Getting started with IntelliJ IDEA (Hudson Orsine Assumpção)（Z-Library）

【One-Line Pitch】 A hands-on guide to IntelliJ IDEA 12 for Java developers who want to stop fighting their IDE and start using its automation, refactoring, and framework support to build real applications faster. Best for developers already comfortable with Java who are switching from Eclipse or NetBeans, or who want a practical tour of the IDE's productivity features. 【Book Arc】 - **Opening (~0%–15%)**: Introduces IntelliJ IDEA's core philosophy and standout features—on-the-fly code analysis, inspections, advanced refactoring, and navigation—then walks through installation and initial configuration across Windows, Mac, and Linux. - **Early (~15%–35%)**: Explains the IDE's layout and organization—tool windows, editor, status bar, settings dialog, project vs. IDE settings, libraries, and facets—so you can orient yourself and configure the environment to match your workflow. - **Middle (~35%–55%)**: Focuses on development speed: intention actions, the Productivity Guide, gutter and marker-bar navigation, keyboard shortcuts, TODO marking, and plugin management with a short list of useful plugins. - **Late (~55%–80%)**: Moves into practical tooling—working with databases via the Database tool, creating and manipulating tables, and using ORM support such as Hibernate to generate entities from an existing schema. - **Ending (~80%–100%)**: Builds a web application (web module, application server configuration, JSF/Spring setup, dependency resolution, SOAP web services) and a desktop Swing application using the GUI designer, web service client, and data binding. 【Key Takeaways】 - **IntelliJ's value is automation, not just editing** (Early): on-the-fly analysis, inspections, and intention actions catch errors and suggest improvements while you type, reducing the gap between writing and correcting code. - **Refactoring is a first-class, IDE-wide operation** (Early): features like introduce constant and method-usage updates help you restructure code across many files without introducing compile errors. - **Configuration is centralized and searchable** (Early): almost everything lives in the Settings dialog, with context menus and balloons acting as shortcuts; this reduces the learning curve once you understand the structure. - **Productivity is measurable and improvable** (Middle): the Productivity Guide tracks which features you use and which you ignore, making it a practical tool for discovering time-saving shortcuts. - **Navigation shortcuts are a core skill** (Middle): gutter icons, marker bars, scroll-from-source, and shortcuts like Alt+Insert and Ctrl+Q let you move through code and generate boilerplate quickly. - **Plugins extend the IDE but cost startup time** (Middle): enabling only what you need keeps IntelliJ responsive; the book lists examples like JRebel, Hungry Backspace, Key Promoter, and GenerateTestCase. - **Database work can stay inside the IDE** (Late): the Database tool supports creating, editing, and filtering tables visually, and ORM support can extract entities from an existing database. - **The book teaches by building two applications** (Ending): a web app with JSF, Spring, and SOAP services, plus a Swing desktop app with GUI designer and data binding, tying features to real development tasks. 【Reading Tips】 - **Skim the installation and configuration chapter** if you already have IntelliJ running; return to it when you need to understand facets, libraries, or project vs. IDE settings. - **Deep-read the refactoring and navigation sections**—these are the features that most change daily workflow and are hardest to discover on your own. - **Treat the database and web/desktop chapters as guided exercises**: follow along in the IDE rather than reading passively, since the value is in the step-by-step application building. - **Use the Productivity Guide early** to identify which shortcuts and features you are missing; it is a self-assessment tool that pays off immediately. - **Keep the plugin list as a reference**, not a checklist—install only what matches your current work to avoid slowing down the IDE. 【Coverage Limits】 This guide is based on stratified excerpts covering the book's preface, table of contents, and portions of the early and middle chapters; the later web and desktop development chapters are summarized from the table of contents and preface rather than full chapter text. Specific code examples, exact shortcut lists, and detailed framework configuration steps are not fully covered in the excerpts.