D-Editor with debugging - editor

i've been programming a while in D (http://www.digitalmars.com/d/) now. I prefer it to Java because it is faster. However, i have not found an Editor that supports Code-Completion and Debugging (Step-Over, Step-Into, Breakpoints,...).
Do you have any suggestions?
P.S: gdb did not work.

Descent, the Eclipse plugin, should support both (if you have a D supporting debugger installed). I have to admit I haven't tried it in a long time though, and when I did, debugging did not work, using gdb.
See also this question
Personally I use Vim which currently provides neither completion nor debugging, although I know a completion engine was started once.

I suggest you try the excellent Code::Blocks IDE. It has a very good support for D (it even automatically recognizes DMD and/or GDC D compilers).
Another alternative has already been mentioned above - Descent. I haven't used Descent because whenever I tried it I had problems and at some point I gave up (this does not mean it is bad, it means I am just lazy to figure out what problems were).
C::B uses GDB so I guess (not sure, did not try) you can use patched GDB to debug your code.

Under Linux I use Eclipse (+Descent) or gEdit as IDE and use gdb as debugger.

I use descent as well. I don't use it's debugger bit but that is because I'm editing on a windows desktop and building/running/debugging on a Linux server.

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Is there something like Python help function in Fsharp interactive?

Using Python in command line you can write help(function) to see docstring.
Is there something similar in Fsharp for fsi?
Do you have any tips and tricks for working in fsi anyway?
What is even possible to find out without using IDE? Just from interactive session.
EDIT:
This question is actually addressed to Python guys who know Fsharp as well. I guess MS guys relying on their VS might find my question pretty strange :)
So far it seems that my question has simple answer: NO.
EXAMPLE:
Lets say you are logged to remote computer via console. I dont know whether this is typical or even possible scenario. For some reason I started fsi and now what? Am I lost or do I have some chances to get some help from fsi directly
DISCLAMER:
I know Scott Wlaschins fsharpforfunandprofit.com pretty well. But his example is dedicated to C# users. Pythonists have different workflow.
If you are used to interactive python, and you like the approach, you may have a look at this F# engine for iPython Notebook:
https://github.com/fsprojects/IfSharp
Yes.
Simple introspection can be done by typeof <_> or typedefof<_>.
For example:
typeof<System.Console>;;
In fsi you can use TAB completation, but apperantly just from command line. It is not working in my Xamarin.
Neat trick is to run:
fsi --use:yourfile.fsx
which run your file and let you test it interactively.
For more info you can use in command line fsi.exe --help.

Netbeans Intellisense for Rails

Has anybody figured out a way to make the Netbeans intellisense for ruby and rails better? It either has too many options in the list (which I understand is a problem since it is a dynamic language). Or it has no options in the list, as if it is not dynamic enough to find everything.
Are there any hacks to make it better, or is this just something that needs to be improved within the Netbeans source code? I'm currently using 6.8.
Please spare me the posts about how I don't really need to use intellisense, and I should use vim or emacs. I'm sure the vim programmers are 10 times more productive than me with all their cool shortcuts, but I have no desire to learn these tools.
if you click on options, in tools and select options.
Then go to miscellaneous tab, and select ruby.
enable extended type interface (may be slow)
check on for methods.
I tried doing this it is giving me better intellisense with methods like p, and protected methods as well.
I am using netbeans 6.8 and I suppose this would offer you better intellisense.
I'm with you on intellisense. If you're on a Mac, you might try Coda from Panic. It has better intellisense than either RadRails or Netbeans for Ruby/Rails IMHO.
Sadly you just have to wait. I read that Oracle is now focusing NB on scripting languages, and there were plans afoot to add most of what you are talking about to 6.9.
You can check out the nightly builds here: http://bits.netbeans.org/download/trunk/nightly/latest/
They've already hit milestone 1.
It has to be improved by the Netbeans team. There's nothing you can really do to help it.
[edit: oh, and you can have code completion with Vim, so .. You should use Vim! :p]
There's been improvements in 6.8, but it's still far from perfect, and you mentionned you are already using 6.8.
You might want to try RadRails - can't tell you if their code completion is better though (I'm a NetBeans user), but I seem to recall reading it was.
I haven't gotten to play with Ruby and Ruby on Rails in NetBeans 6.9, but one of the features touted by the Release Notes was improved code completion in dynamic languages (Ruby, Ruby on Rails, and Python). You might want to consider upgrading (if you haven't already) and checking it out.

