5. A Deeper Look at the Class Browser

In this chapter we want to show the interactions of the WIPEOUT components. Imagine you are working on a particular project where you don't know the details of each method or class.

Easy Navigation

You are using Bugview to debug your applications. You step through your application and you come to a method you can't remember any more. You want to know the class name and the hierarchy of this special method, e.g. count from Stringlist. Just select this method, e.g. by double clicking on it in the Text Editor, and press Hierarchy->Search Symbol in the Class Browser. The Class Browser jumps to the corresponding class Stringlist in the class hierarchy and selects the method count. If there are more than one matching symbols for count in the class hierarchy you will get a list box with all found possibilities.
With Hierarchy->Edit Symbol the Class Browser jumps to the implementation of the selected method in the Text Editor.

The icon in the Class Browser toolbar toggles between the declaration and the implementation part of methods. Hierarchy-> Edit Symbol jumps to the declaration of method count, if you have selected it. By default the Class Browser jumps to the implementation.

If you have more than 2 classes and 10 methods (from module tutorial :-) it would be very uncomfortable to click through your hierarchy to search for a symbol every time you need one of them. In this case it is very useful to define hotspots. Hotspots are similar to Netscape's bookmarks, making it easier to navigate through your interlocked classes. To define a hotspot you have to select a class, method or anything else and use Hotspots->Add Hotspot in the Class Browser. The selected item will appear in the hotspot list box and you have now easy access to it.

Figure 9: Active Hotspots

Symbol Completion

The Class Browser controls an internal data base with all scanned information, like class names, methods and members. You can profit from that information for a faster application development with the Symbol Completion.

Suppose, you are working with a class library of hundreds of methods with long names. It is not necessary to write the whole class or method name in the Text Editor. Start to write the first characters and complete this symbol with the keystroke 'Ctrl-.'.The input of 'Stringl + Ctrl-.' will complete the Stringlist. If there are ambiguous possibilities to complete a symbol then the Class Browser completes only the definite part of the symbol.

This makes your work more efficiently - doesn't it?

Your Personal Programming Style

The most of the programmers have their own style writing source codes. WIPEOUT does not restrict you to use your personal style. With Properties->Forms... in the Class Browser you can change the default templates for code generation.

You can find a detailed description of this dialog in the Class Browser documentation.

Figure 10: Changing Class Templates

Exercise 5.1:

Define some hotspots and jump through your hierarchy.