What's New in CLion 2023.2

CLion 2023.2 includes the AI Assistant feature, weaving it naturally into some of the core IDE user workflows. In C and C++, it explains the selected code, suggests how to better refactor that code fragment, or finds potential problems with it. It also generates commit messages and explains CMake errors.

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Low-level debugging is easier with CLion 2023.2, which brings the ability to inspect the registers of the current frame. You can also see register values inlined right in the disassembly view. A major update to the Attach to Process dialog enables attaching to remote and WSL processes.

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PlatformIO is an open-source platform that helps embedded developers with their projects. CLion 2023.2 integrates natively with the platform. The IDE works directly with the platformio.ini file, tracking changes in it and updating the project information accordingly.

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vcpkg is one of the most widely adopted package managers in C++. When working with vcpkg, there are two approaches – Classic mode and Manifest mode. CLion 2023.2 supports both. You can clearly distinguish them in the CLion UI and switch easily to the Manifest mode using a dedicated button.

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AI Assistant prefers programming topics and benefits from project-specific context. Iterate in the new dedicated tool window, and when you’re happy with the result, use Insert Snippet at Caret to put the AI-generated code in the editor – or just copy it over manually.

Select a specific code fragment in the editor and invoke an action from the AI Actions... context menu.

AI Assistant can help you:

• Find potential issues in a selected code fragment.
• Suggest how to better refactor that fragment.
• Explain the selected code.
• Start a new AI chat about the selected code.

Let AI Assistant help you describe the changes you made. Clicking the Generate Commit Message with AI Assistant button in the commit message dialog will send the diffs of your changes to the LLM, and it will generate a commit message describing your changes.

When CMake execution fails on your project, click Explain with AI in the CMake tool window to get a better understanding of what’s gone wrong and how to fix it.

The Attach to Process dialog allows users to debug processes launched outside of CLion – locally or remotely – but also benefit from the IDE’s debugger integration.

From v2023.2 you can:

• Attach to local, remote, and WSL processes.
• Select any debugger configured in the toolchains.
• Attach to processes launched remotely with administrative privileges.

Low-level debugging is easier when you have the ability to inspect the registers of the current frame. CLion now shows register values in the Variables tab of the debugger tool window.

CLion now supports ARM assembly languages, which means you’ll see code highlighting for ARM assemblers in the disassembly view.

When debugging disassembly code, CLion now shows register values inlined right in the disassembly view.

PlatformIO is an open-source platform that helps embedded developers with their projects. In CLion 2023.2, the intermediate CMake level was removed from the integration with PlatformIO. The IDE now works directly with the platformio.ini file, tracking changes in it and updating the project information accordingly.

Learn how to install the PlatformIO plugin and create a new project or open an existing one with it in our webhelp.

Some pio commands can now be invoked directly from the IDE (Tools | PlatformIO) – no need to switch to the terminal. This includes project reloading, running static code analysis on the project, invoking the device monitor, and more.

The PlatformIO tool window gives quick access to the most used commands and project actions.

When working with vcpkg, there are two approaches – Classic mode and Manifest mode. You can now clearly distinguish them in the CLion UI and switch easily to the Manifest mode using a dedicated button.

To make vcpkg’s Classic mode more convenient, we added a Console tab to the vcpkg tool window to show all commands and output.

CLion 2023.2 improves the new C/C++ file creation dialog in cases when there is no CMake target to add the new file to. The new Add new target... action creates a new target and adds it to the selected CMakeLists.txt file. After adding a target, you can then add new files to it.

CLion 2023.2 adds highlighting and completion for new parameters from CMake 3.25 and for the new block command used to execute a group of commands in a requested scope. In CLion, the new command is now highlighted, formatted, folded, and documented correctly.

CLion 2023.2 comes with CMake 3.26 bundled.

For v2023.2, we’ve refined the user experience with the Light theme by introducing the alternate Light with Light Header option, featuring matching light colors for window headers, tooltips, and notification balloons.

To make managing multiple run configurations easier, we’ve implemented the option to pin preferred configurations in the Run widget.

When working on macOS in full screen mode using the new UI, the window controls are now displayed right in the main toolbar – not in the floating bar as before.

For the convenience of Linux users, the native header of the operating system has been removed in the new UI, resulting in a cleaner interface. By default, you will now see the custom IDE header, which offers a range of customization options to tailor your workspace.

CLion introduces colored headers to simplify navigation between several open projects. You can now assign a unique color and icon to each of your projects, making it easier to distinguish between them in your workspace.

We’ve expanded the customization options for the new UI’s main toolbar. You can now use a dropdown menu to quickly choose actions that you want to add to the toolbar. To do so, right-click on any widget, select Add to Main Toolbar, and explore the available options.