4 @c FILE: oo-browser.texi
5 @c SUMMARY: The OO-Browser User Manual
6 @c USAGE: Hardcopy man from TeX; Info man from `texinfo-format-buffer'.
10 @c ORIG-DATE: 10-Apr-90
11 @c LAST-MOD: 3-Jan-02 at 17:12:47 by Bob Weiner
13 @c %**start of header (This is for running Texinfo on a region.)
14 @setfilename oo-browser.info
15 @settitle The OO-Browser User Manual
17 @c Comment the @smallbook line out if you want to print on letter sized paper.
18 @c Smallbook formats for 7x9.25 inch book-sized printing.
20 @setchapternewpage odd
23 * OO-Browser: (oo-browser). The Multi-language Object-Oriented Code Browser.
25 @c %**end of header (This is for running Texinfo on a region.)
34 @subtitle The Multi-language Object-Oriented Code Browser
37 \centerline{\psfig{figure=im/oobr-menu-cv.ps,width=5in}}
43 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
44 Copyright @copyright{} 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 BeOpen.com
46 Copyright @copyright{} 2000, 2001, 2002 Bob Weiner
48 The OO-Browser is available for use, modification, and distribution under
49 the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) Version 1 as published by
50 the Free Software Foundation, with all rights and responsibilities thereof.
52 The OO-Browser is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
53 WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
54 or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
58 Printed January 3, 2002.
62 E-mail: <bwcto@@users.sf.net>
63 Web: www.sf.net/projects/oo-browser
66 All trademarks referenced herein are trademarks of their respective
69 Laura Bui designed the cover. The body of the manual was written in
70 InfoDock and laid out using the GNU Texinfo markup language.
73 @node Top, Introduction, (dir), (dir)
74 @c node-name, next, previous, up
78 <CENTER><H1>The OO-Browser</H1></CENTER>
80 <CENTER><H2>The Multi-language Object-Oriented Code Browser</H2></CENTER>
82 Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 BeOpen.com<BR>
83 Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2002 Bob Weiner
85 <P>The OO-Browser is available for use, modification, and distribution under
86 the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) Version 1 as published
87 by the Free Software Foundation, with all rights and responsibilities
90 <P>The OO-Browser is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
91 WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
92 or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.</P>
96 Printed January 3, 2002.
98 E-mail: <bwcto@@users.sf.net>
99 Web: www.sf.net/projects/oo-browser
102 <P>All trademarks referenced herein are trademarks of their respective
106 <DT><B>Screenshot of the C++ OO-Browser</B></DT><BR><BR>
107 <IMG NAME="C++ OO-Browser" SRC="im/oobr-menu-cv.gif"><BR>
114 @center The OO-Browser
116 @center The Multi-language Object-Oriented Code Browser
118 @center Edition 4.08, January 3, 2002.
122 Copyright @copyright{} 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 BeOpen.com
125 Copyright @copyright{} 2000, 2001, 2002 Bob Weiner
127 The OO-Browser is available for use, modification, and distribution under
128 the terms of the GNU General Public License (GPL) Version 1 as published by
129 the Free Software Foundation, with all rights and responsibilities thereof.
131 The OO-Browser is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
132 WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY, without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
133 or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
137 E-mail: <bwcto@@users.sf.net>
138 Web: www.sf.net/projects/oo-browser
141 All trademarks referenced herein are trademarks of their respective
144 Mouse click on the following filename to view a sample textual
145 OO-Browser screenshot as seen from an InfoDock session:
146 @file{im/oobr-menu-cv.gif}. Under InfoDock, use the middle mouse
147 button. Under XEmacs or Emacs with the Hyperbole system loaded, use the
148 shift-middle mouse button or shift-left on a two button mouse.
149 Otherwise, there may or may not be a built-in way to view the picture;
150 you will have to determine this from your editor documentation.
153 @center --------------------
158 @cindex OO-Browser, obtaining
159 @cindex anonymous ftp
160 The OO-Browser was designed and written by Bob Weiner. Motorola, Inc.@:
161 helped fund early work. Torgeir Veimo and Mark Stern helped write the X
162 OO-Browser core. Jeff Sparkes helped with the Java language
163 support. Harri Pasanen contributed the initial Python language support
164 (derived from the C++ support). Kirill Katsnelson adapted the graphical
165 OO-Browser for use with Windows.
167 The latest production release of the OO-Browser is always available for
168 download from @file{www.sourceforge.net/projects/oo-browser}.
