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4. Setting Up Your Coding Environment

What you're installing and why

Before you can write a script, you need three things on your machine:

ToolWhat it isWhy you need it
IntelliJ IDEAThe code editor (an "IDE")This is where you type, run, and build your scripts. This guide focuses on IntelliJ but any IDE will work.
JDK 20The Java compilerScripts are written in Java; the JDK turns your code into a .jar BotWithUs can load
Skeleton repoA pre-made starter projectHas all the BotWithUs APIs wired up so you can hit "build" and get a working script on day one

Step 1 — Install IntelliJ IDEA Community

https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/download/

IntelliJ comes in two editions: Community (free) and Ultimate (paid). Community is just fine for everything we'll do.

  1. Go to jetbrains.com/idea/download.
  2. Scroll down to the Community Edition section. Don't grab Ultimate by mistake — it's at the top of the page.
  3. Click Download, run the installer.
  4. Accept the defaults. The only useful checkbox is Add "Open Folder as Project" (it puts a right-click shortcut in Windows Explorer).
  5. Launch IntelliJ when it finishes.

On first launch IntelliJ asks about themes and plugins — pick whatever you like, defaults are safe.

Step 2 — Clone the skeleton script

https://github.com/BotWithUs/BwuScriptJavaSkeleton

The skeleton is an empty BotWithUs script with the build setup already done. Cloning it means you don't have to set up Gradle, Maven, dependencies, or output paths by hand.

You can clone using either Git (if you know it) or directly through IntelliJ. The IntelliJ way is easier.

Cloning through IntelliJ​

  1. From the IntelliJ welcome screen, click Clone Repository (or File → New → Project from Version Control if a project is already open).
  2. In the URL field, paste: 
    https://github.com/BotWithUs/BwuScriptJavaSkeleton
  3. Pick a folder for it (default is fine).
  4. Click Clone.

IntelliJ will download the project and ask if you want to trust it — say Trust Project. It'll then start indexing files (bottom status bar). Wait for indexing to finish before doing anything else.

If IntelliJ asks about Git​

If IntelliJ says "Git is not installed" and you don't already have it: install it from git-scm.com, accept all defaults, and try the clone again. Git is also useful later if you want to track your changes, and it's a must-have for publishing scripts to the marketplace.

Step 3 — Download JDK 20 from inside IntelliJ

You don't need to fetch a JDK from the web — IntelliJ has a built-in dialog. With the skeleton project open:

  1. Go to File → Project Structure (or Ctrl+Alt+Shift+S).
  2. On the left, click Project.
  3. Find the SDK dropdown. If it's blank or shows the wrong version, click it → Download JDK….
  4. In the dialog:
    • Version: 20
    • Vendor: any works, but Eclipse Temurin or Amazon Corretto are common safe choices.
    • Location: leave the default.
  5. Click Download. IntelliJ pulls the JDK and selects it for the project.
  6. Set Language level to SDK Default.
  7. Click OK.

Step 4 — Confirm Gradle loaded the project

The skeleton uses Gradle (Kotlin DSL — build.gradle.kts) to manage its dependencies. IntelliJ should detect this automatically and start a Gradle sync as soon as the project opens.

  • Look for a Gradle tool window on the right edge of IntelliJ. Click it.
  • You should see the project with sections like Tasks (with build, assemble, etc.) and Dependencies.
  • If a yellow banner at the top of the editor says "Gradle project needs to be imported" or "Load Gradle Changes" — click it (or press the refresh/sync icon in the Gradle tool window).

When indexing and the Gradle sync finish, the bottom status bar goes quiet. You're ready.

Step 5 — Sanity check: open the main script file

In the Project tool window (left edge):

  1. Expand src → main → java → net.botwithus... (the package path varies by skeleton version).
  2. Find the .java file — it'll be the one with the same name as the skeleton's main class.
  3. Double-click to open.
This is just a folder structure

What you see in the Project tool window is the same folder layout that exists on disk. IntelliJ collapses Java packages into a single dotted entry (e.g. net.botwithus.example) for readability, but if you open the project folder in Windows Explorer you'll find real, nested folders: src\main\java\net\botwithus\example\. Each . in the package name is a folder boundary on disk.

If the editor shows code with no red squiggles, the IDE, JDK, and dependencies are all happy. You're ready to build it into a real script.

If there are red squiggles everywhere

That usually means Gradle hasn't finished syncing or the JDK isn't set. Re-check Step 3 and Step 4. Still stuck? Post a screenshot in the public scripters channel on Discord.

Next: build the skeleton into your first running script →