Using IntelliJ IDEA Diagrams to Visualize Java Servlet Inheritance Hierarchy

Having some free time, I revisited past Java knowledge and, while exploring the Servlet part, used IntelliJ IDEA's diagram tool to clearly visualize the inheritance chain, which I now share.

Viewing the Inheritance Chain in Graphical Form

In the class's editor tab, right‑click and choose Diagrams (either Show for an embedded view or Show ... Popup for a floating window).

You can also right‑click a class in the project tree and select Diagrams for the same result.

The resulting diagram for a custom Servlet looks like the image below.

Key visual cues:

Blue solid arrows indicate inheritance.

Green dashed arrows indicate interface implementation.

Optimizing the Inheritance Diagram to Fit My Needs

2.1 Remove Unwanted Classes

Some nodes, such as Object or Serializable , may be irrelevant. Select them and press the Delete key to clean the diagram.

2.2 Show Detailed Class Information

Right‑click the diagram and choose Show Categories to expand fields, methods, constructors, etc. You can also use the toolbar button for the same purpose.

To filter methods by visibility (e.g., show only protected and above), right‑click and select Change Visibility Level .

Press Alt to activate a magnifier for a closer look at the diagram.

2.3 Add Other Classes to the Diagram

If you need to check relationships with additional classes, choose Add Class to Diagram and type the class name.

For example, adding a Student class shows no arrows, indicating no direct inheritance or interface links with the current set.

2.4 Jump to Specific Source Code

To view the actual source of a class or method, double‑click the class in the diagram, then right‑click the desired method and select Jump to Source .

The Structure tool pane can also list all methods of the selected class for quick navigation.

Conclusion

Using the described IntelliJ IDEA features makes learning and inspecting class relationships—especially for major framework source code—much more comfortable and efficient.

Source: 捡田螺的小男孩

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