169 Professional releases of the OO-Browser may also be purchased there to
170 help support development; they include the OO-Browser with all supported
171 languages and full source code, a printed copy of this manual and
172 installation support. Ongoing technical support and automatic upgrades
173 are available separately.
175 @vindex file, BR-README
176 @cindex BR-README file
179 The OO-Browser must be installed at your site before you can use it.
180 Instructions for installing the OO-Browser are in the @file{BR-README}
181 file in the root directory of the OO-Browser distribution, i.e.@: below
182 @file{oo-browser/}. If you are using InfoDock version 4.0.7
183 or higher, the OO-Browser is pre-installed so you can skip the
184 installation instructions.@refill
186 We hope you enjoy using the OO-Browser and that it improves your
187 productivity. If it does, consider sending us a quote that discusses how
188 it helps you, for use on our web site. E-mail it to
189 <quotes@@beopen.com>.
209 @node Introduction, Environments, Top, Top
210 @c node-name, next, previous, up
211 @unnumbered Introduction
213 This edition of the OO-Browser User Manual is for use with any version
214 4.06 or greater of the OO-Browser.
216 This manual documents the user interface and operation of the
217 OO-Browser. It assumes a very basic familiarity in the use of InfoDock,
218 XEmacs or Emacs, as documented in @cite{[Stallman 93]}. It also assumes
219 familiarity with object-oriented software concepts. However, many of
220 the technical terms used in this manual are defined within the glossary.
223 The OO-Browser is designed to be easy to use. It has point and click
224 and menu-based interfaces that you can use, if you prefer, instead of
225 learning all of the keystroke commands. The body of this manual
226 discusses the mouse and keyboard interfaces. If you would like to study
227 the menus, see @ref{Menus}.@refill
229 Chapter 1 of the manual discusses OO-Browser Environments as a means of
230 organizing browser work (@pxref{Environments,,Working with
231 Environments}). @xref{Usage,,Using the OO-Browser}, if you would rather
232 start with the interactive features of the browser. @xref{Features},
233 for a quick overview of the browser's features.@refill
235 Throughout this manual, sequences of keystrokes are delimited by curly
236 braces @{ @}, function names are delimited by parentheses ( ), and
237 variable names are @var{emphasized}.@refill
240 @center --------------------
243 @cindex OO-Browser, the
245 The @dfn{OO-Browser} (pronounced owe-owe-browse-er) is a multi-windowed,
246 interactive, object-oriented class browser designed for professional
247 use. It is one of the world's most powerful tools for exploring and
248 developing object-oriented software. Its user interface is a bit like
249 the well-known Smalltalk browsers @cite{[Goldberg 83]}, yet its commands
250 are more flexible and easier to use.
254 The OO-Browser has a number of exceptional features:
257 It presently supports seven object-oriented languages (C++, CLOS/Lisp,
258 Eiffel, Java, Objective-C, Python and Smalltalk), one
259 non-object-oriented language (C), and one documentation language (GNU
263 It is fast and works exclusively from the source code of libraries and
264 programs to be browsed. Hence, it does not require a compiler.
267 It may be used for both system exploration and maintenance as part of a
268 professional software development tool chest.
271 It quickly displays views of several important object-oriented
272 relationships, over large sets of classes, not just a single
276 It has a completely direct-manipulation interface with multiple modalities.
279 It is integrated with a powerful editing environment that can be
280 customized to meet personal work styles.
283 @cindex listing buffer
284 @cindex listing window
285 @cindex viewer window
286 @cindex user interface
288 Refer to the picture on the following page as we highlight the major
289 components of the OO-Browser user interface.
292 <P>Refer to the following picture as we highlight the major
293 components of the OO-Browser user interface.</P>
296 See the last paragraph of this node for a link to an image that
297 highlights the major components of the OO-Browser user interface.
300 The windows across the top of the OO-Browser frame are called
301 @dfn{listing windows}; they display @dfn{listing buffers} that list
302 class, method and attribute names based on user-specified queries.
