With visual studios you can put your mouse over a variable which will pop up [classname] with members and node names. You can look through a tree of objects, see what values they hold, etc with it.
Is there a way i can dump it into a file so i can easily see it? I had to click >50 times to look through this object and its not a very complex object either..
I am using visual studios 2010 but i don't mind gcc if it has a tool for this task
You can use Doxygen to create a cross-referenced documentation of your code based on the annotations. It's quite simple, and will provide the info you're looking for and so much more.
Other than cross-referencing and type hierarchy, you will also be able to get calling graphs, references, and if you put the annotations in your code - documentation. Very powerful tool.
Related
There's a way to make it so intellisense will behave appropriately for custom data-types in a similar way, for example, variants will display VT_I4 for a variant that is of type "int".
I'm trying to get intellisense to be more useful for my custom array data-type. So another similar case is the vector class, how it shows its contents appropriately and I don't have to use the Watch windows to access different elements.
Have a look at the file autoexp.dat, and add entries to this file for your own datatypes.
The following explanation helped me a lot: Writing custom visualizers for Visual Studio 2005. The file itself contains a lot of documentation about the format as well.
VS2008 and VS2010 use the same file and the same format.
BTW: I recommend to make a backup of the original file before you start modifying it.
UPDATE: Searching for autoexp.dat on SO reveals a lot of information. This answer has several more links.
in order to make new C++ classes conform to some rather picky coding conventions (upfront: I am not in the position to discuss these...), I was thinking about a way of generating stubs for new C++ classes. Currently, everyone is doing copy-paste, regularly missing some detail. The IDE in use is MS Visual Studio 2005, but I think there has not been much of a change in 2008 and 2010 regarding these topics.
My first idea was to implement a command line script to do this, which would be fairly straight forward to do. Alternatively, I thought about using a default VS extension mechanism for better IDE integration. So, this would be hooking in some custom stuff when selecting Add->New Item... on a filter (Solution Explorer).
After some investigation, I found out there is an easy-to-use templating mechanism, which unfortunately does not work for C++ (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/6db0hwky%28v=vs.80%29.aspx). For C++, it seems like you have to implement a custom wizard instead, incorporating html for the layout and javascript for the logic.
Regarding the custom wizard approach, I've come to the conclusion that this would require some effort (at least for me) to get this done. MSDN is not very detailed on this topic. I've found some walkthroughs in the web, which are dealing with custom wizards for projects only (Add->New Project... instead of Add->New Item...).
So, here's the qn: Anyone having done this or something similar? Is it (better IDE integration) worth the effort (coping with the details of custom wizard implementation), or would you suggest the go for the command line tool instead? More than two days of work would not pay off in the current project, I guess.
If you think custom wizards are great, maybe you can give some hints to get started. Also, maybe there are alternatives I did not come up with. VS Add-Ins seemed to be over the top for this, and adapting e.g. VC\vcprojectitems\newc++file.cpp will not do the job.
Thanks in advance and best regards...
Jerb
I have done something similar using a custom wizard.
For my purposes I just wanted to inject some simple macros into each class to insert it into a static factory object.
I didn't need to modify the actual wizard, just copied the default generic class wizard and modified the code generation javascript.
The documentation is rubbish on the topic, but here is a good place to start for the javascript (that is where you are going to get the most power):
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/t41260xs(v=VS.71).aspx
The default class wizard javascript is located here:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio
10.0\VC\VCWizards\CodeWiz\Generic\Class\Scripts\1033\default.js
Duping the Project
Duplicating this is trickier than I thought, you need to copy and paste the
Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\VC\VCWizards\CodeWiz\Generic\
folder, then head to:
C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 10.0\VC\VCAddClass\Generic
Dupe this folder and modify the Generic.vsdir inside it to point to a dupe of ..\Simple.vsz (a file in the VCAddClass folder).
The Simple.vsz file points back to the location of the "Generic" folder in VCWizards you duped at the start, so point your new simple.vsz at that.
Code Generation
As for the actual code generation, its not all that difficult to pick up. To get things started faster, here is the General way the default.js works:
Once the wizard is finished, the code gen method kicks off from:
function OnFinish(selProj, selObj)
selProj is (as far as I can tell) an instance of EnvDTE.Project
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/envdte.project.aspx
Getting information from the wizard seems to be based around:
wizard.FindSymbol("CLASS_NAME")
The real magic starts to happen on the selProj.CodeModel object
oCM.AddClass(strClassName, strHeader, vsCMAddPositionEnd, "", "", vsCMAccessDefault);
It seems the convention for these methods to add anything to a file simply modifies the file as a single action, as it requires the file path as its paramter.
