Thymeleaf

Last modified: 21 June 2023

Required plugin: Thymeleaf (bundled)

Thymeleaf is a server-side Java template engine for both web and standalone environments. Its main goal is to bring natural templates to your development workflow — HTML that can be correctly displayed in browsers and also work as static prototypes.

Make sure the Thymeleaf plugin is enabled

  1. In the Settings dialog () select Plugins | Installed.

  2. Make sure that the checkbox next to the Thymeleaf plugin is selected.

    Otherwise, select the checkbox to enable the plugin.

    Add Thymeleaf

  3. Apply the changes and close the dialog. Restart the IDE if prompted.

For more information, see Install plugins.

Add Thymeleaf support

You can add Thymeleaf support when creating a project or module, or for an existing project or module. IntelliJ IDEA downloads the selected Thymeleaf library files and adds them to the dependencies of the corresponding module.

You can also create a Thymeleaf project by opening an appropriate pom.xml file. In this case, Maven will manage the dependencies in your project. For more info, see Maven.

New Java Enterprise project or module with Thymeleaf

  1. From the main menu, select File | New | Project or File | New | Module.

  2. In the dialog that opens, select Jakarta EE from the list on the left and click Next.

  3. In the Dependencies list, under Implementations, select Thymeleaf, and click Next.

  4. Enter a name for your project or module and click Finish.

For more information on Java Enterprise projects, refer to Tutorial: Your first Java EE application.

New Spring project or module with Thymeleaf

  1. From the main menu, select File | New | Project or File | New | Module.

  2. In the dialog that opens, select Spring Initializr from the list on the left and click Next.

  3. From the Dependencies list, click Template Engines and select the Thymeleaf option.

    Add Thymeleaf

  4. Click Create.

For more information on Spring projects, refer to Tutorial: Create your first Spring application.

Enable Thymeleaf support for an existing project

  1. Open the build file in the editor (pom.xml or build.gradle depending on the build tool that you use in your project).

  2. Add the following dependency, but make sure to change the version according to your project's requirements:

    <dependency>
    <groupId>org.thymeleaf</groupId>
    <artifactId>thymeleaf</artifactId>
    <version>3.0.12.RELEASE</version>
</dependency>

  3. Press to import the changes.

For more information on how to work with build tools, see to Maven or Gradle.

Preview Thymeleaf prototypes in a browser

Thymeleaf support in IntelliJ IDEA allows you preview your prototypes (the static part of your templates) in a web browser that can be accessed right from the editor.

note

Google Chrome is necessary to complete the following steps.