303 The @dfn{viewer window} fills the bottom half of the frame. It is used
304 to display class source, summary information and help on the OO-Browser
305 command set. The picture shows part of a Java Boolean class in the
308 All key bindings described throughout this manual are effective only
309 within listing buffers, unless otherwise indicated. This means
310 that the keys may not be used within the buffers displayed in the class
311 viewer window. Instead, all normal editing keys are available in most
312 viewer window buffers.
315 @cindex textual interface
319 @centerline{@b{The OO-Browser Textual User Interface}}
321 @centerline{@psfig{figure=im/oobr-java.ps,width=5in}}
325 <DT><B>The OO-Browser Textual User Interface</B></DT><BR><BR>
326 <IMG NAME="OO-Browser UI" SRC="im/oobr-java.gif"><BR>
330 Mouse click on the following filename to view a picture of the textual
331 OO-Browser: @file{im/oobr-java.gif}. Under InfoDock, use the middle
332 mouse button. Under XEmacs or Emacs with the Hyperbole system loaded,
333 use the shift-middle mouse button or shift-left on a two button mouse.
334 Otherwise, there is no built-in way to view the picture.
337 @node Environments, Usage, Introduction, Top
338 @c node-name, next, previous, up
339 @chapter Working with Environments
341 @cindex Environment, the
342 @cindex Library code directories
343 @cindex System code directories
344 @cindex reusable libraries
345 @cindex system-specific code
346 In order to browse code from a set of libraries or an entire system,
347 an OO-Browser Environment must first be created. An OO-Browser
348 @dfn{Environment} defines the set of entities that are
349 browsable within a session of the browser. The first step in creating
350 an Environment is to create an @dfn{Environment specification} which
351 tells the browser the name of the Environment, where to save its
352 browsing data, what programming language the Environment should support,
353 and what directories to scan for source code to browse. (@xref{Creating
354 Environments}, for more information.)
356 Once an Environment has been specified, it can be built, a process which
357 scans the set of directory trees given in the Environment specification
358 and saves data about classes, methods, attributes, formal protocols
359 (interfaces) and relationships among these entities for later browsing.@refill
361 Whenever the OO-Browser is in use, an Environment is selected. The
362 phrase, @dfn{the Environment}, refers to the current OO-Browser
363 Environment. Many browser commands depend upon information in the
366 The set of source files included in an Environment is specified by two
367 lists of top-level (root) directories whose subdirectories are
368 automatically scanned by the OO-Browser. The first list of directories
369 is called the @dfn{system-specific directory list}; it defines the
370 locations of unreleased code being developed, often for a particular
371 system. The second list is called the @dfn{reusable library directory
372 list}; it defines the locations of stable, reusable classes that have
373 been released for general use. All class names within a single
374 Environment must be unique to ensure proper operation of the browser
375 (Duplicate classes will be flagged by the browser for later removal.
376 Use @{@kbd{M-e}@} @code{(br-env-stats)} in a browser listing window to
377 help find duplicate classes.)
379 The OO-Browser lets you name, create, update and save Environments.
380 Once an Environment has been created, it may be loaded at any time. The
381 browser will then use this Environment for all of its operations until
382 another one is loaded.
384 Within each editor session, the browser caches a separate Environment
385 for each programming language on which it is used. Thus, if you switch
386 from Eiffel to C++ browsing and then back to Eiffel browsing, the Eiffel
387 environment will not need to be reloaded; it will appear immediately and
388 the frame will appear as if the Eiffel OO-Browser were invoked for the
391 Environment files are automatically saved by the OO-Browser
392 so that you need never become familiar with their format. You are
393 responsible for requesting the use of a particular Environment whenever
394 desired. @xref{Invoking,,Invoking the OO-Browser}, for information on
395 how to specify a different Environment file for use.@refill
398 * Creating Environments::
399 * Building Environments::
400 * Saving Environments::
401 * Managing Environment Names::
405 @node Creating Environments, Building Environments, Environments, Environments
406 @c node-name, next, previous, up
407 @section Creating Environments
409 @cindex Environment loading
410 @cindex loading an Environment
411 @cindex OO-Browser, invoking
414 @vindex br-env-default-file
416 @cindex default Environment
417 Environments may be specified, built and/or loaded at any time all with
418 one command, whether or not the browser user interface is on screen.
