creating macros in intellij

Question

I am trying to create a macro that takes a selection of text and runs some find/replace on it using a regex. I have recorded this macro in intellij, but when I run it, all I get is the find/replace dialog opened. No find/replace is executed.

Has anyone had any luck with creating a find/replace macro in intellij?

Answer 1

This appears to be a long-standing bug in IntelliJ. One workaround that worked for me was this:

• Install the IdeaVim plugin.
• When recording a macro requiring searching, enable Vim mode (Tools -> Vim Emulation) during the macro, position the cursor using standard Vim measures, disable Vim mode.

In general, Vim emulation can be really handy for IntelliJ macros.