This returns a CodeClass instance and can be added to by its methods like:
AddAttribute
AddFunction
...
This is quite restricting if you are looking for very strict code formatting (or in my case inserting macros that don't fit normal code syntax.
The simple way around this is to just build a string on your own for the parts that you need full control over using the EditPoint interface.
An EditPoint is a location inside a code file to which you can call methods like:
EditPoint.Insert(string)
Editpoint.InsertFromFile(path)
To get an EditPoint in a location where you would want to insert code, simply use the location of one of the existing items in the code gen file (like class or constructor) and get a TextPoint using .StartPointOf or .EndPointOf and manipulating the parameters.
Once you have a TextPoint you can create an EditPoint like so:
newclass.EndPointOf(vsCMPartBody).CreateEditPoint().Insert("\nprivate:\n REGISTER_TYPE_MEMBER("+strClassName+");\n");
To get a TextPoint inside the .cpp file instead:
oConstructor.StartPointOf(vsCMPartWhole,vsCMWhereDefinition).CreateEditPoint().Insert("REGISTER_TYPE_BODY_ID("+strClassName+",REPLACE_ID);\n\n\n");
This gives you the power to do anything you want via JScript string manipulation as long as you can find the input data you need via the wizard (which I have not yet delved into)
MS Visual Studio editor highlights some non-keyword identifiers as keywords
in C++ files. Particularly "event" and "array" are treated as keywords.
That's very annoying to me, because they are not C++ keywords.
I know how to add my own keywords to the list of syntax-highlighted identifiers,
but how to remove existing built-in ones?
I'm aware that this may require patching some executable files.
So does anyone know how to do this?
Thanks to article mentioned by Steve Guidi, I was able to find executable file that contains Colorizer and IScanner classes. It is named vcpkg.dll and located in /Microsoft Visual Studio 8/VC/vcpackages. (I'm using Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition, things may be different in other versions.)
The vcpkg.dll contains null-terminated UTF-16 encoded strings. I've opened it with hex editor, and searched for "array". There is only one such string in the file, so I've replaced it with "arrry". (It is important to maintain relative alphabetical order with respect to other keywords.) Then I've searched for "event", it shows up in several places, but there is only one that isn't part of some longer string, so I've replaced this one with "evvvt". After starting Visual Studio, it turned out that "array" and "event" weren't any longer highlighted, but "arrry" and "evvvt" were!
Of course this is an ugly hack, and it will void your warranty,
and probably goes against Microsoft EULA, but what a relief for the eyes!
Anyway, if you want to do it, be careful and remember to backup the file.
It doesn't look like a disable-syntax-coloring feature is exposed in a user-friendly way.
The only way I can think of selectively disabling syntax coloring is to create a new syntax coloring plugin for the IDE, and list all of the keywords you want colored. Microsoft gives information in this article on how to accomplish this task.
The drawback to this approach is that your IDE will now have two C++ languages and I'm not sure how it will select which plug-in to choose from once it loads a .h or .cpp file. However, this article suggests that you can override the existing C++ plug-ins by rewriting some registry keys.
I think the only "semi-practical" way to accomplish this to create a Visual Studio package that uses Text Markers to selectively cover up the keywords you don't want colored. Even that is not a little one-day task. Edit: Probably not even a full week task for someone not intricately familiar with the Visual Studio API and all its quirks, especially not getting it bug-free.
In other words, you probably want to just ignore them.
I was going to create the C++ IDE Vim extendable plugin. It is not a problem to make one which will satisfy my own needs.
This plugin was going to work with workspaces, projects and its dependencies.
This is for unix like system with gcc as c++ compiler.
So my question is what is the most important things you'd need from an IDE? Please take in account that this is Vim, where almost all, almost, is possible.
Several questions:
How often do you manage different workspaces with projects inside them and their relationships between them? What is the most annoying things in this process.
Is is necessary to recreate "project" from the Makefile?
Thanks.