419 Use the @{@kbd{C-c C-o}@} @code{(oo-browser)} command to select a
420 language and Environment to create or to load by name. (Some
421 programming modes may override that key binding, so a menu item or
422 @samp{M-x oo-browser @key{RET}} are the surefire ways to invoke this
425 If you have browsed a prior Environment during your current editor
426 session, you will be asked whether or not to reload that Environment.
427 If you type @samp{n} for no or if no prior Environment has been loaded,
428 you will be prompted for an Environment name to load; full completion is
431 If instead of typing an Environment name, you simply press Return, you
432 will be prompted for the pathname of an Environment file to load. This
433 lets you specify Environments created prior to version 4 of the
434 OO-Browser, which did not have names. The default is to load the
435 Environment file in the current directory whose name is given by the
436 @var{br-env-default-file} variable, which is normally set to
439 @cindex Environment, default
440 If you give an Environment name or file which does not exist, you will
441 be prompted to create a specification for this new Environment. The
442 recommended default name for Environment files is, @file{OOBR}. It is
443 best to save each Environment within the top-level directory of the
444 first system-specific directory of the Environment, i.e.@: the root
445 directory of a system's code.
447 @cindex Environment specification
448 Every Environment must be specified before it can be built or used.
449 Here are the Environment specification components for which you will be
453 @item Top-level system-specific code directories
454 A list of root directories below which system source code may be
455 found. Each directory is prompted for individually and argument
456 completion is available.
458 @item Top-level reusable library code directories
459 A list of root directories below which library source code may be
460 found. Each directory is prompted for individually and argument
461 completion is available.
465 @findex br-env-browse
466 @cindex initialization file
467 @cindex Environment, creating
468 Environment specifications are useful when you want to describe a number
469 of Environments to the OO-Browser yet also want to defer their
470 construction until later. Large environments then can be built
471 overnight. When in an OO-Browser listing window, multiple Environment
472 specifications may be created in quick succession with the
473 @{@kbd{C-c C-c}@} @code{(br-env-browse)} command, which prompts for all
474 necessary information to create an Environment specification; simply
475 give it a non-existing Environment name and answer no when prompted to
476 build the Environment to defer building for later. The OO-Browser will
477 automatically prompt you to build an Environment specification whenever
478 you try to load it for browsing.@refill
481 @node Building Environments, Saving Environments, Creating Environments, Environments
482 @c node-name, next, previous, up
483 @section Building Environments
485 @cindex Environment building
486 An Environment specification tells the OO-Browser what to include in the
487 Environment, but the Environment must be built by scanning the source
488 directories before it can be used. When a new Environment is to be
489 built or when a large number of changes have been made to classes in the
490 current Environment, the following commands are useful:
492 @findex br-env-rebuild
493 @findex br-lib-rebuild
494 @findex br-sys-rebuild
499 @item @{@kbd{C-c C-e}@} @code{(br-env-rebuild)} within an OO-Browser
500 listing window scans all Environment source code directories. This
501 prompts for whether or not to use a background process to build the
502 Environment (if a @samp{make} program is available), so that other tasks
503 may be performed while the build is active. With a prefix argument
504 under InfoDock or XEmacs, @{@kbd{C-u C-c C-e}@}, it runs the build in the
505 background and produces a stack backtrace if an error occurs during the
508 @item @{@kbd{L}@} @code{(br-lib-rebuild)}
509 scans only the reusable library directories of the Environment;
511 @item @{@kbd{S}@} @code{(br-sys-rebuild)}
512 scans only the system-specific directories of the Environment.
515 Whenever class inheritance relations or the set of attributes or methods
516 for a class changes, the Environment must be rebuilt, but this is
517 generally a fast process.@refill
519 @cindex Environment building, batch
520 @cindex large Environments
521 The OO-Browser lets you build large Environments in the background of
522 your interactive session (if a @samp{make} program is available),
523 allowing other work to proceed without waiting on a build. When a build
524 is complete, the OO-Browser will prompt you and give you a choice of
525 whether or not to browse the built Environment immediately.
