IntelliJ IDEA 2021.3 Help

Project tool window

The Project tool window lets you take a look at your project from various viewpoints and perform different tasks such as creating new items (directories, files, classes, and so on), opening files in the editor, navigating to the necessary code fragments, and more.

the Project tool window

Views

The tool window has several views:

  • Project view. This view displays all the project items along with their dependencies (SDKs and libraries). The emphasis is on the directory structure, although the packages are also shown.

  • Packages view. This view emphasizes the package structure of the project. Modules, SDKs, and libraries, are not displayed by default.

  • Scopes views (Project Files, Open Files, and so on). These views display the contents of the predefined and user-defined scopes.

To switch between views, press Alt+Right/Alt+Left or select the desired view from the list on the title bar. You can also display each view in a separate tab: click Settings and disable the Group Tabs option.

IntelliJ IDEA: choosing a view in the Project tool window

Preview files

There are two ways to preview files without opening each one in a separate tab:

  • Use the file preview popup — select a file in the Project tool window and press Space.

    Opening a file preview in the Project tool window
  • Enable the preview tab — click the Show Options Menu button and select Enable Preview Tab.

Show file size and modification timestamp

The Project tool window allows you to see the size and modification timestamp for the files in the project tree. To display this information, select View | Appearance | Details in Tree Views from the main menu.

Descriptions in Tree Views option on and off

Show tree indent guides

In the Project tool window, you can display vertical lines that mark indent levels and help you better understand the hierarchy of the components in your project. To display these lines, enable Show tree indent guides on the Appearance and Behavior | Appearance page of the IDE settings Ctrl+Alt+S.

Tree indent guides in the tool window

Title bar context menu

The context menu that appears by right-clicking the title bar or clicking Settings, provides settings for project views, viewing modes, as well as for switching between the views, resizing the tool window, and more .

The following table lists and briefly explains the available commands and options.

Item

Shortcut

Description

Select Next View or Tab

Alt+Right

Use this option to switch between different views.

Select Previous View or Tab

Alt+Left

Use this option to switch between different views.

Show List of Views or Tabs

Alt+Down

Use this option to switch between different views.

Tree Appearance

Show Modules

This option is available only in the Packages and scope views. (In the Project view, modules are always shown.)

Turn this option on or off to show or hide modules.

Show Members

If this option is on, the files in the tree that contain classes turn into nodes. When such node is unfolded, the contained classes with their fields, methods, and other members of the selected item are shown.

Show class members in the Project tool window

Show Excluded Files

This option is available only in the Project view.

Turn this option on or off to show or hide excluded folders and files.

Show Visibility Icons

Display visibility modifiers for classes in the project tree:

  • Public: Public class modifier

  • Protected: Protected class modifier

  • Default: Default class modifier

  • Private: Private class modifier

Show Libraries Contents

This option is available only in the Packages view. (In the Project view, libraries are always shown; in the scope views, libraries are never shown.)

Turn this option on or off to show or hide libraries and their contents.

Note that within the Libraries category are the libraries included in module dependencies and also the SDKs associated with your modules.

Flatten Modules

If this option is off, modules are shown as a hierarchy or in groups. If this option is on, all modules appear at the same level.

Flatten Packages

If this option is off, packages are shown as a hierarchy. If this option is on, all packages appear at the same level and are identified by their qualified names.

Flatten Packages

Compact Middle Packages/Hide Empty 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.)

If the option is on, empty packages are shown compacted.

Empty packages are shown

Abbreviate Qualified Package Names

This option is available only if the Flatten Packages option is on.

If the option is on, most of the initial <name>. fragments in qualified package names are abbreviated.

Abbreviate qualified package names

Sort by Type

If the option is off, the items (files, classes, and so on) are sorted alphabetically. If the option is on, the files are sorted by their extensions. java files appear in the following order: interfaces, classes, enumerations, and so on.

Folders Always on Top

If the option is on, folders are shown above the files. Otherwise, all items are sorted alphabetically, and files and folders appear intermixed.

