From Idea to IDE: Developing Plugins for Android Studio

Android Studio allows developers to add custom features to make the IDE work better for their needs. In this talk, we'll look at how to use the Project Structure Interface (PSI) to create plugins that improve Android Studio and make development faster. We'll explain the basics of the Plugin SDK and show how Jetpack Compose can help build easy-to-use interfaces for these plugins. Attendees will learn about different kinds of plugins they can create and how these can help them work more efficiently in Android Studio. We'll also share examples of useful plugins to give you ideas and practical tips.

Transcript

1. neverstop Developing Plugins for Android Studio AHMED ALI ANDROID ENGINEER SEP 2024 All code examples are hosted here GITHUB
2. Ahmed Ali neverstop ANDROID ENGINEER BASED IN CAIRO @INFINUM
3. • Add a button to the context menu • Read the class code • Send to Gemini • Write docs What we are going to build!
4. Let's discuss what we need to build it!
5. Actions To register a button in the context menu Let's discuss what we need to build it!
6. Actions To register a button in the context menu Let's discuss what we need to build it! PSI To analyze di ff erent coding elements, and read the body
7. Actions To register a button in the context menu The platform way of handling Dependency Injection Let's discuss what we need to build it! PSI To analyze di ff erent coding elements, and read the body Services
8. Actions To register a button in the context menu The platform way of handling Dependency Injection Let's discuss what we need to build it! PSI To analyze di ff erent coding elements, and read the body Services Running the API calls in the background and doing updates in the UI Threading Model
9. Plugin Types:
10. Plugin Types: Custom Framework Integration
11. Plugin Types: Custom Framework Integration Custom Language Support
12. Plugin Types: Custom Language Support Tool Integration Custom Framework Integration
13. Plugin Types: Tool Integration Theme Changes Custom Language Support Custom Framework Integration
14. Plugin Types: Theme Changes User interface add-ons Tool Integration Custom Language Support Custom Framework Integration
15. Creating a Plugin Gradle Project
16. • Install IntelliJ community • Install plugin DevKit • Use Latest versions Creating a Plugin Gradle Project
17. Creating a Plugin Gradle Project
18. Creating a Plugin Gradle Project • Familair Gradle structure • build.gradle.kts • gradle.properties • settings.gradle.kts
19. Creating a Plugin Gradle Project • Familair Gradle structure • build.gradle.kts • gradle.properties • settings.gradle.kts • META-INF/plugin.xml?
20. META-INF/plugin.xml • Very much like AndroidManifest.xml • Declare several components • Share componentes with other plugins
21. Plugin config
22. Actions To register a button in the context menu The platform way of handling Dependency Injection PSI To analyze di ff erent coding elements, and read the body Services Running the API calls in the background and doing updates in the UI Threading Model
23. Actions • Actions are key to adding interactive components in the IDE. • Add items to the platform menus and toolbars • Example: File | Open File... menu item and the Open... toolbar button.
24. How to create an action • Create a class that extends the AnAction class.
25. How to create an action • Create a class that extends the AnAction class. • Use the ‘Register Action’ option in IntelliJ.
26. How to create an action
27. How to create an action • update() Function: • Manages visibility and enablement state. • De fi nes logic for when and where the action should be available. • Example: Only show the action when right- clicking on classes or functions.
28. How to create an action • actionPerformed() Function: • Executes code when the action is triggered. • De fi nes what happens when the user clicks on the action.
29. How to create an action • getActionUpdateThread() Function (introduced in 2023): • Speci fi es the thread for the action to run on • EDT or BGT
30. Choosing the Right Thread • Use the Main thread for most actions involving UI updates. • Use BGT for actions interacting with PSI elements or the file system. • If UI updates are needed after a BGT operation, switch back to the Main thread.
31. Example
32. Actions To register a button in the context menu The platform way of handling Dependency Injection PSI To analyze di ff erent coding elements, and read the body Services Running the API calls in the background and doing updates in the UI Threading Model
33. PSI • PSI is a key layer within the IntelliJ platform.