527 @cindex batch Environment building
528 @cindex scheduling Environment builds
529 Alternatively, any number of very large Environments may be built
530 overnight by invoking Emacs in batch mode from a shell script. To do
531 this, you must first create an Environment specification so that the
532 browser knows what to build. @xref{Creating Environments}. Then use a
533 shell command line of the form below (substitute your local OO-Browser
534 installation directory for @emph{Br-Dir}):@*
536 cd @emph{Br-Dir}; @emph{emacs} -batch -l ./br-start.elc @emph{Env-Spec-File-1} \
537 ... @emph{Env-Spec-File-N} -f br-env-batch-build > @emph{Log-File}
542 cd oo-browser; emacs -batch -l ./br-start.elc ~/OOBR \
543 -f br-env-batch-build > log-file
546 Redirection of the standard output stream to a log file for later examination
547 helps ensure that either the Environment build is successful or an error
551 @node Saving Environments, Managing Environment Names, Building Environments, Environments
552 @c node-name, next, previous, up
553 @section Saving Environments
555 The OO-Browser automatically builds and saves Environments in most
556 cases. Occasionally you may find a need to force the Environment to
557 be saved to a file, as in the case when you want to save an Environment
558 under a different file name.
562 Use @{@kbd{C-c C-s}@}, the @code{(br-env-save)} command, to force a save
563 of the current Environment. The command will prompt for a file to save
564 to, with the present Environment file name as the default.
567 @node Managing Environment Names, , Saving Environments, Environments
568 @c node-name, next, previous, up
569 @section Managing Environment Names
571 @cindex Environment names
572 @cindex managing Environment names
573 @cindex naming Environments
574 The OO-Browser offers a set of menu and keyboard-based commands for
575 managing user-specific names associated with Environment files. The
576 menu commands are found on the @code{Environment} menu within browser
577 listing buffers. @xref{Menus}. The related keyboard commands are for
578 use within listing buffers.
580 @vindex br-names-file
581 @vindex file, ~/.oo-browser
582 @vindex file, c:/_oo-browser
583 Each time you create an Environment, you give it a memorable name which
584 is stored with the associated Environment file name, in a file
585 given by the variable, @var{br-names-file}. This variable is set to
586 @file{~/.oo-browser} on UNIX-like OSes and @file{c:/_oo-browser} on
587 Microsoft operating systems. This @dfn{Environment names file} is
588 loaded by the OO-Browser at startup so that it can offer completion to
589 assist you when entering Environment names. The Environment names file
590 is automatically saved whenever necessary by the browser.
593 @findex br-names-display
594 Once an Environment has been loaded, your full list of Environment names
595 can be displayed with the @{@kbd{M-l}@} (br-names-display) command.
596 This shows each name together with its Environment file name.
600 If you want to browse an Environment created by another user or want to
601 add additional names to an Environment, when in the browser, use the
602 @{@kbd{M-a}@} (br-name-add) command. This will prompt for a name and an
603 existing Environment file with which to associate the name.
606 @findex br-name-change
608 @findex br-name-remove
610 @findex br-name-replace
611 Use the @{@kbd{M-n}@} (br-name-change) command to rename an
612 Environment. The command, @{@kbd{M-m}@} (br-name-remove), will delete
613 an existing name. It removes the name only, not the Environment itself.
614 The @{@kbd{M-r}@} (br-name-replace) command will change the Environment
615 file associated with a particular name.
618 @node Usage, Options, Environments, Top
619 @c node-name, next, previous, up
620 @chapter Using the OO-Browser
623 * Invoking:: Invoking the OO-Browser
624 * Top-Level Classes:: Displaying Top-Level Classes
625 * Moving to Entries::
626 * Saving Listings:: Writing a Listing to a File
627 * Children and Parents:: Browsing Children and Parents
628 * Descendants and Ancestors:: Browsing Descendants and Ancestors
629 * Viewing and Editing::
630 * Browsing Elements::
631 * Browsing Categories::
632 * Browsing Protocols::
633 * Browsing Implementors::
634 * Exiting a Listing::
635 * Quitting and Refreshing:: Quitting and Refreshing the OO-Browser
639 * Filtering Entries::
641 * Getting Statistics:: Summarizing Environments and Classes
644 * Browsing Graphically::
647 @node Invoking, Top-Level Classes, Usage, Usage
648 @section Invoking the OO-Browser
650 @cindex invoking the OO-Browser
651 @cindex starting the OO-Browser
654 @cindex language support
655 The OO-Browser supports the following languages: C++, C, CLOS (Lisp),
656 Eiffel, Java, Info (the online manual format), Objective-C, Python and
657 Smalltalk. Use @{@kbd{C-c C-o}@} or, if that key has not been setup,
658 use @samp{M-x oo-browser @key{RET}} to browse source written in any of
659 the above languages. This command will prompt for the name of an
660 existing or new Environment to browse, and then will either create,
661 build or load the Environment, depending on the state of the Environment
662 specification. After the Environment is built, the browser will display
663 the entire set of classes defined or referenced within the Environment.