Enable Preview Tab

Enable the preview tab that allows you to view files in a single tab one by one without opening each file in a new tab.

Open Files with Single Click

If this option is on, IntelliJ IDEA will automatically open the selected item in the editor. Otherwise, you need to double-click items to open them.

Note that you cannot disable this option if you enable the preview tab.

Always Select Opened File

If this option is on, IntelliJ IDEA automatically locates documents that you open in the editor in the current view of this window.

Edit Scopes

Open the Scopes dialog in which you can create and edit used-defined scopes.

Note that this command is available only if the current view is a scope view.

File Nesting

Opens the File nesting dialog where you can configure presentation of files that have same names but different extensions.

Group Tabs

If this option is on, there is a list in the left-hand part of the title bar from which you can select the necessary view.

If this option is off, the views are represented by tabs which appear in the left-hand part of the title bar.

show views as tabs

View Mode

This option lets you control general appearance and behavior of the tool window. See Tool window view modes.

Move to

To associate the tool window with a different tool window bar, select this command, and then select the destination tool window bar (Top, Left, Bottom or Right).

Resize

To resize the tool window by moving one of its borders, select this command, and then select the necessary Stretch to option.

Note that this command is not available for the floating mode.

Remove from Sidebar

This command hides the tool window, removes the associated tool window button from the tool window bar and removes the tool window from the quick access menu (tb shown or tb hidden).

To open the tool window again (and restore the associated features), use the main menu: View | Tool Windows | <Window Name> or press Alt+1.

Hide

Shift+Escape

Hide the tool window.

Help

This command opens the description of the Project tool window in the IntelliJ IDEA online help.

Title bar buttons

Item

Shortcut

Description

Select Next View or Tab

Select Previous View or Tab

Alt+Right

Alt+Left

If the views are currently shown as tabs (the Group Tabs option is off), this button appears to the right of the last visible tab.

Open the list of views, for example, to select a different view.

Select Opened File

Navigate from a file in the editor to the corresponding node (file, class, field, method, and so on) in the Project tool window.

This icon is not available if the Always Select Opened File option is currently on.

collapse all

Ctrl+NumPad -

Collapse all the nodes.

settings

Open the menu for configuring the current view and changing the tool window viewing modes. The available options are a subset of the title bar context menu items.

Hide tool window

Shift+Escape

Hide the tool window Shift+Escape.

To hide all the tool windows, press Ctrl+Shift+F12.

Context menu commands for the content pane items

The context menu of an item provides access to all the functions available for this item.

Item

Shortcut

Description

New

Alt+Insert

Create a new item (module, package, directory, file, class, and so on.) within the selected one. (project, module, directory or package) In the Scratches view, this command also lets you create a query console.

Add Framework Support

For a module: use this option to add support for certain frameworks and technologies in the selected module.

Cut

Ctrl+X

Move the selected item or items from the current location to the clipboard.

Copy

Ctrl+C

Copy the selected item or items to the clipboard.

Copy Path/Reference

Use this command and one of the following options to copy the selected item(s) to the clipboard:

  • Absolute Path: copies the full path(s) of the selected item or items.

  • File Name: copies only the filename to the clipboard.

  • Path From Content Root: copies the path relative to the directory that contains the application content files.

  • Path From Source Root: copies the path relative to the Sources Root.

  • Path From Repository Root: copies the path relative to the project repository.

  • GitHub Repository URL: copies the path relative to the project repository on GitHub.

  • Toolbox URL: if you have IntelliJ IDEA Toolbox installed, you can insert the copied path in the browser to open the Toolbox application with the selected project.

  • Copy Reference (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+C): copies the reference of the selected item including the line number.

Paste

Ctrl+V

Insert the contents of the clipboard into the selected location.

Open Module Settings

F4

Open the settings for the selected module. These will be shown on the Modules page in the Project Structure dialog.

Find Usages

Alt+F7

Search for the usages of the selected item. (The Find Usages dialog will open.)

