Intellij IDEA 11: how can I compile .css from .less?

Question

how can I compile .css from .less in intellij ? sure this should be dead easy, but its got me stumped. anyone know how to do this?

Answer 1

To use File Watchers to compile LESS in IDEA 12:

Install File Watchers extension from within IDEA. Go to Settings > IDE Settings > Plugins.

Next you need a transcoder, which is included in the LESS package for node.js

Install node.js from http://nodejs.org/

From the command line, type npm install -g less to install the LESS package.

Then you can create a watcher under Settings > Project Settings > File Watchers. Choose the LESS template and it will find your transcoder automatically.