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IntelliJ IDEA Plugin for RIDDL

The RIDDL4IDEA plugin provides comprehensive support for the RIDDL language in IntelliJ IDEA, including syntax highlighting, real-time validation, and integrated error navigation.

Release Notes

Installation

Beta Program

The plugin is currently in beta.

To install:

  1. Download the latest .zip release from the GitHub Release Assets page
  2. In IntelliJ IDEA, go to Settings > Plugins
  3. Click the gear icon and select Install Plugin from Disk...
  4. Select the downloaded .zip file
  5. Restart IntelliJ IDEA

Marketplace (Coming Soon)

When version 1.0 is released, the plugin will be available from the JetBrains Marketplace:

  1. Go to Settings > Plugins > Marketplace
  2. Search for "RIDDL"
  3. Click Install

Requirements
IntelliJ IDEA 2025.3 or later (build 253+)
JDK 21 or later (Temurin recommended)
RIDDL 2.0

From 2025.3 JetBrains ships a unified IntelliJ IDEA distribution, so there is no longer a Community/Ultimate choice to make: the plugin targets that one distribution. There is no upper bound in the descriptor, so it stays installable on later releases.

Features

Syntax Highlighting

The plugin provides rich syntax highlighting for RIDDL files:

Element Color (Dark Theme)
Keywords Purple (#c77dbb)
Punctuation Teal (#0da19e)
Readability words Yellow (#b3ae60)
Identifiers Default text
Comments Gray
Strings Green
Numbers Blue

Customizing Colors

To customize the RIDDL color scheme:

  1. Go to Settings > Editor > Color Scheme > RIDDL
  2. Adjust colors for each token type
  3. Click Apply

The plugin includes a dark theme based on Darcula. Light themes use IDE defaults but are fully customizable.

Real-Time Validation

As you type, the plugin validates your RIDDL source and displays errors inline:

  • Syntax errors appear immediately as you type
  • Semantic errors (undefined references, type mismatches) show after parsing
  • Errors appear as squiggly underlines in the editor
  • Click errors in the console to jump to the source location

RIDDL Tool Window

The plugin adds a RIDDL tool window to the left sidebar with:

Toolbar Actions

Action Icon Description
New Window + Create additional analysis tabs
Compile Build Run RIDDL validation
Settings Gear Open project configuration

Console Output

The console displays:

  • Validation results with severity (Error, Warning, Info)
  • File locations with line and column numbers
  • Clickable links to navigate directly to problems

Multiple Tabs

Create multiple tabs to work with different RIDDL configurations:

  1. Click the + button to create a new tab
  2. Configure each tab with different settings
  3. Right-click a tab to rename it
  4. Close tabs you no longer need (first tab cannot be closed)

Configuration

Access settings via Settings > Tools > RIDDL Project Settings or click the gear icon in the RIDDL tool window.

Path Configuration

Setting Description
Top-level .riddl file Your project's main RIDDL file (entry point for validation)
Configuration file Optional .conf file for advanced commands

Validation Command

Choose which RIDDL command to run:

Command Purpose
about Display RIDDL version information
info Show system information
from Load configuration from file (requires config file)

Validation Options

Fine-tune validation behavior with these options:

Message Display

Option Description
Show warnings Display warning messages
Show missing warnings Warn about undefined references
Show style warnings Warn about style violations
Show usage warnings Warn about unused definitions
Show info messages Display informational messages

Output Control

Option Description
Verbose Enable detailed output
Quiet Suppress normal output
Debug Enable debug information
Show times Display parsing duration

Error Handling

Option Description
Warnings are fatal Treat warnings as errors
Sort by location Group messages by file location

Performance

Option Range Description
Max parallel parsing 1 - 2x CPUs Threads for parallel file parsing
Max include wait < 60000 ms Timeout for include file processing

Auto-Parse on Save

When enabled (default), the plugin automatically re-validates your RIDDL files whenever you save. Disable this for large projects where validation takes significant time.

Tool Window Actions

The RIDDL tool window provides these actions:

Compile/Validate

Click the Build icon or use the keyboard:

  • Parses your top-level RIDDL file
  • Validates all included files
  • Displays results in the console
  • Updates editor annotations

Click any error message in the console to:

  1. Open the containing file (if not already open)
  2. Jump to the exact line and column
  3. Position cursor at the error location

Clear Output

Right-click in the console and select Clear to reset the output.

File Types

The plugin recognizes files with the .riddl extension:

  • Automatic syntax highlighting when opened
  • Icon displayed in project tree
  • Full validation support

Usage Tips

Setting Up a New Project

  1. Create your main .riddl file (e.g., myproject.riddl)
  2. Open RIDDL Project Settings
  3. Set the Top-level .riddl file to your main file
  4. Enable desired validation options
  5. Click Compile to validate

Working with Include Files

The plugin follows all include directives from your top-level file:

// myproject.riddl
domain MyProject is {
  include "contexts/orders.riddl"
  include "types/common.riddl"
}

All included files are validated together, ensuring cross-file references resolve correctly.

Understanding Validation Messages

Messages include severity and location:

Error: [orders.riddl:42:15] Undefined reference to type 'CustomerID'
Warning: [types.riddl:10:1] Missing brief description for type 'Address'

Click the message to navigate to orders.riddl, line 42, column 15.

Performance Tips

For large projects:

  • Disable Auto-parse on save and validate manually
  • Increase Max parallel parsing on multi-core systems
  • Use separate tool window tabs for different subsystems

Keyboard Shortcuts

The plugin does not register global keyboard shortcuts. All actions are accessible through:

  • The RIDDL tool window toolbar
  • Right-click context menus
  • Settings dialogs

Standard IntelliJ shortcuts work in RIDDL files:

Shortcut Action
Ctrl+S (Cmd+S on Mac) Save (triggers auto-validation if enabled)
Ctrl+Shift+F Reformat code
Ctrl+/ Toggle line comment
Ctrl+Shift+/ Toggle block comment

Troubleshooting

Plugin Not Loading

  • Verify IntelliJ IDEA version is 2025.3 or later (build 253+)
  • Check Settings > Plugins > Installed for RIDDL4IDEA
  • Try disabling and re-enabling the plugin

No Syntax Highlighting

  • Verify file has .riddl extension
  • Check Settings > Editor > File Types for RIDDL registration
  • Restart IntelliJ IDEA

Validation Not Running

  • Ensure Top-level .riddl file is configured in settings
  • Check the file path is correct and file exists
  • Look for error messages in the RIDDL console

Slow Validation

  • Reduce Max parallel parsing if memory is limited
  • Disable Show style warnings and Show usage warnings for faster runs
  • Consider splitting large models into smaller include files

Authoring RIDDL

For tips on writing effective RIDDL source files, see the Authoring RIDDL Sources guide.

Support

License

Apache License 2.0

Copyright 2024 Ossum Inc.