in the Edit Template Variables Dialog.

To configure template variables

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+S to open the Settings/Preferences dialog and then go to Editor | Live Templates.

  2. Select the template (or create a new one) for which you want to configure variables.

  3. Enter the variables in the correct places in template text and click Edit variables

  4. In the Edit Template Variables dialog, you can do the following for each variable:
    • Change its name.

    • Define the expression using predefined functions.

    • Specify the default value for cases when the expression fails to evaluate.

    • Specify whether you want to skip the variable when prompting the user for input if the variable was defined using its expression.

Predefined template variables

IntelliJ IDEA supports the following predefined live template variables that cannot be modified:

  • $END$ indicates the position of the cursor when the code snippet is complete and you can no longer press Tab to jump to the next variable.

  • $SELECTION$ is used in surround templates and denotes the code fragment to be wrapped. After the template is expanded, the selected text is wrapped as specified in the template. For example, if you select EXAMPLE in your code and invoke the "$SELECTION$" template via the assigned abbreviation or by pressing Ctrl+Alt+T and selecting the desired template from the list, IntelliJ IDEA will wrap the selection in double quotes as follows: "EXAMPLE".

Predefined functions used in live template variables

The following functions can be used to define live template variables:

Function

Description

annotated("annotation qname")

Creates a symbol of type with an annotation that resides at the specified location. For an example, see Live Templates in the iterations group.

anonymousSuper()

Suggests a supertype for a Kotlin object expression.

arrayVariable()

Suggests all array variables applicable in the current scope. For an example, see Live Templates in the iterations group.

blockCommentEnd

Returns the characters that indicate the end of a block comment in the current language context.

blockCommentStart

Returns the characters that indicate the start of a block comment in the current language context.

camelCase(String)

Converts a string into camelCase. For example, camelCase(my-text-file), camelCase(my text file), and camelCase(my_text_file) all return myTextFile.

capitalize(String)

Capitalizes the first letter of the parameter.

capitalizeAndUnderscore(sCamelCaseName)

Capitalizes all the letters of a CamelCase name passed as the parameter, and inserts an underscore between the parts. For example, capitalizeAndUnderscore(FooBar) returns FOO_BAR.

castToLeftSideType()

Casts the right-side expression to the left-side expression type. It is used in the iterations group to have a single template for generating both raw-type and Generics Collections.

className()

Returns the name of the current class (the class where the template is expanded).

classNameComplete()

This expression substitutes for the class name completion at the variable position.

clipboard()

Returns the contents of the system clipboard.

commentEnd()

Returns the characters that indicate the end of a comment in the current language context. The return value is empty if line comments are defined in the current language.

commentStart()

Returns the characters that indicate the start of a comment in the current language context. If line comments are defined in the current language, their start indicator is preferable.

complete()

Invokes code completion at the position of the variable.

completeSmart()

Invokes smart type completion at the position of the variable.

componentTypeOf(<array>)

Returns component type of an array. For an example, see live templates in the iterations group and in the other group.

concat(expressions...)

Returns a concatenation of all the strings passed to the function as parameters.

currentPackage()

Returns the current package name.

date(sDate)

Returns the current system date in the specified format.

Without a parameter, the current date is returned in the default system format.

date_format
decapitalize(sName)

Replaces the first letter of the parameter with the corresponding lowercase letter.

descendantClassEnum(<String>)

Returns the children of the class specified as a string parameter.

enum(sCompletionString1,sCompletionString2,...)

Returns a list of comma-separated strings suggested for completion when the template is expanded.

escapeString(sEscapeString)

Escapes the string specified as the parameter.

expectedType()

Returns the expected type of the expression into which the template expands. Makes sense if the template expands in the right part of an assignment, after return, etc.

fileName()

Returns the name of the current file with its extension.

fileNameWithoutExtension()

Returns the name of the current file without its extension.

firstWord(sFirstWord)

Returns the first word of the string passed as the parameter.

groovyScript("groovy code", arg1)

Returns a Groovy script with the specified code.

