How to use environment variable files with IDEA with remote interpreter

0guide.md

Want to use environment variables for your IDEA project?

• Want you use .env files like you do for all other tools?
• Don't want to include hacks in your project code for loading environment variables just for development?
• Don't want to use the nightmare environment variables features of IDEA?
• Want to easily be able to switch environments without losing your sanity?

Here's how!

• Create a user, recommend per project and store project files in under user's homedir rather than your own
  • otherwise you need to add it & the original user to each others groups, and keep file permissions in mind
• In the .bashrc for the user: export $(cat /path/to/env/file | xargs)

Pro-tip: make this path a soft link to the current environment you want to use, and use a bash script for switching where the link points to - this could even be used in run configurations for switching in your IDE!

change-env.sh

#!/bin/bash
PROJECT_ROOT=/path/to/project

if [ -z $1 ] ; then
 echo "No environment specified"
elif [ -a "env/$1.env" ] ; then
 rm -f $PROJECT_ROOT/.env
 cd $PROJECT_ROOT
 ln -s ../env/$1.env .env
else
 echo "Environemnt $1.env does not exist"
fi