Context window as in Source Insight

Context window as in Source Insight

2
NewbieNewbie
2

    Jan 02, 2012#1

    Hi All,

    I'm a newbie to UltraEdit.

    Does UE have a feature like the context window as seen in Source Insight? Essentially, this window automatically displays the definition of a function or constant defined in another source file. For example, if I have the definition

    #define TRUE 1

    defined in, say, a header file named allContants.h and I were to use the constant TRUE in a source-code file which includes the header file allContants.h, then the context window automatically displays the corresponding definition line from the header file. This allows for quickly comprehending source code which you may not have written (or wrote, but forgot why you wrote it :?). I haven't been able to find such a feature with UE, unless I've been looking in the wrong place.

    Can anyone please tell me if UE has such a "context window" feature as in Source Insight?

    Thanks for your time.

    -B

    6,602548
    Grand MasterGrand Master
    6,602548

      Jan 03, 2012#2

      A feature to display a tooltip showing the definition line of a symbol is not available in UltraEdit.

      If you are using a project and you have configured to use Ctags for this project, you can use Search - Find Symbol (best with a hotkey or clicking on toolbar icon) to jump to definition of the symbol (file automatically opened when needed). With Search - Back (last position) (best executed also with a hotkey) you can jump back to file and position you last worked on before executing the Find Symbol command.

      But Find Symbol works only for files being set as part of a project. It does not work for standard library include files which are usually not part of a project, except you add them also to your project. The reason is quite simple. UltraEdit respectively Ctags does not know where a file included with #inlcude <stdio.h> is stored. Only your compiler knows that with the setting for the standard library include path.

      The feature you want is supported by UEStudio which is a real IDE and not just a very good text editor like UltraEdit. If you click on the toolbar of UEStudio on Find symbol definition in project files a tooltip is opened showing you full file name, line number and the line itself where the symbol is defined. That works even for standard include files because UEStudio projects using one of the predefined compilers contain also the information of standard include path and therefore the symbol parser of UEStudio automatically includes as "External Dependencies" all files included with #include <...> in any project source file. UEStudio supports also function tips (showing you which parameters a function needs while entering them on a call) and has other special features for programmers.

      2
      NewbieNewbie
      2

        Jan 03, 2012#3

        You're reply was very comprehensive and helpful.

        Thank you very much for your time and prompt response.

        -B