Implementing refactorings in IntelliJ IDEA
Dmitry Jemerov · 2008
IntelliJ IDEA was one of the first Java IDEs to cross the Refactoring Rubicon [1], by implementing the Extract Method refactoring for Java in early 2001. Since that time, IntelliJ IDEA has evolved greatly to support a wide array of refactorings for Java, cross-language refactoring and other advanced features. This paper gives an overview of the key architectural components of IntelliJ IDEA involved in implementing refactorings. It also describes some of the problems we're facing when implementing refactorings and possible directions for future development.