Find in Files

Ctrl+Shift+F

Perform a text search. (Find in Files dialog will open.)

Replace in Files

Ctrl+Shift+R

Perform text search-and-replace. (Replace in Path dialog will open.)

Analyze

Access the functions related to code inspections and analysis.

Refactor

Perform one of the refactorings available for the selected item.

Bookmarks

Add the selected item to an existing or new list of bookmarks.

Show Thumbnails

View thumbnails for image files located in the selected directory. (The Thumbnails tool window will open.)

Browse Type Hierarchy

Ctrl+H

For a file (normally, a class): open the class hierarchy for the selected file (class). The Hierarchy tool window will open.

For more information, refer to Source code hierarchy.

Reformat Code

Ctrl+Alt+L

Reformat the source code in the selected file or in all files in the current directory. (The Reformat Code dialog will open.)

See also, Reformat code.

Optimize Imports

Ctrl+Alt+O

Optimize imports in the selected file or in all files in the current directory. This feature removes unused imports and rearranges import statements.

Delete

Delete

Delete the selected item. Use with care!

Change Dialect (<CurrentDialect>)

For SQL files and database consoles, change the SQL dialect associated with the file or console.

Remove Module

Delete

Remove a module from your project. Note that the files that make up the module are not physically removed from the disk.

Build Module '<name>'

Build the current module.

Rebuild '<name>'

Ctrl+Shift+F9

Compile the selected source file or all the source files in the selected directory.

Override File Type

Change the type of the selected file, for example, to Plain Text to exclude it from project, so it is ignored by inspections, code completion, navigation, and so on. The file will be indicated with a special icon plain text and shown as plain text in the editor. For more details, see Exclude files.

Run '<item_name>'

Ctrl+Shift+F10

For an SQL file or query console: execute all the statements contained in the selected file or console.

Local History

View local history for the selected file or directory, or to create a label for the current version of your project.

Synchronize '<item_name>'

Synchronize the view in the tool window with the view saved in the file system.

If you change a file or directory contents externally, IntelliJ IDEA, under certain circumstances, may not be aware of the corresponding changes unless you use this command.

Open in Right Split

Split the editor into two parts and show the file in the right section. For more information, refer to Split screen.

Open in

Open a file in your system file manager or in Terminal.

File Path / Directory Path

Ctrl+Alt+F12

This menu shows the path from the file system root to the selected element with individual directories as the menu items.

file path menu

When you select an item in this menu (for example, a directory), a file browser (for example, Windows Explorer or Finder) opens, and the selected item is shown there.

Compare With

Ctrl+D

Compare the selected file or directory with another file or directory. See Compare files, folders, and text sources and Differences viewer for folders.

Compare File with Editor

Compare the selected file with the file open on an active editor tab. See Compare files, folders, and text sources and Differences viewer for files.

Load/Unload Modules

Temporarily ignore unused modules

Mark Directory As

Make the selected directory a source root or a test source root , to make the directory excluded, and so on.

The necessary category for the directory is selected from the submenu.

Diagrams

Ctrl+Alt+Shift+U or Ctrl+Alt+U

Open a diagram (for example, a UML diagram) for the selected item.

Update Copyright

Update the copyright notice for the selected files and folders. See Copyright.

WebServices

Access the functions related to developing Web services. See Web services and Web service clients.

File status highlights

If VCS integration is enabled for the current project, IntelliJ IDEA uses colors to denote VCS file status in the Project tool window.

You can configure VCS file status colors on the Version Control | File Status Colors page of the IDE settings Ctrl+Alt+S.

The table below lists default file status colors and their meanings in some of the color schemes.

Color

File Status

Description

Color sample: dark green #0A7700

Added

The file in the active changelist is scheduled for addition to the repository.

Color sample: green #0EAA00

Added in not active changelist

The file in an inactive changelist is scheduled for addition to the repository. This file status is available if the Highlight files from non-active changelists option is enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Changelists.