34. PSI • PSI is a key layer within the IntelliJ platform. • Handles parsing files and creating syntactic and semantic code models(AST).
35. PSI • PSI is a key layer within the IntelliJ platform. • Handles parsing files and creating syntactic and semantic code models. • Simplifies identifying code elements like functions, classes, etc.
36. PSI • PSI Files • PSI Elements
37. PSI Files • Root structure representing the content of a file. • Acts as the entry point for understanding the file’s structure. • PsiFile is the base class for all PSI files. • Example: PsiJavaFile for Java files, KtFile for Kotlin.
38. PSI Elements • Building blocks representing parts of source code structure. • Includes everything from whitespace to classes and functions. • Provided by the IntelliJ platform for detailed code exploration.
39. Example
40. Notice something?
41. Notice something? This is how you add support for custom language, by implementing your own suite of PsiElements and PsiFiles
42. Actions To register a button in the context menu The platform way of handling Dependency Injection PSI To analyze di ff erent coding elements, and read the body Services Running the API calls in the background and doing updates in the UI Threading Model
43. Services • Plugins DI • A service is a class that can be loaded on demand • Each service has only one instance, making it a singleton
44. Service Level 01 Application Application Level Global Singlton • Works across the entire IDE’s lifecycle. • Covers the whole scope of the application. 02 Project Project spec fi c • Speci fi c to individual projects. • Each project has its own instance of the service.
45. Service Type 01 Light Private • Private to your plugin • Simple to setup 02 Non-Light Exposed • Exposed to other plugins • Needs to be added to plugin.xml fi le
46. Service Light services • Create a regular class and annotate it with @Service. • Include a Project parameter for project- level services, automatically injected by IntelliJ.
47. Service non-light services • No need to use @Service • Needs to be registerd in plugin.xml
48. Service retrieving • Application-Level Service: Use getService() method. • Project-Level Service: Use getService() within a project context. • For dependent services, Don’t use constructor injection.
49. Example
50. Actions To register a button in the context menu The platform way of handling Dependency Injection PSI To analyze di ff erent coding elements, and read the body Services Running the API calls in the background and doing updates in the UI Threading Model
51. Threading Model
52. Threading Model • Also known as the UI thread. • Handles UI events, such as button clicks and interface updates. • Used for writing data operations as well. Event Dispatch Thread (EDT)
53. Threading Model • Also known as the UI thread. • Handles UI events, such as button clicks and interface updates. • Used for writing data operations as well. Event Dispatch Thread (EDT) Background Thread (BGT) • Handles long-running and costly operations. • Ideal for tasks like fi le processing, network calls, and intensive computations.
54. Coroutines • Lightweight and easy-to-implement alternative to traditional threads. • Recommended by IntelliJ for plugin development starting in 2024. • Familiar to Android developers.
55. Coroutines Dispatchers Scopes Read and Write Locks
56. Dispatchers • Default, IO,Unconfined, EDT, and Main dispatchers. • Main and EDT are the same • Use EDT dispatcher for UI- related tasks, as recommended.
57. Scopes • Multiple scopes available, including application and project scopes - Deprecated . • Service scopes are preferred for their efficiency and lifecycle management.
58. Read and write locks • Crucial for managing read/write operations in asynchronous environments. • Writing Allowing Read Action (WARA): Prioritizes writes; read actions are canceled and retried. • Writing Blocking Read Action (WBRA): Prioritizes reads; write actions are blocked until reads complete.
59. Example
60. Actions To register a button in the context menu The platform way of handling Dependency Injection PSI To analyze di ff erent coding elements, and read the body Services Running the API calls in the background and doing updates in the UI Threading Model
61. Usecases
62. UI
63. UI • Swing • Kotlin UI dsl • Compose?
64. UI kotlin UI dsl • Declartive UI toolkit • Binding to a state • Used for panels and dialogs
65. UI Compose • Not officially supported • You have to use Jewel • Check this talk
66. How to learn more about plugin dev? Docs IntelliJ-community source code Slack community
67. in fi num.com neverstop Thank you!