Scopes
for Windows and Linux
for macOS Ctrl+Alt+S 
A scope is a set of files to which various operations apply. Using this dialog, you can define scopes for the various IntelliJ IDEA actions, for example, Find Usages or Code Inspections.
Main toolbar
| Item | Tooltip | Description |
|---|---|---|
 | Add scope Alt+Insert | Add a new local or shared scope. |
 | Delete Alt+Delete | Delete the selected scope from the list. |
 | Copy configuration Ctrl+D | Create a copy of the selected scope. |
 | Save as | Save the selected local scope as shared or the selected shared scope as local. |
  | Move Up / Move Down | Move the scopes up and down in the list. |
Scope configuration controls
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | Specify the scope name. |
| Pattern | Specify the pattern that defines the current scope. The following elements and structures can be used:
For more information, see Scope language syntax reference. Storing empty or incorrect patterns is not allowed. In such cases, IntelliJ IDEA shows a Syntax Error warning. |
| Include | Included the selected item. If the current item is a folder, the nested subfolders are ignored. |
| Include Recursively | Include the selected folder and all nested subfolders with their contents. |
| Exclude | Exclude the selected item. If the current item is a folder, the nested subfolders remain in the scope. |
| Exclude Recursively | Exclude the selected folder and all nested subfolders with their contents. |
Scope toolbar
| Item | Tooltip | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Project tree view | The tree view contains all the files available in your project. In the view, select the desired files to be included in the current scope and have the scope definition pattern generated automatically. | |
 | Flatten Packages | When this option is enabled, all the packages are displayed as a single-level tree view. This enables you to find a package somewhere deep within the project by its name without going through the entire tree hierarchy. |
 | Group by Scopes Type | When this button is pressed, the items in the tree-view are grouped below three nodes:
This button is only available for the Package presentation of scopes. |
 | Compact Middle Packages | This option lets you specify how or whether empty packages are to be shown. (Empty packages are ones that contain nothing but other packages.) |
 | Show Modules | When this option is enabled, items in the tree-view are shown below the corresponding module nodes. Otherwise, the project items are shown below the corresponding package (like a source path with packages). |
 | Show Module Groups | When this option is enabled, modules in module groups are shown on the same level with other modules. |
 | Show Files | When this option is enabled, source files are displayed explicitly in the tree view. When the files are shown, they can be selected for exclusion/inclusion into a pattern. If this option is not disabled, all files are hidden from the tree. |
 | Show Included Only | When this option is enabled, the tree shows only the elements that are included in the scope. |
| Define how you want the project files to be displayed in the tree view. The project tree view presentation, scopes language syntax and the available toolbar buttons differ depending on the selection. |
Legend of the project tree view
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
 | Folders and files included in a scope are marked with green. |
| Black | Folders and files excluded from a scope. |
 | Folders that contain both excluded and included files and subfolders are marked with dark blue. |