add links to "Plugin Alternatives"

topics/basics/basics.md

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ This section covers the basics of working with the IntelliJ Platform.
 It will familiarize you with the working environment, project structure, and frequently used API components.
 
 * [Main Types of IntelliJ Platform Plugins](types_of_plugins.md)
+* [](plugin_alternatives.md)
 * [Creating Your First Plugin](getting_started.md)
 * [Plugin Structure](plugin_structure.md)
 * [Kotlin for Plugin Developers](kotlin.md)

topics/basics/getting_started.md

@@ -7,6 +7,10 @@ You can use either [IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition](https://www.jetbrains.com/i
 Both include the complete set of plugin development tools.
 To become more familiar with IntelliJ IDEA, please refer to the [IntelliJ IDEA Web Help](https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/help/).
 
+> In some cases, implementing an actual IntelliJ Platform plugin might not be necessary, as [alternative solutions](plugin_alternatives.md) exist.
+>
+{type="tip"}
+
 There are three supported workflows available for building plugins.
 The recommended workflow for new projects is to [use GitHub Template](#using-github-template) or to [use Gradle](#using-gradle) to create everything from scratch.
 The old [Plugin DevKit](#using-devkit) workflow still supports existing projects.

topics/basics/types_of_plugins.md

@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ The most common types of plugins include:
 * Tool integration
 * User interface add-ons
 
+> In some cases, implementing an actual IntelliJ Platform plugin might not be necessary, as [alternative solutions](plugin_alternatives.md) exist.
+>
+{type="tip"}
+
 ## UI Themes
 
 [UI Themes](themes_intro.md) give designers the ability to customize the appearance of built-in IDE UI elements.

topics/intro/intellij_platform.md

@@ -35,6 +35,10 @@ The IntelliJ Platform is a JVM application, written mostly in Java and [Kotlin](
 You should be experienced with these languages, large libraries written in them, their associated tooling, and large open-source projects to write plugins for products based on the IntelliJ Platform.
 At this time, it's not possible to extend the IntelliJ Platform in non-JVM languages.
 
+> In some cases, implementing an actual IntelliJ Platform plugin might not be necessary, as [alternative solutions](plugin_alternatives.md) exist.
+>
+{type="tip"}
+
 ## Open Source
 
 The IntelliJ Platform is Open Source, under the [Apache License](upsource:///LICENSE.txt), and [hosted on GitHub](https://github.com/JetBrains/intellij-community).

topics/intro/welcome.md

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ Webinar
 * [About this Guide](about.md)
     * [Key Topics](key_topics.md)
     * [Getting Help](getting_help.md)
+* [](plugin_alternatives.md)
 * [Creating Your First Plugin](getting_started.md)
 * [](useful_links.md)
 * [](learning_resources.md)