SKILL.md
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Module Dependencies Management
This document describes how to manage module dependencies when working with IntelliJ IDEA codebase.
Documentation
- [Modularization Overview](../../../../docs/IntelliJ-Platform/4_man/Modularization) - Module organization principles:
- [Granularity of Modules](../../../../docs/IntelliJ-Platform/4man/Modularization/0Granularity-of-modules.md) - [Modules in Project Sources](../../../../docs/IntelliJ-Platform/4man/Modularization/1Modules-in-project-sources.md) - [Modules at Runtime](../../../../docs/IntelliJ-Platform/4man/Modularization/2Modules-at-runtime.md) - [Modules in Build Scripts](../../../../docs/IntelliJ-Platform/4man/Modularization/3Modules-in-build-scripts.md)
- [Project Structure](../../../../docs/IntelliJ-Platform/4_man/Project-Structure) - Naming conventions, Kotlin usage, dependencies
Build System Overview
The repository uses a hybrid build system:
- **JPS (*.iml files)**: Source of truth for module dependencies
- Bazel (BUILD files): Auto-generated from *.iml files
- Generator: run
build/jpsModelToBazel.cmdafter changing .iml files
JPS Module Registration Helper
When creating or editing a JPS module .iml, use the helper instead of hand-editing project module lists:
bun build/jps-module.mjs register <path-to-iml> --fix-iml-eof
The helper:
- registers the module in
.idea/modules.xml - also registers
community/...modules incommunity/.idea/modules.xml - inserts entries in the canonical order:
.imlbasename without the.imlsuffix, matchingorg.jetbrains.intellij.build.ModulesXml - removes trailing line breaks from the listed
.imlfiles when--fix-iml-eofis passed
Use bun build/jps-module.mjs check <path-to-iml> --fix-iml-eof to verify without writing.
Running the IML-to-Bazel Generator
To manually run the converter that generates Bazel BUILD files from .iml files:
./build/jpsModelToBazel.cmd
This is useful when:
- The automatic converter didn't run (e.g., .iml files were modified outside the IDE)
- You need to regenerate BUILD files after git operations
- Troubleshooting build system synchronization issues
BUILD.bazel Auto-Generated Sections
BUILD.bazel files have auto-generated sections marked with comments:
### auto-generated section `build module.name` start
... generated content ...
### auto-generated section `build module.name` end
### auto-generated section `test module.name` start
... generated content ...
### auto-generated section `test module.name` end
Key rules:
- Content inside auto-generated sections is overwritten by the generator
- Content outside auto-generated sections is preserved during regeneration
Skip Generation Marker
To prevent auto-generation of a section (so you can provide custom content):
### skip generation section `test module.name`
Example - Custom test target with preserved content:
load("@community//build:tests-options.bzl", "jps_test")
# Custom test target (before auto-generated sections)
jps_test(
name = "my-tests_test",
runtime_deps = [
":my-tests_test_lib",
"//:main_test_lib",
],
)
### skip generation section `test my.module.name`
### auto-generated section `build my.module.name` start
... (let generator handle the build section)
Content Modules and Wrapper Plugins
Product layouts can include content modules directly. If production runtime already gets a dependency from a content module in the product layout, that content-module dependency can be enough and does not automatically require adding a wrapper plugin dependency to a production .iml or plugin descriptor.
Test plugin resolution is different because tests often do not run with the full production product layout or flat classpath. If a test module loads a plugin whose dependencies include content modules owned by a wrapper plugin, add the wrapper plugin as a test/runtime dependency in the test module .iml instead of broadening the production module dependency. For example, a test that needs Problems View content modules may need intellij.platform.problemView.plugin as a runtime dependency even when the production module only depends on Problems View content modules.
Important Notes
When you need to fix missing dependencies:
- Edit the
.imlwith the repo-approved edit tool. - Run
bun build/jps-module.mjs register <path-to-iml> --fix-iml-eoffor every changed module file. - Run
./build/jpsModelToBazel.cmdso generatedBUILD.bazelfiles match the.imlsource of truth. - Verify compilation or tests for the affected module.