Chapter 3
Understanding the Basics of the IDEAScript Editor
The IDEAScript Editor is your tool for creating IDEA macros. As with any other tool, understanding how the IDEAScript Editor works is central to your ability to create macros efficiently. Trying to use a hammer to drive home a screw might work, but it's not very efficient and definitely won't produce a very satisfying result. Likewise, your ability to use the IDEAScript Editor helps determine the efficiency with which you work and partly determines the result you receive.
One of the essentials of working with the IDEAScript Editor is to understand the windows it provides. Each of these windows gives you a different perspective of your application. Some windows, such as the Editor window, you use all the time, while others, such as the Watch window, only see use for specific tasks (debugging, or removing errors, in the case of the Watch window). It's important to know how to hide and view these windows as needed.
Along with windows, the IDEAScript Editor includes a number of menus and toolbars that you use to access commands. Locating the correct command quickly will help you work faster. This chapter considers the default configuration of the menus and toolbars first and then looks at ways you can customize the menus and toolbars as needed.
Perhaps the most important tool in your arsenal is the Language Browser. No one can possibly remember every function that you can use to create an application. Consequently, you need ...
