IntelliJ 2018.1中‘Use --release option’选项的作用是什么？

Hey there! Sorry the help link threw a 404 on you—let me walk you through exactly what this option does, and why it’s useful.

Core Purpose #

This checkbox tells IntelliJ to use Java’s --release command-line argument instead of the older -source and -target flags when cross-compiling code for Java 9 or later versions.

Why --release is Better Than -source/-target #

Before Java 9, developers relied on -source (to define the minimum Java version their code is written for) and -target (to set the bytecode version generated) for cross-compiling. But this approach had a critical gap: it only validated syntax and bytecode compatibility, not API availability.

For example, if you compiled code with JDK 17 using -source 11 -target 11, you might accidentally use a method added in JDK 17 that doesn’t exist in JDK 11. The compiler would let this pass, but when you tried to run the code on a JDK 11 VM, you’d hit a NoSuchMethodError or similar runtime failure.

The --release flag fixes this: it not only sets the source and target versions, but also restricts your code to only use APIs that were available in the specified Java release. If you try to use a newer API, the compiler will throw an error during compilation—saving you from frustrating runtime bugs.

When to Use This Option #

You’ll want to check this box if:

• You’re using a newer JDK (9+) to compile code that needs to run on an older Java version
• You want to enforce strict compatibility with your target Java runtime, avoiding accidental use of unsupported APIs

Quick Example #

If you’re working with JDK 16 and want your code to run on JDK 11, enabling this option and setting your target release to 11 will flag any JDK 12+ APIs you try to use as compilation errors.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Basil Bourque