What’s New in MPS 2024.3

The ProjectView tool window now provides three top-level folders to keep the structure of the project better organized:

• Project Name
• Modules Pool
• Checkpoints and Transient Models

The Checkpoints and Transient Models folder is always displayed below the Modules Pool, and is empty unless any transient or checkpoint models are available. These models are displayed under this folder, and not at the top level as they used to be.

As a side effect, the new Checkpoints and Transient Models folder allows the ProjectView tool window to remember the expanded and collapsed subtrees of the project structure across MPS restarts.

The following options to enable/disable the Preview Tab provided by the IntelliJ Platform are now respected by MPS and guarantee the same behavior of the editor as in other JetBrains tools:

• Settings | Editor | General | Editor Tabs | Opening Policy | Enable Preview Tab
• Logical View | Behavior | Enable Preview Tab

An additional option, reports dir, has been added to the options section of a test configuration in build scripts. The user can specify the output directory where the generated JUnit test reports are to be stored.

A new section named applicable has been added to Quick-Fix definitions to let you control the applicability of a quick-fix. The default value <always> guarantees unrestricted applicability.

In addition to the existing TextIcon and FileIcon concepts, a new ConstantFieldIcon concept is now available. It allows an icon to be specified by reference to a concrete static field declaration holding an instance of javax.swing.Icon.

All tool windows, such as Inspector, HierarchyView, and Usages, have been reworked to no longer follow the long-deprecated mechanism of the IntelliJ Platform’s project components (ProjectComponent). The changes to the API have been minimal, but for some tool windows, there is a change in how they are obtained from code:

• The Project.getComponent() method no longer returns any of the tool windows.
• Tools that are implemented as an MPS tool concept can be obtained using com.intellij.openapi.project.Project.tool <ToolConcept>.
• Tools that are frequently used from Java provide a static getInstance() method:
  • UsagesViewTool.getInstance()
  • InspectorTool.getInstance()
• The Inspector tool is traditionally also available from EditorContext.inspectorTool().

IntelliJ IDEA now automatically detects system proxy settings configured on your machine and uses them by default, facilitating seamless interaction with external resources and services.

We’ve redesigned the layout and behavior of the UI elements in the Customize Main Toolbar dialog, making it more intuitive and organized. It’s now easier to search for, add, and delete actions in the main toolbar.

We’ve increased the default tab limit in the editor to 30. This means you can now keep more tabs open before the IDE starts closing the ones used least recently. You can control this setting in Settings | Editor | General | Editor Tabs.

IntelliJ IDEA can now natively render mathematical expressions in Markdown files. When working with Markdown, you can use $ to insert inline math expressions and $$ for code blocks with math content.

We’ve given tags a dedicated node in the Version Control widget, making it easier to check them out. The node is displayed by default, but if you prefer to hide it, simply click the gear icon and uncheck the Show Tags option.

All settings related to the Log tool window have been consolidated into a dedicated settings page, which you can access either through Settings/Preferences | Version Control | Log or via a new drop-down menu on the Log tool window’s toolbar.

The Welcome screen now shows the branch name, helping you stay organized when handling multiple project versions and allowing you to easily switch between working directories.

We’ve added new Git options to simplify viewing branch histories. Use the First Parent option to focus on the mainline changes by hiding individual commits from merges. Alternatively, you can filter out merge commits entirely with the No Merges option. Both options are now available under the Graph Options icon in the Git tool window, making it easier to track changes in your branches.

The new terminal now offers enhanced command processing, and the alignment of its UI has been refined, delivering a smoother, more intuitive experience. The terminal is now more responsive and processes prompts faster. Session switching is now seamless, with consistent state retention across tabs to ensure your workflow is not interrupted. Autocompletion accesses command names, flags, and paths more quickly, reducing manual input. We've also introduced additional customization options, including for prompt styles, session names, and environment variables, giving you greater control over your terminal environment.