How can I load a package and keep the debugger working?

I'm using TJvPluginManager in the JVCL to create and load BPL-based plugins for my program. Problem is, one of the plugins isn't loading properly, and I can't debug it. Every time I try to trace into the loading sequence, it gets as far as the LoadLibrary API call, and then the debugger seems to forget what it's there for. It completely loses the ability to associate program code with source lines, give meaningful data in a call stack, or display local variables. It will still stop at breakpoints, but it breaks to the CPU window, with all the inline source code stripped out.
This happens on Delphi 2007 and 2009, and it's driving me nuts. Does anyone know how to load a plugin without it breaking the debugger? Does anyone even know why it's breaking it in the first place?
NOTE: I'm not looking for alternative methods of debugging. I know all about tracing and logging and all the rest. What I want is to understand what's going wrong and how to fix it. Surely I'm not the only person who's ever used TJvPluginManager?
Not quite the answer to your question: Have you tried to debug the package project, by setting the host application and putting a breakpoint into the package's startup code?
I've found Ray Kanopka's (Raize) CodeSite to be invaluable for debugging in situations where the integrated debugger is acting up. Thinking about the things I want to monitor using CodeSite actually helps me focus on what's important - it enforces good habits.
Another alternative to Codesite is Overseer which is part of the nexus project, but stands alone so does not require you to use their framework. Codesite is by far the better option, but in a pinch Overseer would work just as well.
I found that using packages for plugins can be problematic and many years ago switched to a completely COM based implementation for plugins and never had any problems. The other advantage to COM based plugins, they don't require Delphi to write, do not need to be recompiled when the main app switches to a new version of the compiler (my plugins compiled with Delphi 5 still run fine against the main application compiled in Delphi 2009!) and they are easier to write test applications to assist in debugging.
The only side effect I notice, is that shared code ends up in both executables and the plugins require registration into the registry.
Hmmmm... This is a stupid question, but I have to ask: the initialization function have the EXACT declaration syntax like the other plugins that work ?(from your question, I deducted you made some others that work)
Check your dependencies. Make sure each unit is compiled into one package only. Whenever a package needs to reference a unit from another package, use the requires clause to do so. Watch for compiler warnings about implicitly linked units.

What tools are built using themselves? [closed]

