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IntelliJ Keyboard Shortcuts for Java Development

IntelliJ IDEA offers a wide array of keyboard shortcuts that streamline the Java development workflow, from navigating the codebase to refactoring and syntax correction.

Code Completion and Syntax

The IDE provides powerful shortcuts for handling code structure. A frequently used command is Ctrl + Alt + V (Windows/Linux) or Cmd + Alt + V (macOS), which automatically introduces a variable for the current expression.^[600-developer-intellij.md]

For syntax correction, Ctrl + Shift + Enter acts as a "Smart Complete" command^[600-developer-intellij.md]. This shortcut automatically completes the current statement; if the syntax requires it, the IDE will append a semicolon or a closing brace to the end of the line^[600-developer-intellij.md].

To improve the efficiency of code completion, users can configure the IDE to match case insensitively.^[600-developer-intellij.md] This allows Code Completion to suggest keywords and identifiers regardless of casing, reducing the need for precise capitalization during typing.

IntelliJ includes several shortcuts for rapid navigation within projects.

  • File Structure: Ctrl + F12 opens the "File Structure" popup, displaying a list of methods and fields in the current class^[600-developer-intellij.md].
  • Class Search: Ctrl + Shift + N (or Cmd + Shift + N on macOS) allows for quick file navigation^[600-developer-intellij.md]. To narrow down the search to a specific directory structure, type / after invoking this command^[600-developer-intellij.md].
  • Project Switching: Ctrl + Alt + ] and Ctrl + Alt + [ allow the user to switch between open projects^[600-developer-intellij.md].

Visualization

Understanding the relationship between classes is facilitated by visualization shortcuts.

  • Hierarchy Diagram: Ctrl + Alt + U opens the inheritance tree (or hierarchy diagram) for the current class^[600-developer-intellij.md], allowing developers to quickly view parent and child classes.
  • [[IntelliJ IDEA]]
  • [[Java Development]]
  • [[Refactoring]]

Sources

^[600-developer-intellij.md]