When writing text, we have tools that help us in our work, such as autocorrect, spell checking, and grammar checking. An IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is such a tool for software developers, not only saving development time, but also helping the developer to deliver better quality software. An IDE might automatically generate some boilerplate code, help the developer efficiently navigate large volumes of potentially unfamiliar code, and perform analyses to detect mistakes.
An IDE combines the common developer tools needed for software development projects into a single Graphical User Interface (GUI). This provides a curated developer experience, saving the developer from having to locate and install numerous smaller tools that might together give a complete development experience. For new software developers especially, this can make a big difference in how quickly they can get up and running, and provide tools that they might not even know existed!
IDEs examine code in real time as the developer writes it, meaning that the developer can be informed about potential problems immediately, and so can resolve them while the problem they are solving is freshest in their mind. Other smart functions include intelligent code completion and automatic code generation, which reduces the amount of typing the developer has to do. Depending on the IDE and language, there are also features such as profilers (to detect performance problems), tools that produce diagrams from the code, integration with issue tracking systems, and more..
If you are curious about how an IDE could make your work more efficient, contact us or read more about IntelliJ platform Development and we will tell you more!