[IDE]: Standardize Java Code Formatting

• Goal
• Overview of Spotless Autoformat setup at buildtime
• Format Java Code from VSCode
• Format Java Code from Intellij
• Summary

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Goal #

Goal: Ensuring that the code formatting is consistent while working in different IDEs and should also match with build time formatting.

Readable code is one of the traits of well engineered software.

• Optional Read
  • Format during build phase
  • Format in IDE
  • Please Come back here after reading my 2016 post(still relevant). Scroll down to Chapter 5: Formatting Section

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Overview of Spotless Autoformat setup at buildtime #

I use VsCode and here is my brief setup that enables Autoformat.

• Formatting is enforced via Spotless plugin through build tools like gradle/maven.
  • But, this is during BUILD time.

  • Here is my sample gradle spotless config

    spotless {
      java {
            googleJavaFormat()
            importOrderFile(rootProject.file('importsorder'))
            removeUnusedImports()
            trimTrailingWhitespace()
      }
    }
    

  • importsorder

    # @author: sairaghava.katepally
    # DO NOT MAKE CHANGES TO THIS
    11=
    10=com.sairaghava.katepally
    9=com.srk
    8=lombok
    7=io
    6=com
    5=org
    4=org.springframework
    3=jakarta
    2=javax
    1=java
    0=#
    

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Format Java Code from VSCode #

• How about formatting code from IDE like on file save?
  • I am not using Spotless for this. Rather I am doing what spotless is doing internally

  • Here is my on save action in vscode

    "emeraldwalk.runonsave": {
        "commands": [
            {
            "match": "\\.java$",
            "cmd": "java -jar /home/srk/google-java-format-1.25.0-all-deps.jar \
            --skip-sorting-imports --replace ${file}"
            }
        ]
    }
    

  • settings.json

    "java.saveActions.organizeImports": true,
    "java.completion.importOrder": [
        "#",
        "java",
        "javax",
        "jakarta",
        "org.springframework",
        "org",
        "com",
        "io",
        "lombok",
        "app-sepecifc",
        ""
    ]
    

• This will ensure that the formatting is done via IDE
  • Now

  • BUILD Tool formatting = IDE Formatting

  • .gradlew build or .gradlew spotlessApply = VScode On File Save

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Format Java Code from Intellij #

This is not enough, as most of the Java Devs use Intellij it’s important to ensure that the formatting done through Intellij IDEA is inline with the above Vscode and Build time formatting.

• Defined an .editorconfig. Read for intellij specific options

  [*]
  indent_style=space
  ident_size=2
  indent_use_tab=false
  end_of_line=lf
  charset=utf-8
  trim_trailing_whitespace=true
  insert_final_newline=true
  max_line_length=100
  
  # idea specific language agnostic settings
  ij_continuation_indent_size=2
  
  [*.java]
  ij_java_imports_layout=disabled
  

• This still doesn’t guarantee the formatting as expected.
• Here are my installed plugins, but File Watchers is want we want at this point
  • Install file watcher plugin
    • 
  • Create file watcher config
    • 

      • For better performance, uncheck the 2 options from the above image

    • Next
      • 
  • Once enabled this should be binded to actions on save
    • 
• That’s it. Now, Intellij’s on save is just doing gradlew spotlessApply

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Summary #

(Vscode Java Formatting) = (Intellij Java Formatting) = (Build Time Java Formatting)

This will ensure consistent code formatting across the 2 widely used IDEs in Java projects.