Solution for the problem Cannot Resolve Method ‘builder’ in Spring Boot with lombok

When working with Spring Boot applications, developers frequently leverage Lombok to reduce boilerplate code and enhance productivity. One of Lombok’s valuable features is the @Builder annotation, which automates the generation of a builder pattern for your classes. This facilitates easy and readable object instantiation, particularly with complex objects.

However, encountering an error message such as « Cannot resolve method ‘builder‘ in ‘Product' » suggests that your Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is not recognizing the @Builder annotation or the associated builder methods.

Solution: Installing Lombok Plugin in Your IDE

To resolve this issue and enable the usage of Lombok’s @Builder annotation, you need to ensure that the Lombok plugin is correctly installed and configured in your IDE. Below are steps for installing the Lombok plugin in two widely used IDEs – IntelliJ IDEA and Eclipse.

For IntelliJ IDEA:

1. Open Plugin Settings:
   • Navigate to File > Settings (or Ctrl + Alt + S on Windows, or Cmd + , on Mac).
   • In the search bar, type « Lombok Plugin ».
2. Install Lombok Plugin:
   • Locate the « Lombok » plugin in the search results.
   • Click the « Install » button next to it.
3. Restart IntelliJ IDEA:
   • After installation, restart IntelliJ IDEA for the changes to take effect.

For Eclipse:

1. Download Lombok Jar File:
   • Visit the Project Lombok website and download the Lombok Jar file.
2. Run the Jar File:
   • Double-click on the downloaded Jar file to run it.
3. Select IDE:
   • The Lombok installer will detect available IDEs on your system. Select your Eclipse installation from the list.
4. Install Lombok:
   • Click the « Install/Update » button.
5. Locate Eclipse Installation:
   • In the dialog that appears, browse and select the root directory of your Eclipse installation.
6. Finish Installation:
   • Click « OK » and let the installer finish.
7. Restart Eclipse:
   • After installation, restart Eclipse for the changes to take effect.

After following these steps, the Lombok plugin should be successfully integrated into your IDE, allowing you to use annotations like @Builder without encountering the « Cannot resolve method ‘builder' » error.

Remember to annotate your classes with @Builder where needed, and Lombok will generate the appropriate builder methods for you. This helps streamline object creation and makes your code more readable and maintainable.