664 (Choose C++ as the language if you are browsing plain C code.)
672 @findex python-browse
674 @cindex Environment file
675 @cindex prefix argument
676 @cindex Environment, prompting for
677 Alternatively, you can invoke the browser on a specific language
678 Environment, e.g.@: to bring back the last Environment browsed under that
679 language. The language-specific browser invocation commands are:
680 @samp{M-x c++-browse @key{RET}}, @samp{M-x clos-browse
681 @key{RET}}, @samp{M-x eif-browse @key{RET}}, @samp{M-x info-browse
682 @key{RET}}, @samp{M-x java-browse @key{RET}}, @samp{M-x objc-browse @key{RET}},
683 @samp{M-x python-browse @key{RET}}, and @samp{M-x smt-browse
684 @key{RET}}. A prefix argument given to any of these commands will cause
685 it to prompt for an Environment file to use, rather than automatically
686 reusing the last Environment of the same language.@refill
688 On startup, if the named Environment exists and is built, it will be
689 loaded; otherwise, you will be asked to specify the Environment. The
690 specification will be saved under the previously given file name.
695 @findex keyboard-quit
696 If the browser loads an Environment file and finds only a specification,
697 it will prompt you in the minibuffer window with a request to build the
698 Environment. It will continue to prompt you until a full Environment is
699 built or loaded. It then will start interactive operation, displaying
700 its multi-windowed interface. To abort from these prompts and to cancel
701 the browser invocation request at any time, use @{@kbd{C-g}@}
702 @code{(keyboard-quit)}, the standard way to abort an unfinished command
703 within Emacs and InfoDock.
707 @cindex version, OO-Browser
708 The first time you start the OO-Browser during each editor session, it
709 will display a version and credits screen within the viewer window.
710 When you press any key, the screen will be replaced by the keyboard
711 command help screen of the OO-Browser and the command associated with
712 the key you pressed will be executed. If you'd like to read the rest of
713 the credits, you may redisplay the version screen at any time from
714 within a browser listing window by using @{@kbd{C-c #}@}
715 @code{(br-version)}. The @{@key{SPC}@} and @{@key{DEL}@} keys will then
716 scroll the credits forward and backward, respectively, a windowful at a
720 @cindex current Environment
721 @cindex Environment, current
722 @cindex OO-Browser, restarting
723 Once an Environment has been loaded, entering and quitting the browser
724 are rapid actions, so that you may smoothly transition between editing
725 and browsing as needed. If you leave the browser using @{@kbd{q}@} and
726 wish to browse the same Environment again, use @{@kbd{C-u C-c C-o}@},
727 which will immediately redisplay the browser just as you left it.
729 @node Top-Level Classes, Moving to Entries, Invoking, Usage
730 @section Displaying Top-Level Classes
732 @cindex classes, top-level
733 The OO-Browser starts by displaying all classes in the Environment. The
734 following commands filter the set of classes so that only @dfn{top-level
735 classes}, those that do not inherit from any others, are shown. The
736 browser can show all top-level classes or System or Library classes
737 only. Once in the browser, use:
740 @findex br-sys-top-classes
742 @findex br-lib-top-classes
745 @findex br-show-top-classes
748 to show only top-level System classes;
750 to show only top-level Library classes;
751 @item @{@kbd{t}@} or @{@kbd{T}@}
752 to show all top-level classes in the Environment.
755 The use of any of these commands does not affect the ancestry or
756 descendancy trees for any given class. Each simply limits which trees are
757 easily accessible for browsing. For example, selection of Library
758 top-level classes only, followed by the browser show children command,
759 @{@kbd{c}@} @code{(br-children)}, would display the name of a System
760 class if the System class directly inherits from the Library class.