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I am curious about what tools are used to build the next version of themselves.
For example, Delphi has long claimed that "Delphi is written in Delphi".
I assume Visual Studio is written using Visual Studio.
What are some other examples of tools that written in themselves?
Interestingly, the VB.NET & C# compilers themselves are written in unmanaged C++ (leading to the C++ team's T-Shirt: "My compiler compiled yours"). The C# team hopes to have a fully managed-C# hosted C# compiler for VS2010.
Bjarne Stroustrup mentioned in The Design and Evolution of C++ that the first C++ compiler was written in C++.
I've just noticed this is also a question in his FAQ:
The first C++ compiler (Cfront) was
written in C++. To build that, I first
used C to write a "C with
Classes"-to-C preprocessor. "C with
Classes" was a C dialect that became
the immediate ancestor to C++. That
preprocessor translated "C with
Classes" constructs (such as classes
and constructors) into C. It was a
traditional preprocessor that didn't
understand all of the language, left
most of the type checking for the C
compiler to do, and translated
individual constructs without complete
knowledge. I then wrote the first
version of Cfront in "C with Classes".
This is off-topic, but strictly speaking, it is an example of a tool which builds itself.
The reprap - an open-source 3d prototyping machine, which recently gave 'birth' to "its first complete working replicated copy".
I love this kind of stuff.
Generically speaking, C compilers are usually written in C... *nix kernels are compiled on *nix, etc.
Also, there's the pypy project which provides a Python interpreter written in Python.
When gcc (the Gnu C compiler http://gcc.gnu.org/) was not available widely, you had to compile it from source, compiling stage1 compiler, then compile stage2 with stage1, till you have your final compiler. I assume it must be the same today.
Here is another example: Mono's C# compiler is self hosting - i.e. it's written in C# and used to compile itself.
Dog fooding refers to the more general practice of a company using its own product internally, especially during its development.
Lots of folks like to look at how Lisp can be implemented in Lisp.
Squeak is a Smalltalk-80 implementation written in itself.
even its virtual machine is written entirely in Smalltalk making it easy to debug, analyze, and change.
Sun's Java compiler has long been written in Java. However, recent work is writing a JIT compiler in Java as well. This is the JVM component that converts Java byte code to native processor instructions.
We use to develop using RealBasic. The IDE is written in itself, or so I've been lead to believe.
ghc, the Haskell compiler, is mostly written in Haskell.
tcc is another self-hosting C compiler for x86 and ARM. Its claim to fame is being, well, tiny (100k or so for preprocessor, compiler, assembler, and linker).
I would assume that pretty much any tool that's part of the typical development process would be involved in its own development, to whatever extent possible. This includes:
certain programming languages, especially compiled ones
IDEs
text editors
version control systems
bug trackers
build systems
If you're on a team building one of these tools, and you're not developing it for a specific niche that doesn't apply to your team, I don't know why you wouldn't use it to build itself. Having developers be users of the product is one of the best ways to find possible improvements.
For the AmigaOS there was a third party Basic interpreter (don't remember the name) for which you could later buy a compiler. The compiler was delivered as source, so you had to use the interpreter to run the compiler to compile itself...
To cite Kent Beck:
...it may seem a bit like performing brain surgery on yourself.
Visual Studio and Team Foundation Server build themselves. It's called dogfooding, a term which if not originating in Microsoft, it certainly likes
Oracle Application Express is a web application development tool that is built in itself.
Eclipse IDE is generally built and developed using Eclipse IDE.
It is fairly typical to have a languages compiler written in its own language. This is called self-hosting or bootstrapping.
Maven2 is built using Maven2.
Ok, it's not built (i.e. written) using itself, as it is a tool to build (i.e. compile) project, but it is using its own code to compile...
I was amazed with JSLint
In short it has been described as Javascript "compiler" using javascript.
I am building an IDE-based code generator, and I am using it to build itself. If fact, as Stroustrup did, I am first building a valid generator model and using a pre-processor to build the final C++ code to compile. Once I have a good working version of the IDE, I'll start using it to build further versions of itself.
It's like giving a new dimension to the meaning of "recursive programming"!
AFAIK does the OpenJDK build itself first with the installed java and afterwards with itself.
Naturally the Jetbrains team uses its own IDE IntelliJ IDEA to develop this IDE.
I assume this is true for most IDE vendors.
As far as I know, when building EMACS from source, all of the ELISP code is bootstrapped. I found that quite noteworthy.
Not quite what you're asking for, but the entire development environment for Revolution http://www.runrev.com is built using Revolution itself, and the source (except for small parts that enforce the license) is completely exposed in source form. So if you don't like the way the dev environment is implemented, you can change it. Find a bug, fix it. You can also easily build additional development tools and integrate them.
Ada and Forth
I gave the Smalltalk-80 answer an uptick. Best, most elegant example I can think of. The question also reminds me of a slightly related problem that used to be popular: write a program that outputs itself. Not the same level of bootstrapping, but a fun little programming puzzle for your amusement. Maybe not possible in all languages?
The old Watcom C/C++ compiler was built using itself.
Kragen Sitaker's Ur-Scheme is a fine example of a small nontrivial compiler written in itself. That page links to several more good sources in that vein.

