IntelliJ IDEA 2021.3 Help

Gradle settings

Use this page to configure settings for Gradle projects that were created, opened, or linked.

Item

Description

Gradle user home

Use this field to specify the location for Gradle to store its global configuration properties, initialization scripts, caches, log files, and so on. For more detailed information, see Gradle documentation.

The default is set to $USER_HOME/.gradle. It can be overridden in one of the following ways:

  • You can set the GRADLE_USER_HOME environment variable (for example, %APPDATA%\.gradle). For more information, refer to Gradle documentation. The variable's value is picked up automatically. The new path is reflected in the field.

  • You can specify the location manually: type the location in the path or click the Browse button and in the dialog that opens, select the needed directory.

If the Gradle location is set in Use Gradle from with the Specified location option and its path is defined in the environment variable GRADLE_HOME or PATH, IntelliJ IDEA deduces this location and suggests its path as the default value.

IntelliJ IDEA also supports the custom Gradle location installed from the Homebrew package manager.

Generate *.iml files for modules imported from Gradle

Select this option to store the generated .iml and library files in the .idea directory instead of idea.system.path.

It might be helpful in the following cases:

  • sharing the IDE-specific module settings via VCS since the .idea directory stores project-level settings. You can also opt for the gradle-idea-ext plugin that helps you describe the project settings in the build.gradle file.

  • correctly opening a project that contains both regular IntelliJ IDEA modules and Gradle modules.

  • accessing a project faster when you open it since IntelliJ IDEA reads the .iml files first and then starts the importing process.

Gradle projects

You can have several linked Gradle projects when you work in IntelliJ IDEA. You can configure settings for each selected project.

Download external annotations for dependencies

When this checkbox is selected, IntelliJ IDEA downloads a file with a set of external annotations from the JetBrains public repository.

Build and run

Use this section to specify what IntelliJ IDEA should use when you run tests, build, or run tasks in the selected linked project.

Build and run using

Use this list to select how you want to build and run your project. Use Gradle as a default option or select IntelliJ IDEA.

In this case when you select Build | Build Project from the main menu, IntelliJ IDEA goes through source sets in all modules executing the Gradle task classes.

Build output

If you have a pure Java or a Kotlin project, it is sometimes better to select IntelliJ IDEA for building a project. IntelliJ IDEA supports the incremental build which significantly speeds up the building process. Yet, keep in mind that the IntelliJ IDEA compiler does not support some parts of the Gradle project build processing and might cause problems in building your project correctly.

Run tests using

Use this list to select how you want to run tests in your project. Use Gradle as a default option or select IntelliJ IDEA.

Gradle

Use Gradle from

Use this list to configure a Gradle version for your project.

You can select one of the following options:

  • 'gradle-wrapper.properties' file: this is a recommended default option that uses Gradle wrapper.

    In this case you delegate the update of Gradle versions to Gradle and get an automatic Gradle download for the build. This option also lets you build with a precise Gradle version. The Gradle version is saved in the gradle-wrapper.properties file in the gradle directory of your project and helps you eliminate any Gradle version problems.

  • 'wrapper' task in Gradle build script: select this option to configure a Gradle wrapper according to the wrapper task configuration. It might be convenient if you prefer to control which Gradle version to use in the project.

    If you used the default Gradle wrapper option and then switched to the Gradle wrapper task configuration, changes you made in the task automatically update during the project import.

  • Specified location: select this option if you don't want to use the Gradle wrapper and prefer to manually download and use a specific Gradle version instead. Specify the location of your Gradle installation.

Gradle JVM

Use this field to specify the JVM under which IntelliJ IDEA will run Gradle when you import the specified Gradle project and when you execute its tasks. The default is set to your project JDK.

This field overrides any other Gradle JVM selection. You can check a process of how IntelliJ IDEA selects the Gradle JVM version in the Gradle JVM selection section.

Last modified: 01 August 2022