JetBrains adds Ruby, Groovy to Java IDE

InfoWorld - This week JetBrains is unveiling plug-ins enabling users of its IntelliJ Idea IDE to accommodate Groovy and Ruby programming.

Rooted in Java development, the IDE is being expanded to accommodate newly popular dynamic languages. JetBrains now is offering its JetGroovy Plugin 1.0 for Groovy and Grails framework developers. Also available is Ruby Plugin 1.0 for Ruby development. These free, open-source plug-ins previously were offered in a beta format.

"Basically, these plug-ins allow the same level of functionality for languages like Ruby and Groovy, the same as IntelliJ users enjoy for Java," said Eugene Vigdorchik, project lead at JetBrains.

Visual tools and run configurations are featured for Grails, with JetBrains planning additional enhancements for future releases. Groovy and Grails developers using IntelliJ Idea get access to cross-language support, for developing in both Groovy and Java, as well as a built-in debugger.

Context-sensitive GDK-aware (Groovy Development Kit) code completion is featured, as is cross-resolution between Groovy and Java. Refactoring and Groovy Server Pages support, with Grails tags and Groovy coding assistance, are included as well.

A dedicated visual application model editor is featured for Grails along with automatic generators for Grails controllers, views, domain classes, jobs and scripts. Error highlighting is enabled for Groovy and Grails.

For Ruby, developers can use advanced coding assistance with smart code completion. Support for JRuby, which is a version of Ruby to run on the Java Virtual Machine, is featured as well.

TestUnit and RSpec test frameworks are supported, along with refactoring, advanced navigation and views. There are automatic generators for Ruby on Rails skeletons and Ruby Access modifiers. Various application servers are supported.

Syntax highlighting, code formatting and folding are featured for Ruby, Grails and Groovy.

The plug-ins are available for the IntelliJ Idea 7.0.2 maintenance release. Users of older versions can upgrade or take advantage of a free, 30-day trial. Plug-ins can be downloaded from the IntelliJ Idea Plugin Repository or via the IntelliJ Idea Plug-in Manager.

IntelliJ Idea costs $500 (U.S.) for an enterprise license.