Reason to create this plugin:
With a bunch of plugins and self written ones we can simulate most of things. It is ok when we work on a one big "infinitive" project.
Good when we already have a makefile or jam file. Bad when we have to create our owns, mostly by copy and paste existing.
All ctags and cscope related things have to know about list of a real project files. And we create such ones. This <project#get_list_of_files()> and many similar could be a good project api function to cooperate with an existing and the future plugins.
Cooperation with an existing makefiles can help to find out the list of the real project files and the executable name.
With plugin system inside the plugin there can be different project templates.
Above are some reasons why I will start the job. I'd like to hear your one.
There are multiple problems. Most of them are already solved by independent and generic plugins.
Regarding the definition of what is a project.
Given a set of files in a same directory, each file can be the unique file of a project -- I always have a tests/ directory where I host pet projects, or where I test the behaviour of the compiler. On the opposite, the files from a set of directories can be part of a same and very big project.
In the end, what really defines a project is a (leaf) "makefile" -- And why restrict ourselves to makefiles, what about scons, autotools, ant, (b)jam, aap? And BTW, Sun-Makefiles or GNU-Makefiles ?
Moreover, I don't see any point in having vim know the exact files in the current project. And even so, the well known project.vim plugin already does the job. Personally I use a local_vimrc plugin (I'm maintaining one, and I've seen two others on SF). With this plugin, I just have to drop a _vimrc_local.vim file in a directory, and what is defined in it (:mappings, :functions, variables, :commands, :settings, ...) will apply to each file under the directory -- I work on a big project having a dozen of subcomponents, each component live in its own directory, has its own makefile (not even named Makefile, nor with a name of the directory)
Regarding C++ code understanding
Every time we want to do something complex (refactorings like rename-function, rename-variable, generate-switch-from-current-variable-which-is-an-enum, ...), we need vim to have an understanding of C++. Most of the existing plugins rely on ctags. Unfortunately, ctags comprehension of C++ is quite limited -- I have already written a few advanced things, but I'm often stopped by the poor information provided by ctags. cscope is no better. Eventually, I think we will have to integrate an advanced tool like elsa/pork/ionk/deshydrata/....
NB: That's where, now, I concentrate most of my efforts.
Regarding Doxygen
I don't known how difficult it is to jump to the doxygen definition associated to a current token. The first difficulty is to understand what the cursor is on (I guess omnicppcomplete has already done a lot of work in this direction). The second difficulty will be to understand how doxygen generate the page name for each symbol from the code.
Opening vim at the right line of code from a doxygen page should be simple with a greasemonkey plugin.
Regarding the debugger
There is the pyclewn project for those that run vim under linux, and with gdb as debugger. Unfortunately, it does not support other debuggers like dbx.
Responses to other requirements:
When I run or debug my compiled program, I'd like the option of having a dialog pop up which asks me for the command line parameters. It should remember the last 20 or so parameters I used for the project. I do not want to have to edit the project properties for this.
My BuildToolsWrapper plugin has a g:BTW_run_parameters option (easily overridden with project/local_vimrc solutions). Adding a mapping to ask the arguments to use is really simple. (see :h inputdialog())
work with source control system
There already exist several plugins addressing this issue. This has nothing to do with C++, and it must not be addressed by a C++ suite.
debugger
source code navigation tools (now I am using http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=1638 plugin and ctags)
compile lib/project/one source file from ide
navigation by files in project
work with source control system
easy acces to file changes history
rename file/variable/method functions
easy access to c++ help
easy change project settings (Makefiles, jam, etc)
fast autocomplette for paths/variables/methods/parameters
smart identation for new scopes (also it will be good thing if developer will have posibility to setup identation rules)
highlighting incorrect by code convenstion identation (tabs instead spaces, spaces after ";", spaces near "(" or ")", etc)
reformating selected block by convenstion
Things I'd like in an IDE that the ones I use don't provide:
When I run or debug my compiled program, I'd like the option of having a dialog pop up which asks me for the command line parameters. It should remember the last 20 or so parameters I used for the project. I do not want to have to edit the project properties for this.
A "Tools" menu that is configurable on a per-project basis
Ability to rejig the keyboard mappings for every possible command.
Ability to produce lists of project configurations in text form
Intelligent floating (not docked) windows for debugger etc. that pop up only when I need them, stay on top and then disappear when no longer needed.
