IntelliJ: Adding a new language to an existing project

[Knute Snortum]

Hi,

I've used IntelliJ Java and Kotlin development for several years but I still have problem with Modules in the Project Structure.  I have an existing Kotlin project and I want to add a Python module because I have a quick and dirty utility that helps build one of the files.  Modules in Project Structure looks like this:

Wordle
  main
    Kotlin
  test
    Kotlin

Now I want to add a Python module to the Wordle project.  How do I do that?

(I case anyone is interested in the Wordle project I wrote, it's here.)

[Trisha Gee]

I can give you my personal opinion on this. I'd like to caveat this: I have struggled with this particular issue on more than one occasion, and I haven't found an "official" way to do this comfortably.

What you really need is a multi module project. The top level of your project won't have code, and you'll need two modules, a Kotlin one and a Python one. Given your existing structure, that actually means you'll have to move your kotlin stuff "down" a level into its own module (e.g. create a folder under Wordle called "Kotlin" and then under that one you'll have main/kotlin and test/kotlin). You'll need to make your top-level Kotlin folder a new IntelliJ IDEA module. Then you can create a new module (e.g. called Python) and put your python stuff in there.

This is a bit fiddly. I have struggled with moving a project with a single module (or effectively no modules) into multi modules. The best way to create a multi module project is to start with an "empty" project and then create each module individually, but that doesn't work well if you have existing code.

Another approach is not to introduce separate modules, but instead to use separate source folders.  E.g. you can create a "python" folder under the Wordle folder and "Mark directory as" a source root. I have not tried this for non-JVM languages, so this may not work for Python, it may have to be a separate module.

I appreciate this advice is not super clear, but I hope it helps!  More info in the docs:

https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/creating-and-managing-modules.html
https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/add-items-to-project.html#create-module
https://www.jetbrains.com/help/idea/content-roots.html#configure-folders

[Knute Snortum]

Thanks, I got it working.  I'll tell what I did, but first a clarification: the structure I posted was the one you see if you go into Project Settings and click on the Modules tab.  My directory structure looks like this:

Wordle
  src
    main
      kotlin.net.snortum.wordle
        (Kotlin files)
      resources
        words.txt
        (Python file)
    test
      (etc)

Taking a cue from you post, I added a Python module like this:

Wordle
  main
    Kotlin
    Python
  test
    Kotin

This cleared everything up.

[Campbell Ritchie]

TG: I have remembered why your name looks familiar: I have a copy of a book about 97 Things I Should Know.
Knute: good to see you back again

[Trisha Gee]

Knute Snortum wrote:Thanks, I got it working.  I'll tell what I did, but first a clarification: the structure I posted was the one you see if you go into Project Settings and click on the Modules tab.  

Great, I'm glad I could help!