Advanced configuration
Besides the standard options available in the Preferences dialog ⌘,, AppCode enables you to perform low-level configuration of the underlying platform and the Java runtime.
JVM options
AppCode runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), which has various options that control its performance. The default options used to run AppCode are specified in the following file:
AppCode.app/Contents/bin/appcode.vmoptionsConfigure JVM options
Do one of the following to create a copy of the default file with JVM options in the configuration directory that will override the original file:
On the Help menu, click Edit Custom VM Options.
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If you do not have any project open, on the Welcome screen, click Configure and then Edit Custom VM Options.
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If you cannot start AppCode, manually copy the default file with JVM options to the AppCode configuration directory.
If you do not have write access to the AppCode configuration directory, you can add the APPCODE_VM_OPTIONS environment variable to specify the location of the file with your preferred JVM options. This file will override both the original default file and the copy located in the AppCode configuration directory.
Common options
The default values of the JVM options should be optimal in most cases. The following are the most commonly modified ones:
Option | Description |
|---|---|
-Xmx | Limits the maximum memory heap size that the JVM can allocate for running AppCode. Default value depends on the platform. If you are experiencing slowdowns, you may want to increase this value, for example, to set the value to 2048 megabytes, change this option to |
-Xms | Specifies the initial memory allocated by the JVM for running AppCode. Default value depends on the platform. It is usually set to about half of the maximum allowed memory (-Xmx), for example, |
-XX:NewRatio | Specifies the ratio between the size of the young and old generation of the heap. In most cases, a ratio between 2 and 4 is recommended. This will set the size of the young generation to be 1/2 to 1/4 of the old generation correspondingly, which is good when you are often working on one project and only a few files at a time. However, if you are constantly opening new files and switching between several projects, you may need to increase the young generation. In this case, try setting |
For more information about available JVM options, see the java reference https://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/technotes/tools/unix/java.html.
Platform properties
AppCode enables you to customize various platform-specific properties, such as the path to user-installed plugins and the maximum supported file size. The default properties used to run AppCode are specified in the following file: AppCode.app/Contents/bin/idea.properties
Configure platform properties:
Do one of the following to create an empty idea.properties file in the configuration directory that will override the values from the original file:
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From the menu, select .
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If you do not have any project open, on the Welcome screen, click Configure and then select Edit Custom Properties.
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If you cannot start AppCode, manually create an empty idea.properties file in the AppCode configuration directory.
If you do not have write access to the AppCode configuration directory, you can add the APPCODE_PROPERTIES environment variable to specify the location of the idea.properties file. The properties in this file will override the corresponding properties in both the original default file and the one located in the AppCode configuration directory.
Common properties
Users often change the following properties:
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The default IDE directories may need to be moved, for example, if the user profile drive runs out of space or it is located on a slow disk, if the home directory is encrypted (slowing down the IDE) or located on a network drive, if you want to create a portable installation or exclude caches from home directory backups, and so on.
Property
Path to
idea.config.pathConfiguration directory idea.system.pathSystem directory idea.plugins.pathPlugins directory idea.log.pathLogs directory You can insert properties as variables. For example, use
${user.home}(standard Java system property) to specify paths relative to the user's home directory:idea.config.path=${user.home}/MyIdeaConfiguration -
Limits that can affect performance:
Property
Description
idea.max.content.load.filesizeMaximum size of files (in kilobytes) that AppCode is able to open. Working with large files can affect editor performance and increase memory consumption. The default value is
20000.idea.max.intellisense.filesizeMaximum size of files (in kilobytes) for which AppCode provides coding assistance. Coding assistance for large files can affect editor performance and increase memory consumption. The default value is
2500.idea.cycle.bufferMaximum size of the console cyclic buffer (in kilobytes). If the console output size exceeds this value, the oldest lines are deleted. To disable the cyclic buffer, set
idea.cycle.buffer.size=disabled.idea.max.vcs.loaded.size.kbMaximum size (in kilobytes) that AppCode loads for showing past file contents when comparing changes. The default value is
20480.
AppCode provides a number of other properties that define interaction with the environment (window managers, launchers, file system, and so on). Most of them act like hidden settings (in the sense that they are not evidently exposed), which you may need to enable or disable in certain cases. Change these properties only if advised by JetBrains Support.
Default IDE directories
By default, AppCode stores user-specific files (configuration, caches, plugins, logs, and so on) in the user's home directory. However, you can change the location for storing those files, if necessary.
Configuration directory
The AppCode configuration directory contains XML files with personal settings, such as keymaps, color schemes, and so on. It is also the default location for user-defined VM options and platform properties files.
- Syntax
- ~/Library/Preferences/<product><version>
- Example
- ~/Library/Preferences/AppCode2019.3
You can change the location of the AppCode configuration directory using the idea.config.path property.
You can share your personal IDE settings by copying the files from the configuration directory to corresponding folders on another AppCode installation. Make sure that AppCode is not running to avoid erasing the copied files when you shut down the IDE. The following table lists subfolders in the AppCode configuration directory and corresponding settings that are contained in them.
Directory | User settings |
|---|---|
| codestyles | Code style schemes |
| colors | Customized editor color and font schemes |
| fileTemplates | User-defined file templates which pertain to the entire AppCode workspace |
| filetypes | User-defined file types |
| inspection | Code inspection profiles |
| keymaps | Customized keyboard shortcuts |
| options | Various options, for example, feature usage statistics and macros |
| templates | User-defined live templates |
| tools | Configuration files for user-defined external tools |
| shelf | Shelved changes |
System directory
The AppCode system directory contains caches and local history files.
- Syntax
- ~/Library/Caches/<product><version>
- Example
- ~/Library/Caches/AppCode2019.3
You can change the location of the AppCode system directory using the idea.system.path property.
Plugins directory
The AppCode plugins directory contains user-installed plugins.
- Syntax
- ~/Library/Application Support/<product><version>
- Example
- ~/Library/Application Support/AppCode2019.3
You can change the location of the AppCode plugins directory using the idea.plugins.path property.
Logs directory
The AppCode logs directory contains product logs and thread dumps.
- Syntax
- ~/Library/Logs/<product><version>
- Example
- ~/Library/Logs/AppCode2019.3
You can change the location of the AppCode logs directory using the idea.log.path property.