You use the Plugins manager to dynamically update the IDE from the registered update centers and to manage IDE plugins. You use the Installed tab of the Plugins manager to manage installed IDE plugins.
You can access this tab by choosing Tools > Plugins from the main menu and clicking the Installed tab in the Plugins manager.
Some IDE plugins are grouped together and referred to as a Feature. Each Feature generally corresponds to a technology and can contain a number of plugins that support that technology. When you activate or deactivate a Feature, the IDE activates or deactivates the corresponding plugins.
By default, the left pane displays a list of the activated features. The following table displays the icons used in the Active column to indicate the state of the feature or module.
Icon | Description |
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The feature or plugin is installed and activated. |
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The IDE needs to be restarted to fully deactivate the plugin. |
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The plugin is installed but deactivated. |
When you select a feature in the left pane, the description of the feature is displayed in the right pane. In addition to the description, the right pane also lists the plugins associated with that feature. When Show Details is selected, the right pane displays a description of the selected plugin.
You can activate and deactivate installed features and plugins by selecting the feature or plugin in the left pane and clicking Activate or Deactivate. A feature or plugin that is deactivated is not loaded on IDE startup. A deactivated feature or plugin still exists on your local system and can be re-activated at any time. You do not need to download the plugin(s) again.
If you want to completely remove a plugin from your local system, select the checkbox for the plugin in the left pane and then click Uninstall.