Integrated development environment

An integrated development environment (IDE) is a software application that combines common developer tools into a single graphical user interface (GUI), making it easier to write code. Developers can use any text editor to write code. But IDEs include additional functionality to make the process more efficient. Typical developer tools supported by IDEs include editing source code, building executables, and debugging.

IDEs aim to improve developer productivity, reducing setup time and the time it takes to write code while also keeping developers up to date with best practices and threats. IDEs also standardize the development process to help coders collaborate more effectively.

A range of IDEs are available; most are dedicated to a specific programming language or set of languages, offering features aligned with their use. However, some multiple-language IDEs exist, and developers can often make use of an IDE with an alternative language via plugin.

Different IDEs offer different features:

• Syntax Highlighting—IDEs know the syntax of the programming language in use and can provide visual cues to aid the user. This includes highlighting keywords that have a special meaning. Syntax highlighting makes it easier to read and review code, clarifying the different elements of the language in use.

Example of syntax highlighting in a Python script.

• Autocomplete—IDEs offer functionality to predict what the user is going to type next. Autocomplete makes development more efficient, reducing the number of keystrokes it takes to produce code.
• Building Executables—IDEs can provide automated build processes for languages replacing the act of compiling and executing code.
• Debugging—IDE tools can be used to help programmers identify and remedy bugs.
• Refactoring support—Source code can be restructured to make it more efficient and readable without changing its core functionality.
• Testing—Developers can automate unit tests locally before the software is integrated with other developers' code and more complex integration tests are run.

Before IDEs were introduced, programmers wrote code using text editors, saving their work, running a compiler, and taking note of any error messages returned before returning to the text editor for revisions. In 1983, Borland Ltd. acquired a Pascal compiler and published TurboPascal featuring an integrated editor and compiler for the first time. The first real IDE was Microsoft's Visual Basic (VB), launched in 1991.