Thank you for downloading your starter project.

Your project comes with Vaadin Copilot.

When you run your application, you’ll see a Vaadin icon in the lower-right corner. Click it to launch Copilot — a fully optional, in-browser assistant that helps you edit UIs visually, and experiment faster.

Getting Started with Copilot Copilot Logo

1. Set Up Your IDE

Get the most out of Vaadin Copilot by ensuring your IDE is set up with the right plugins and extensions.

IntelliJ IDEA

Visual Studio Code

Eclipse

  • Use the Eclipse IDE for Enterprise Java and Web Developers.

2. Run Your Vaadin Project Locally

Now that you have downloaded a Vaadin project, unzip it in your chosen project directory and run it in Debug with Hotswap enabled.

IntelliJ IDEA

Click on Debug using HotswapAgent and follow the prompts to ensure the JetBrains Runtime JDK is installed.

Visual Studio Code

Navigate to the main class in Application.java and select Debug (hotswap).

Eclipse

Eclipse users must set up hotswap manually for their system.

3. Activate Vaadin Copilot

Now that your project is running in the browser, just look for the Vaadin Copilot icon Copilot Logo to get started.
Alternatively, use the keyboard shortcut SHIFT+CTRL+CTRL or SHIFT+CMD+CMD.

Copilot Activate

Features at a Glance

Vaadin Copilot is now available for all Vaadin projects built with Hilla/React or Flow/Java.

Visual Editing

Drag and drop components, rearrange layouts, and update labels—directly in the application you're building. You can edit custom and composite components, and adjust layout parameters like alignment, padding, spacing, and visibility by selecting elements and updating their properties.

Hierarchical overview

Use the Outline to get a clear overview of the UI structure, without extra cruft—no need to do manual code-to-UI mapping. Select any element to highlight it in the UI and jump directly to its source in your IDE.

AI assistance

Use plain language to generate views, add mock data, or scaffold backend services. Copilot can turn screenshots or Figma designs into UI code, create JPA entities with repositories and services, and connect components like Grid or ComboBox to backend data.

Code-first editing

Changes you make with Copilot, with or without AI assistance, appear instantly in your IDE. Your codebase is the source of truth, and Copilot is specifically engineered to support switching back and forth between browser and IDE – just like you do anyway, but now the browser has superpowers. It's a bit like low-code, but also the opposite.

Theme Editor

Change the look of components, globally or individually, by adjusting properties using this visual tool. Minimize guesswork and the need to hop back and forth between CSS and browser – no need to awkwardly copy and paste from the browser inspector.

Properties Editor

Configure components visually by updating text content, layout settings, and custom attributes. The Properties Editor makes adjustments straightforward—even for settings that aren’t editable on the canvas.

Copy & paste for Flow

Quickly reuse UI components by copying and pasting them directly in the editor. Speeds up layout building and reduces repetitive work.

UI Services

View all Hilla services in your app along with their security configurations. Ensure proper access control and gain confidence that your UI is secure.

Version Upgrade Helper

Identify and update outdated Vaadin dependencies directly in your project. Stay current with minimal overhead and no guesswork.

Internationalization

Simplify global app development with automated translations that get you started and built-in support for professional localization workflows. Effortlessly manage and apply translations across your app.

Vaadin Copilot Feature Screencap - UI Services

Impersonation

Switch between user accounts to test role-based behavior without logging in and out. Useful for quickly verifying access control and permissions.

Test generation with AI (experimental)

Automatically generate test cases to catch regressions before they happen. Note: generated test cases require TestBench to run. TestBench is included in subscriptions Pro, Premium, and Ultimate.

Documentation

Quickly access documentation for any selected component directly from Copilot – no need to hunt through external resources.

vaadin-copilot-testbench

Pre-installed and project aware

No need to install a separate tool, Vaadin Copilot lives in your project and comes out of the box with Vaadin 24.4+ – just start using it when needed. This also means Copilot works directly in your project, with your components and custom dependencies. No intermediate format, no version mismatches, no what-you-see-is-approximately-what-you-get. It’s better than a 1:1 representation – it’s the real thing. Your project. Your application.

Designed for Your Workflow

Vaadin Copilot is engineered to blend into your development process. When the application is running in development mode, Copilot is ready to spring into action whenever you view the live application. Just a shortcut away whenever you need it, and just as quick to hide when not needed.

AI-Powered UI Design - A Future of Possibilities

At the heart of Vaadin Copilot lies its AI capabilities. Ask our generative AI to modify the UI, explore new design possibilities, and streamline your workflow. Although in its early stages, this feature is set to redefine the boundaries of UI development.

Ready to enhance your Vaadin project development?

Follow the Copilot Getting Started Guide in the Documentation.