Built-in code metrics analysis so I get a list of the most complex functions in the project and can click on them to jump to the code
Built-in support for Doxygen or similar so I can click in a Doxygen document and go directly to code. Sjould also reverse navigate from code to Doxygen.
No doubt someone will now say Eclipse can do this or that, but it's too slow and bloated for me.
Adding to Neil's answer:
integration with gdb as in emacs. I know of clewn, but I don't like that I have to restart vim to restart the debugger. With clewn, vim is integrated into the debugger, but not the other way around.
Not sure if you are developing on Windows, but if you are I suggest you check out Viemu. It is a pretty good VIM extension for Visual Studio. I really like Visual Studio as an IDE (although I still think VC6 is hard to beat), so a Vim extension for VS was perfect for me. Features that I would prefer worked better in a Vim IDE are:
The Macro Recording is a bit error prone, especially with indentation. I find I can easily and often record macros in Vim while I am editing code (eg. taking an enum defn from a header and cranking out a corresponding switch statement), but found that Viemu is a bit flakey in that deptartment.
The VIM code completion picks up words in the current buffer where Viemu hooks into the VS code completion stuff. This means if I have just created a method name and I want to ctrl ] to auto complete, Vim will pick it up, but Viemu won't.
For me, it's just down to the necessities
nice integration with ctags, so you can do jump to definition
intelligent completion, that also give you the function prototype
easy way to switch between code and headers
interactive debugging with breaakpoints, but maybe
maybe folding
extra bonus points for refactoring tools like rename or extract method
I'd say stay away from defining projects - just treat the entire file branch as part of the "project" and let users have a settings file to override that default
99% of the difference in speed I see between IDE and vim users is code lookup and navigation. You need to be able to grep your source tree for a phrase (or intelligently look for the right symbol using ctags), show all the hits, and switch to that file in like two or three keystrokes.
All the other crap like repository navigation or interactive debugging is nice, but there are other ways to solve those problems. I'd say drop the interactive debugging even. Just focus on what makes IDEs good editors - have a "big picture" view of your project, instead of single file.
In fact, are there any plugins for vim that already achieve this?
When I'm developing in C#, I heavily use GhostDoc to speed up the process of commenting my code. I'm currently working on a C++ project and I haven't found an equivalent tool. I know about Doxygen, but from what I know it is used to create documentation outside the code, not comments in the code. Are there any good equivalent tools? I would prefer one that runs in VS, but I could handle one that works in any IDE.
(Before someone brings it up, I don't rely solely on GhostDoc to create comments. I just use it to create the starting point for my comments.)
I've written an add-in, Atomineer Pro Documentation, which is very similar to GhostDoc (it generates/updates documentation comments to save a lot of time and effort when documenting), but it parses the code directly for itself and thus is able to handle C, C++, C++/CLI, C#, Java and Visual Basic code, and doesn't require the surrounding code to be in a compiling state before it will work. It will also automatically add/update documentation for more tricky things such as exceptions thrown within the body of a method.
It runs under Visual Studio 11, 2010, 2008 and 2005, and supports Documentation-Xml, Doxygen, JavaDoc and Qt commenting formats, as well as the format/style of comment blocks and the auto-doc rules used being highly configurable. It has a number of other handy features such as aiding conversions of legacy doc-comments to the above formats, and word wrapping in doc-comments and normal block comments.
The above is just a summary of some key features - This comparison of features with other products serves as a more complete list of the many other features available.
Visual Assist helps by providing custom scripts executed while typing (or on other).
For example, you can have a script for comments like this :
/************************************************************************/
/* My comment : $end$ */
/************************************************************************/
That would be suggested (via a combo-box exactly like intellisense) when you start typing "/**" for example.
When you select this suggestion (via Enter/Space/Click - customizable), it will insert the script where your cursor is and just replace markers that are between '$' characters by special values (like the current file name for example).
Here the $end$ marker will make the cursor be at this position when the script is executed. This way, you continue typing smoothly. For example with the previous script set, typing exactly :
/** this is a test comment to show you one of the many features Visual Assit!
will simply give :
/************************************************************************/
/* My comment : this is a test comment to show you one of the many features Visual Assit! */
/************************************************************************/
It's really easy to customize and the behavior of the suggestion (read : intellisense++) system is customizable.
Visual Assist might do the job, though I'm not absolutely sure.