Using GNU Readline; how can I add ncurses in the same program?

The title is a bit more specific than my actual goal:
I have a command-line program which uses GNU Readline, primarily for command history (i.e. retrieving previous commands using up-arrow) and some other niceties. Right now the program's output appears interspersed with the user's input, which sometimes is OK but the output is asynchronous (it comes via a network connection in response to the input commands), and that gets annoying sometimes (e.g. if lines are output when the user is typing new input).
I'd like to add a feature to this program: a separate "window" for the output. I thought about using ncurses for this. But it appears from the ncurses FAQ that the two libraries are not easy to use together.
I might consider using Editline or tecla instead of Readline, but it's not clear to me if either of those will solve my problem. I'd also consider using something other than ncurses, including a library which provides both kinds of functionality (text-mode windows and command history), but I don't know what might be best.
Oh, and support for colored text might get bonus points. I suspect I may be able to do that with Readline, so maybe it's a separate concern, but if a solution to my problem also makes it easy to add a bit of color to the output, so much the better.
I'm using Ubuntu Hardy (Linux 2.6).
I've now put together a simple example program on GitHub: https://github.com/ulfalizer/readline-and-ncurses.
It supports seamless and efficient terminal resizing and multibyte/combining/wide characters. The code has helpful comments.
Screenshot below:
I have done some searching, and it seems like you are out of luck.
For ncurses alternatives there are SLang, Newt and Turbo
Vision. Slang is much more than just screen handling and thus more
complex, but maybe it can be used for your purpose?. Newt uses the screen
handling and is much simpler, but too simple and single-threaded-mode
for your purpose I think.
Turbo vision is the text mode graphics library from Borland, used by
all their tools in the late 80s/early 90s. Borland released the source
code when the market for that kind of thing diminished, and there is
now a port for linux (side note, this project seems to have written
its own turbo vision implementation). That port is not dead (there have
been some cvs updates this year which compiled fine (the older releases
did not)), but none of the TV examples I found were up to date and I
did only got a few of them to compile before giving up on the rest.
This is a bit of a shame, because TV was a lovely environment to use.
TV is btw C++ (and I assume you are using C?).
For an alternative to readline, there is libkinput, which maybe works
together with ncurses (it says it can use ncurses' terminfo. but I am
not sure if that means that it can co-exists together with ncurses usage)?
Maybe one option is to run readline "externally" to your ncurses program
using rlwrap?
This had me banging my head for a few hours, so just to save people Googling some pain:
If you're using ncurses' builtin SIGWINCH handler with KEY_RESIZE, be aware that readline sets the LINES and COLUMNS environment variables by default. These override any dynamic size calculation (usually with ioctl() TIOCGWINSZ) that ncurses would otherwise do, meaning you'll keep getting the initial terminal size even after resizing the terminal.
This can be prevented by setting rl_change_environment to 0 before initializing readline.
Update:
Here's some additional information I gleaned from the readline sources:
readline's SIGWINCH handling code (which is used if rl_catch_sigwinch is 1) does update LINES and COLUMNS, which seems like it should be sufficient for ncurses. However, when using the alternate readline interface (which makes most sense when combining readline with ncurses), the signal handlers (including the one for SIGWINCH) will only be installed for the duration of each rl_callback_read_char() call, meaning any terminal resize between two calls to rl_callback_read_char() will not be seen by readline.
So it turns out that gdb uses both readline and ncurses. If you're interested in doing this, I recommend that you check out their implementation: http://sourceware.org/git/?p=gdb.git;a=blob;f=gdb/tui/tui-io.c
I've achieved what you've described in a program of mine:
http://dpc.ucore.info/lab:xmppconsole
The following is the file handling io:
http://github.com/dpc/xmppconsole/blob/master/src/io.c
I'm not sure which version you tried. As of today(2012.09.14) It is very simple, We just need to hook our custom function to following function pointers.
rl_getch_function
rl_redisplay_function
rl_completion_display_matches_hook
I did something reasonable here.

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