Color sample: red #FF0000

Changelist conflict

The file in an inactive changelist has been modified in the active changelist. In this case, a new dialog will open prompting you to resolve the changelist conflict. This file status is available if all options are enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Changelists.

Color sample: dark green #0A7700

Copied

If a file is a copy of another file, its metadata is tracked, and such a file is marked as copied.

Color sample: grey #616161

Deleted

The file is scheduled for deletion from the repository.

Color sample: dull purple #773895

Deleted from file system

The file has been deleted locally, but hasn't been scheduled for deletion, and it still exists in the repository.

Color sample: light grayish blue #8AA4C8

Have changed descendants

If a file is modified, the IDE will recursively highlight all directories containing that file. This status is available if the Highlight directories that contain modified files in the Project tree option is enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Confirmation.

Color sample: bright blue #3264B4

Have immediate changed children

If a file is modified, the IDE will highlight its parent directory. This status is available if the Highlight directories that contain modified files in the Project tree option is enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Confirmation.

Color sample: light brown #B28C00

Hijacked

[Perforce, ClearCase, VSS] The file is modified without checkout.

Color sample: dark olive #727238

Ignored

A file is intentionally untracked by VCS.

Color sample: purple #7503DC

Merged

The file is merged by your VCS as a result of an update.

Color sample: red #FF0000

Merged with conflicts

During the last update, the file has been merged with conflicts.

Color sample: red #FF0000

Merged with property conflicts

During the last update, the IDE has detected differences between the properties of the local file and its server version.

Color sample: red #FF0000

Merged with text and property conflicts

Text and property conflicts happen when two or more developers modify the same lines of a file and the same file properties.

Color sample: bright navy #0032A0

Modified

The file has changed since the last synchronization.

Color sample: blue #0047E4

Modified in not active changelist

The file in an inactive changelist has been modified. This file status is available if the Highlight files from non-active changelists option is enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Changelists.

Color sample: Olive #7C7C00

Obsolete

The file should no longer be in your working copy of the repository.

Color sample: teal #007C7C

Renamed

Since the last update, the file has been renamed.

Color sample: dark cyan #08978F

Switched

[SVN] The file is taken from a different branch than the whole project.

Color sample: brown #993300

(Unknown) Unversioned

The file exists locally, but is not in the repository, and is not scheduled for addition.

Color sample: black None (default color)

Up to date

The file hasn't been changed.

Color

File Status

Description

Color sample: dull green #629755

Added

The file in the active changelist is scheduled for addition to the repository.

Color sample: dull green #629755

Added in not active changelist

The file in an inactive changelist is scheduled for addition to the repository. This file status is available if the Highlight files from non-active changelists option is enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Changelists.

Color sample: dull red #D5756C

Changelist conflict

The file in an inactive changelist has been modified in the active changelist. In this case, a new dialog will open prompting you to resolve the changelist conflict. This file status is available if all options are enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Changelists.

Color sample: green #0A7700

Copied

If a file is a copy of another file, its metadata is tracked, and such a file is marked as copied.

Color sample: grey #6C6C6C

Deleted

The file is scheduled for deletion from the repository.

Color sample: dull purple #6C6C6C

Deleted from file system

The file has been deleted locally, but hasn't been scheduled for deletion, and it still exists in the repository.

Color sample: light blue #6897BB

Have changed descendants

If a file is modified, the IDE will recursively highlight all directories containing that file. This status is available if the Highlight directories that contain modified files in the Project tree option is enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Confirmation.

Color sample: light blue #6897BB

Have immediate changed children

If a file is modified, the IDE will highlight its parent directory. This status is available if the Highlight directories that contain modified files in the Project tree option is enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Confirmation.

Color sample: white None (default color)

Hijacked

[Perforce, ClearCase, VSS] The file is modified without checkout.

Color sample: light olive #848504

Ignored

A file is intentionally untracked by VCS.

