CSDA Utility's new code jump is really cool!

[DiFaz]

I've been using Ira's Utilities for a while, and it has some really cool development tools. But the new code jump feature, by itself, is worth the price of admission.

I write a lot of XBasic code. So, the ability to jump to or open another window from the object name my cursor is sitting on is just too cool. This "Gee Whiz" feature, really cuts down on my keystrokes, (= time) and makes my job much easier.

I also like it that you can link to Cal Locklin's A5 Apps Analyzer right from the Utility's menu.

[Tim Kiebert]

Re: CSDA Utility's new code jump is really cool!

Yep, same here. I second the motion.

[csda1]

Re: CSDA Utility's new code jump is really cool!

Hi Ray & Tim,

I'm glad you both like it! I hope others will as well!

The Code Jump feature of the CSDA Code Utility was an idea that I realized added an extreme simplification to part of the XBasic coding process.

So in addition to the Alpha Five Desktop windows restore, accurate timing, quick execute of scripts and functions, backup, development logging, Alpha Five window navigation, the XBasic-specific features of the CSDA Code Utility now include

• 1 click Code Jump
• Variable Dimensioning support
• 1 click Comment out all debug lines of current code editor tab
• 1 click Delete all debug lines of current code editor tab
• 1 click Add/Remove Debug lines into current code editor tab at cursor line or around selected text
• 1 click (up to 4 clicks) intelligent insert and clear debug lines for main script or function of current code editor tab

But I realize it's very hard to appreciate Code Jump or many other features of the CSDA Code Utility until you use them.

It was written to save me time (which according to a T shirt of mine has a picture of Einstein proving that Time really does = Money!), and hopefully does for others. If you are using Alpha Five, you probably are using it because of either ease of use and/or to save development time. Hopefully, with the CSDA Code Utility I've made both better!

The CSDA Code Utility is written as a user extensible utility, that anyone can add new "widgets" to, customize the buttons (and "skin" to some degree) to their liking and usage. So it already includes automatically configuring buttons for the various AIMS utilities (of which I really like the group formatter - though others swear by the AIMS App Analyzer) and Partec's A5DOC. All of these utilities improve Alpha Five productivity.

Code Jump was just another widget, but an extremely important one from a time savings perspective.

What is Code Jump
Basically, for those reading, when using the code editor with XBasic, it constantly reads the word at the current cursor position as you move around, and presents a list of all objects in the Control Panel (like tables, sets, forms, browses, other layouts, operations, global functions and global scripts with the identical name, and presents you a list that you can just click on to immediately jump to, or if not open, then open up in design mode.

So instead of doing:

1. Go to the Control Panel
2. Change the Control Panel tab to object type
3. Scroll down
4. Find the entry
5. Select it
6. Click design

Now you just click once!

History
(Only for those that care :))
I was looking at another consultant's code last week and I had no idea where things were. So there would be an event on a form, that just ran a global script (getting all your code out of the form allows reuse is a real good idea - although a function call is better!). So then it would be required to open up that code. Then that code opened up a browse, so we needed to look at that, and then onto another one to follow the code, when an epiphany hit me. Why not just jump or open to the next object's name (kind of like a code editor hyperlink!).

And I knew it could be done, as I had already laid the groundwork. About 3 weeks ago I added the Var Dimensioning feature which allowed dynamic grabbing of the current word under the cursor and displayed all of the "dim" locations in the code. I knew at that time the ability to grab text under the code editor's cursor was going to lead to other good things, but I didn't expect some as useful as Code Jump!

[dik_coleman]

Re: CSDA Utility's new code jump is really cool!

New features in the utility are really great and do they save time
D

[jkletrovets]

Re: CSDA Utility's new code jump is really cool!

I have to agree with what the other's have said. The features in Ira's CSDA Code Utility are a HUGE addition to anyone's programming toolbox.

If you couple all of the features in the utility that Ira provides with the ability to add your own custom buttons and the predefined buttons Ira includes to run Cal Locklin's utilities and A5Doc - it really makes the the CSDA utility a superb tool. It has become kind of the central control point for me while developing in Alpha.

Jeff

[csda1]

Re: CSDA Utility's new code jump is really cool!

Hi Jeff & Dick,

Thanks for your comments.

I wanted to point out a little Code Jump (and Var Dimensioning) tip. The windows are sizeable, so you can reduce it up or down in size as needed, and the size and position are remembered for the next use.

Now, back to the next feature update........:)

[csda1]

Re: CSDA Utility's new code jump is really cool!

....which is now the dialog box can be undocked in Version 8. Version 7 can be undocked, but the dock can't be moved to vertical :(. Version 6 can't be undocked but can be floating.

[csda1]

Re: CSDA Utility's new code jump is really cool!

I just added some enhancements to version 2.66 of the CSDA Code Utility's Code Jump that you should like.

Code Jump previously acted similar to a web page link to control panel items of the same name as the word at the cursor on the code editor tab. Now you can have the object name be

• Where you have a cursor on text in the code editor tab
• The selected text in the code editor tab (so it doesn't get confused about what the current desired word is)
• Manually typed in the code object name field of the dialog box
• Drop down of the code object name field which is populated with the previous find values from the Search/Replace box

In addition to displaying matching Control Panel objects or index names, the new feature also displays all lines of the current code editor tab (including Action Script's underlying XBasic code) that match. In addition it shows you the beginning and end of each internal function's code and the current line.

Pressing on any line or object jumps to that line or object, or opens it in design mode if not already open

If you have it open and just type into the code object name field, it will find control panel objects and lines with that name in it. It essentially acts as a dynamic find.

Add on top of that a GoBack button that takes you back to code lines you visited via Code Jump, and a Global Search and a Find/Replace box that automatically has the find box filled in with the current object and you have a great time saver!

[Ton Spies]

Re: CSDA Utility's new code jump is really cool!

Hi Ira

I really appeciate that you keep a strict watch on "our" CSDA-utility. But why do you have to spend that many hours that we save?


Ton