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File Types

Hexana registers and detects the following file types in the IntelliJ Platform.

File type Extensions / detection Editor Implementation
wasm .wasm Hexana multi-tab viewer org.jetbrains.hexana.WasmFileType
wat .wat IntelliJ editor with WAT language support org.jetbrains.hexana.wat.WatFileType
wit .wit IntelliJ editor with WIT language support org.jetbrains.hexana.wit.WitFileType
Native binary ELF / Mach-O / PE magic bytes (any extension); .elf, .so, .dylib, .bundle, .exe, .dll, .sys Hexana hex + structure + disassembly org.jetbrains.hexana.NativeBinaryFileType
binary .bin and other generic-extension fallbacks Hex view org.jetbrains.hexana.BinaryFileType
JVM class .class Three-tab class view (header, methods, constant pool) Handled inside HexanaFileEditorProvider
JVM archive .jar, .zip, .war, .apk Hex view + searchable class list Handled inside HexanaFileEditorProvider
JIT dump .jit Three-pane symbol / native / bytecode view Handled inside HexanaFileEditorProvider

Hexana also registers a fileTypeOverrider (HexFileTypeOverrider) that claims .wasm, .wat, and .wit even when another plugin tries to register the same extension.

.wasm — WebAssembly binary

The primary surface. Hexana replaces the default editor with its multi-tab viewer through HexanaFileEditorProvider. Tabs: Module, Imports, Exports, Functions, Top, Hex, WAT. See features.md for the full per-tab capability list.

Two file-size checkers run before the file opens:

  • WasmFileSizeChecker — gates expensive operations for very large .wasm files.
  • WatFileSizeChecker — sibling check for .wat.

When a .wasm opens, FUS records the wasm.file.opened event.

.wat — WebAssembly Text format

WAT is the S-expression text representation of WebAssembly. Hexana provides full language support:

  • Parser (WatParserDefinition) and PSI tree.
  • Syntax highlighter (WatSyntaxHighlighter).
  • Brace matcher (WatBraceMatcher).
  • File-view-provider factory.
  • Problem-highlight filter (WatProblemHighlightFilter).
  • Use-scope optimizer (WatScopeOptimizer) — speeds up reference lookups on large WAT files.
  • Documentation target provider.
  • Find Usages handler factory.

WAT is also the rendered form Hexana produces inside the WAT tab of a .wasm file — the same language support applies in both surfaces.

.wit — WebAssembly Interface Types

WIT is the interface description language of the WebAssembly Component Model. Hexana's WIT support is its most complete language implementation. See wit-language.md for the full reference.

Quick summary of what .wit files gain: - Parsing, semantic highlighting, brace matching, code folding, breadcrumbs. - Five inspections (empty definition, world-name uniqueness, missing semicolon, gate, use-declaration names). - Keyword and @gate completion. - Find Usages, Rename validation, Goto Symbol. - Code formatter with code-style settings page. - Cross-file resolve via WitComponentIndex and WitBuiltInDefinitionsContributor (which seeds the index with built-in WIT types). - Documentation provider. - Element manipulators for WitHandle, WitUsePath, WitUseNamesItem, WitIncludeNamesItem — required by the platform's Refactor and Rename machinery.

Native binaries — ELF, Mach-O, PE (experimental)

Hexana detects native executables and shared libraries by magic bytes — the file extension is checked first for the common shapes (.elf, .so, .dylib, .bundle, .exe, .dll, .sys), but extensionless or unusually named binaries are still recognised when their leading bytes match an ELF, Mach-O, or PE/COFF header.

When opened, a native binary uses the same multi-tab layout as a .wasm file:

  • Hex tab — raw bytes with structure popups for the format-specific headers.
  • Structure tab — sections, segments, dynamic symbols, imports, exports.
  • Disassembly tab — multi-architecture decoding via the bundled Capstone WASM module: x86, x86-64, ARM, AArch64, RISC-V 32 / 64. Virtualised by instruction window, so multi-MB .text sections render incrementally.

The disassembly tab has a switchable execution backend (bytecode AOT or Cranelift native). See disassembler-backends.md.

JVM .class files

.class files open with a three-tab view:

  • Header — magic, major/minor version, flags, this/super class names.
  • Methods — every method with its decoded bytecode.
  • Constant pool — full constant-pool dump with cross-references.

This is the same view used for individual entries when browsing a .jar or .apk.

JVM archives — .jar, .zip, .war, .apk

Archives open with a hex view on top and a searchable, sortable class list below. Click any entry to open it in a nested tab using the .class view above. The list supports filtering by name and sorting by size, name, or position in the archive.

JIT dumps — .jit

Hexana ships a bundled JVMTI agent (libjitview). When attached to a Java run configuration, it hooks CompiledMethodLoad and writes a .jit dump on shutdown. Opening the dump gives:

  • A symbol tree on the left.
  • Per-method native disassembly on the top right.
  • Decoded JVM bytecode and the inline tree on the bottom right.

See run-and-debug.md for how the agent is wired into a run configuration.

Generic binary — .bin

A catch-all binary file type for content that doesn't match ELF, Mach-O, PE, or a known JVM artifact. These open directly in Hexana's hex view (the Hex tab presented standalone). The viewer supports the same selection, search, and structure-popup features as the hex tab inside a .wasm editor.

Default editor selection

HexanaFileEditorProvider returns a Hexana editor for .wasm, native binaries (detected by magic bytes), .class, .jar / .war / .apk / .zip, and .jit. For .wat and .wit, the platform's default editor (with Hexana's language support applied) is used. For the generic binary type, Hexana's hex view is the default editor.

If you have another plugin that conflicts on .wasm / .wat / .wit, HexFileTypeOverrider ensures Hexana wins. To disable the override, uninstall or disable the Hexana plugin.