How do I add dependencies/3rd party java libraries into Maven for Intellij and/or VS Code?

Question

I am trying to make a JSON parser for a project using GSON in java with Maven in Intellij or VS Code. Whenever I try to compile/run the debugger on the file (ex: javac jsonParser.java) it always says the "com.google.gson" and related objects such as "GSON gson = new Gson();" does not exist.

Things I have tried:

• Watching many tutorials/read many walkthroughs on how to add a dependency/3rd party JAR, however, the best I was able to do was make the App.java file in a default Maven project template be able to use the GSON library, but any additional java files in the folder would still get the above compilation error.

• Manually add the dependency information in the pom.xml file

• Use the built in "add dependency" features in both Intellij and VS Code
• I have tried on both Ubuntu and Windows 10 (including adding things to the environment variables)... Often times, I am able to see the dependency automatically added to the pom.xml file, as well as see the JAR file in my project folder
• Running sets of Maven commands in VS Code ---> "mvn install" "mvn package" "mvn dependency:resolve" which run fine with no errors

TLDR: Would someone be able to walk me through adding a 3rd party library in Maven/Gradle and/or Intellij/VS Code? If it helps, I am willing to use Gradle or some other (freely available) software if that is easier/preferred? I am new to any sort of software development (first year CS student) so I have no experience in terms of making a completed project.

Answer 1

1. You look up the GSON coordinates (groupId, artifactId, version) in MavenCentral( http://search.maven.org )

2. You take the XML from MavenCentral and copy it to the <dependencies> section of your pom.xml

3. You use GSON in your Java code

4. You build your project with mvn clean verify