Writing our own plugins in IntelliJ IDEA is not as tricky as it may seem; it's all about the API provided by the JetBrains team, basically. This chapter covers just the beginning of plugin development for IntelliJ IDEA. It is just the tip of the iceberg. You can find the documentation of the API by heading to JetBrains' Confluence page and choosing the IntelliJ IDEA plugin development space. At the time of writing this book, the documentation was available at:

http://confluence.jetbrains.com/display/IDEADEV/PluginDevelopment

Here, you will find the IDE's architectural overview, the plugin structure, and many guides on how to develop even the most advanced plugins. JetBrains Confluence is the never-ending resource to extend the IDE. The explanation of IntelliJ IDEA's virtual file system, development of the version control, and custom language plugins is all here. The FAQ section with a lot of interesting questions already answered can be supportive too.