Color sample: light purple #9876AA

Merged

The file is merged by your VCS as a result of an update.

Color sample: dull red #D5756C

Merged with conflicts

During the last update, the file has been merged with conflicts.

Color sample: dull red #D5756C

Merged with property conflicts

During the last update, the IDE has detected differences between the properties of the local file and its server version.

Color sample: dull red #D5756C

Merged with text and property conflicts

Text and property conflicts happen when two or more developers modify the same lines of a file and the same file properties.

Color sample: light blue #6897BB

Modified

The file has changed since the last synchronization.

Color sample: light blue #6897BB

Modified in not active changelist

The file in an inactive changelist has been modified. This file status is available if the Highlight files from non-active changelists option is enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Changelists.

Color sample: white None (default color)

Obsolete

The file should no longer be in your working copy of the repository.

Color sample: strong cyan #3A8484

Renamed

Since the last update, the file has been renamed.

Color sample: white None (default color)

Switched

[SVN] The file is taken from a different branch than the whole project.

Color sample: soft red #D1675A

(Unknown) Unversioned

The file exists locally, but is not in the repository, and is not scheduled for addition.

Color sample: white None (default color)

Up to date

The file hasn't been changed.

Color

File Status

Description

Color sample: green #62CC47

Added

The file in the active changelist is scheduled for addition to the repository.

Color sample: green #62CC47

Added in not active changelist

The file in an inactive changelist is scheduled for addition to the repository. This file status is available if the Highlight files from non-active changelists option is enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Changelists.

Color sample: dull red #FF6666

Changelist conflict

The file in an inactive changelist has been modified in the active changelist. In this case, a new dialog will open prompting you to resolve the changelist conflict. This file status is available if all options are enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Changelists.

Color sample: green #62CC47

Copied

If a file is a copy of another file, its metadata is tracked, and such a file is marked as copied.

Color sample: orange #ED864A

Deleted

The file is scheduled for deletion from the repository.

Color sample: orange #ED864A

Deleted from file system

The file has been deleted locally, but hasn't been scheduled for deletion, and it still exists in the repository.

Color sample: vivid cyan #4FF0FF

Have changed descendants

If a file is modified, the IDE will recursively highlight all directories containing that file. This status is available if the Highlight directories that contain modified files in the Project tree option is enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Confirmation.

Color sample: vivid cyan #4FF0FF

Have immediate changed children

If a file is modified, the IDE will highlight its parent directory. This status is available if the Highlight directories that contain modified files in the Project tree option is enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Confirmation.

Color sample: white None (default color)

Hijacked

[Perforce, ClearCase, VSS] The file is modified without checkout.

Color sample: light olive #A9B837

Ignored

A file is intentionally untracked by VCS.

Color sample: light purple #ED94FF

Merged

The file is merged by your VCS as a result of an update.

Color sample: dull red #FF6666

Merged with conflicts

During the last update, the file has been merged with conflicts.

Color sample: dull red #FF6666

Merged with property conflicts

During the last update, the IDE has detected differences between the properties of the local file and its server version.

Color sample: dull red #FF6666

Merged with text and property conflicts

Text and property conflicts happen when two or more developers modify the same lines of a file and the same file properties.

Color sample: vivid cyan #4FF0FF

Modified

The file has changed since the last synchronization.

Color sample: vivid cyan #4FF0FF

Modified in not active changelist

The file in an inactive changelist has been modified. This file status is available if the Highlight files from non-active changelists option is enabled in Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Changelists.

Color sample: white None (default color)

Obsolete

The file should no longer be in your working copy of the repository.

Color sample: vivid cyan #4FF0FF

Renamed

Since the last update, the file has been renamed.

Color sample: white None (default color)

Switched

[SVN] The file is taken from a different branch than the whole project.

Color sample: soft red D1675A

(Unknown) Unversioned

The file exists locally, but is not in the repository, and is not scheduled for addition.

Color sample: white None (default color)

Up to date

The file hasn't been changed.

Last modified: 01 August 2022