763 @cindex Environment, ordering classes
764 To see an ordered listing of all of the classes in a particular part of
765 an Environment, use a prefix argument with the commands given above:
772 @item @{@kbd{C-u s}@}
773 shows all System classes;
774 @item @{@kbd{C-u l}@}
775 shows all Library classes;
776 @item @{@kbd{C-u t}@}
777 shows all Environment classes. @{@kbd{A}@} is a shortcut that does the
781 @node Moving to Entries, Saving Listings, Top-Level Classes, Usage
782 @section Moving to Entries
785 @findex br-next-entry
787 @findex br-prev-entry
788 @cindex previous entry
789 @cindex entry, previous
793 Many browser commands operate on the current entry of the selected
794 listing window. @{@kbd{C-n}@} @code{(br-next-entry)} moves point to
795 the next entry in a listing buffer. @{@kbd{C-p}@}
796 @code{(br-prev-entry)} moves to the previous entry. Both take prefix
797 arguments and use them as the number of entries by which to move.
799 @node Saving Listings, Children and Parents, Moving to Entries, Usage
800 @section Writing a Listing to a File
803 @findex br-write-buffer
804 @cindex listing, editing
805 @cindex listing, writing to a file
806 Many standard editing keys are rebound within listing buffers to issue
807 browser-specific commands. Occasionally, you need to be able to store
808 and to edit listing buffers. The @{@kbd{C-c C-w}@}
809 @code{(br-write-buffer)} command provides this capability. The command
810 prompts for a file name under which to save the current buffer. You may
811 then quit the browser, read in the file and edit it as a plain text
814 @node Children and Parents, Descendants and Ancestors, Saving Listings, Usage
815 @section Browsing Children and Parents
821 @cindex browsing, children
823 @cindex browsing, parents
825 The @{@kbd{c}@} @code{(br-children)} command displays the children of the
826 class at point. The @{@kbd{p}@} @code{(br-parents)} command displays
827 the parents of the class at point. @{@kbd{C-u c}@} displays the
828 children of all of the classes from the present listing window;
829 @{@kbd{C-u p}@} does the same for parents.
831 @node Descendants and Ancestors, Viewing and Editing, Children and Parents, Usage
832 @section Browsing Descendants and Ancestors
834 @cindex browsing, ancestors
836 @cindex browsing, descendants
838 The OO-Browser is very fast at computing ancestor and descendant hierarchies,
839 accounting for multiple inheritance and cycles where permitted. Descendant
840 and ancestor listings provide an immediate overview of some key relationships
841 among class groupings.
844 @findex br-descendants
847 With point on any class entry line in a listing buffer, @{@kbd{d}@}
848 @code{(br-descendants)} shows descendants for the class and @{@kbd{a}@}
849 @code{(br-ancestors)} shows ancestors. @{@kbd{C-u d}@} shows the
850 descendant trees for all of the classes in the current listing;
851 @{@kbd{C-u a}@} does the same for ancestors.
853 The ancestor tree for a given root class is normally shown branching out
854 from the root class. This means that higher-level ancestors, those
855 further away from the root class, are shown in descending trees below
856 lower-level ancestors. The leaves of the tree represent the ancestors
857 furthest from the root, as you might expect.
859 @cindex ancestors, inverted
860 @vindex br-invert-ancestors
861 @cindex inverted ancestors
862 This, however, is the inverse of inheritance trees. Some people prefer
863 to see ancestor trees like inheritance trees, with parents above
864 children. This is an @dfn{inverted ancestor tree}. To obtain this
865 view of ancestors, use @{@kbd{M- -1 a}@} for ancestors of the current
866 class. For ancestors of all classes in the current buffer, use
867 @{@kbd{M- -2 a}@}, or any negative prefix argument less than -1.
868 Inverted ancestor trees may be set as the default by making
869 the variable @var{br-invert-ancestors} true: @samp{M-x set-variable
870 @key{RET} br-invert-ancestors @key{RET} t @key{RET}}. This is a
871 personal setting that affects all Environments used by the browser.
873 @node Viewing and Editing, Browsing Elements, Descendants and Ancestors, Usage
874 @section Viewing and Editing
877 @findex br-view-entry
878 @cindex classes, viewing
879 @cindex viewing a class
881 @findex br-edit-entry
882 @cindex classes, editing
883 @cindex editing a class
884 One of the major uses of the OO-Browser is to view or to edit class
885 source texts. The @{@kbd{v}@} @code{(br-view-entry)} command will view
886 the source for the class or element name (attribute, method or instance)
887 at point in a read-only mode within the viewer window; it will not
888 select the viewer window. The @{@kbd{e}@} @code{(br-edit-entry)}
889 command performs a similar function, except that it edits the element
890 source in a read-write mode, if the user has write permission for the
891 source file. It also selects the viewer window.