You can use the groovyScript() function with multiple arguments. The first argument is the text of the script that is executed or the path to the file that contains the script. The next arguments are bound to the _1, _2, _3, ..._n variables that are available inside your script. Also, the _editor variable is available inside the script. This variable is bound to the current editor.

guessElementType (<container>)

Makes a guess on the type of elements stored in a java.util.Collection. To make a guess, IntelliJ IDEA tries to find the places where the elements were added to or extracted from the container.

iterableComponentType(<ArrayOrIterable>)

Returns the type of an iterable component, such as an array or a collection.

iterableVariable()

Returns the name of a variable that can be iterated.

JsArrayVariable()

Returns the name of the current JavaScript array.

jsClassName()

Returns the name of the current JavaScript class.

jsComponentTypeOf()

Returns the type of the current JavaScript component.

jsDefineParameter

Based on the name of the module, returns the parameter from define(["module"], function (<parameter_in_question>>) {}).

jsMethodName()

Returns the name of the current JavaScript method.

jsQualifiedClassName()

Returns the complete name of the current JavaScript class.

jsSuggestIndexName()

Returns a suggested name for an index variable from most commonly used ones: i, j, k, etc. The names that are not used in the current scope yet are shown first.

jsSuggestVariableName()

Returns the suggested name for a variable based on its variable type and initializer expression, according to your code style settings that refer to the variable naming rules.
For example, if it is a variable that holds an element within an iteration, IntelliJ IDEA makes a guess on the most reasonable name, taking into account the name of the container that is iterated.

jsSuggestDefaultVariableKind(Boolean)

The Boolean parameter determines whether constants are allowed or not in the current context. If no parameter is specified, constants are allowed. When the templates expands, a drop-down list is shown with var, let, const options for TypeScript and ES6 and with only one var option for earlier JavaScript versions.

jsSuggestImportedEntityName()

Suggests the name for import statements of the type `import * as $ITEM$ from "$MODULE$"` or `import $ITEM$ from "$MODULE$"` based on the file name.

lineCommentStart

Returns the characters that indicate the start of a line comment in the current language context.

lineNumber()

Returns the current line number.

lowercaseAndDash(String)

Converts a camelCase string into lower case and inserts n-dashes as separators. For example, lowercaseAndDash(MyExampleName) returns my-example-name.

methodName()

Returns the name of the method in which the template is expanded.

methodParameters()

Returns the list of parameters of the method in which the template is expanded.

methodReturnType()

Returns the type of the value returned by the current method (in which the template is expanded).

qualifiedClassName()

Returns the fully qualified name of the current class (in which the template is expanded).

rightSideType()

Declares the left-side variable with a type of the right-side expression. It is used in the iterations group to have a single template for generating both raw-type and Generics Collections.

snakeCase(String)

Converts a string into snake_case. For example, snakeCase(fooBar) returns foo_bar.

spaceSeparated(String)

Converts a string into lowercase and inserts spaces as separators. For example, spaceSeparated(fooBar) returns foo bar.

substringBefore(String,Delimiter)

Removes the extension after the specified delimiter and returns only the file name. This is helpful for test file names (for example, substringBefore($FileName$,".") returns component-test in component-test.js).

subtypes(sType)

Returns the subtypes of the type passed as the parameter.

suggestFirstVariableName(sFirstVariableName)

Doesn't suggest true, false, this, super.

suggestIndexName()

Suggests the name of an index variable from most commonly used ones: i, j, k, and so on (first one that is not used in the current scope).

suggestVariableName()

Suggests the name for a variable based on the variable type and its initializer expression, according to your code style settings that refer to the variable naming rules.
For example, if it is a variable that holds an element within an iteration, IntelliJ IDEA makes a guess on the most reasonable name, taking into account the name of the container being iterated.

time(sSystemTime)

Returns the current system time in the specified format.

typeOfVariable(VAR)

Returns the type of the variable passed as the parameter.

underscoresToCamelCase(String)

Replaces underscores with camelCase letters in the string passed as the parameter. For example, underscoresToCamelCase(foo_bar) returns fooBar.

underscoresToSpaces(sParameterWithUnderscores)

Replaces underscores with spaces in the string passed as the parameter. For example, underscoresToSpaces(foo_bar) returns foo bar.

user()

Returns the name of the current user.

variableOfType(<type>)

Suggests all variables that may be assigned to the type passed as the parameter, for example, variableOfType("java.util.Vector"). If you pass an empty string ("") as the parameter, the function suggests all variables regardless of their types.

Last modified: 20 November 2018