893 @cindex classes, name completion
895 A prefix argument to either of these commands, as in @{@kbd{C-u v}@} or
896 @{@kbd{C-u e}@}, causes them to prompt for the entry to display.
897 Full class and element name completion is provided once an Environment
898 has been loaded and built. @xref{Completing Names}.@refill
900 @vindex br-edit-file-function
901 @vindex br-view-file-function
902 The value of the variable @var{br-edit-file-function} is the function
903 that the browser calls when it displays a source file for editing.
904 The value of @var{br-view-file-function} is the function called to view
905 a source file. @xref{External Viewing,,Using an External Viewer or
906 Editor}, for information on using non-Emacs editors and viewers with the
909 @findex vc-toggle-read-only
910 @cindex read-only buffers
911 If you have no read access rights to a file, this will be apparent when
912 the browser tries to display the file and fails. If you lack write
913 permission to the class source file, the standard
914 @var{br-edit-file-function} may display the file in a read-only mode
915 (indicated by two percent signs, %%, at the front of the buffer
916 modeline). This is a warning that you should not attempt to edit the
917 file. In some cases, you may really need to edit such a file; then, you
918 may toggle the buffer between read-only and read-write modes via the
919 Emacs command, @code{(vc-toggle-read-only)}, usually bound to @{@kbd{C-x
923 @findex br-viewer-scroll-up
925 @findex br-viewer-scroll-down
926 @cindex scrolling the viewer
927 @cindex viewer, scrolling
928 Once an entry has been displayed for viewing, @{@key{SPC}@} will scroll
929 its source text up (forward) a windowful; @{@key{DEL}@} will scroll it
930 down (backward) a windowful. In fact, this is a general means for
931 scrolling the OO-Browser viewer window whenever point, as shown by the
932 Emacs block cursor, is in a listing window.
934 @findex br-viewer-scroll-down-by-line
935 @findex br-viewer-scroll-up-by-line
938 @findex br-viewer-beginning-of-buffer
939 @findex br-viewer-end-of-buffer
942 For finer control over scrolling when in a listing window, use the
943 @{@kbd{.}@} and @{@kbd{,}@} keys to scroll the viewer window by one line
944 forward and backward, respectively. @{@kbd{<}@} will scroll the viewer
945 buffer to its beginning; @{@kbd{>}@} will scroll display the end of buffer.
947 When point is moved to the viewer window, you must use @{@kbd{C-v}@} to
948 scroll up and @{@kbd{M-v}@} to scroll down, assuming the standard Emacs
949 key bindings are in use.
952 @findex br-to-from-viewer
953 @cindex movement to or from viewer
954 Sometimes one needs to quickly switch back and forth between the viewer
955 window and the current listing window. The normal Emacs window movement
956 commands are often cumbersome in such instances. Instead use
957 @code{(br-to-from-viewer)} bound to @{@kbd{C-c C-v}@}. This allows the
958 desired back and forth movement. It acts as a toggle switch,
959 alternately moving between the buffer in the viewer window and the prior
962 @cindex class, narrowing view to
963 @vindex br-narrow-view-to-class
964 @cindex classes, others same file
968 By default, the OO-Browser displays class definition files in their
969 entirety. If there are multiple classes in a file, you will be able to
970 scroll through all of them. If you prefer that only the selected class
971 be visible, enable the @var{br-narrow-view-to-class} option flag. When
972 set to @samp{t}, this flag narrows the source buffer so that only
973 the class of interest and its preceding comments are visible. To
974 examine other classes in the same file, you must execute a @{@kbd{C-x n
975 w}@} @code{(widen)} command when in the narrowed buffer. (Use
976 @{@kbd{C-x w}@} under Emacs 18.)
979 @findex br-view-full-frame
981 @findex delete-other-windows
982 @cindex viewer, full frame
983 It may be helpful to use the full frame to view or edit a buffer of
984 source code if the browser is run while using a small screen. If point
985 is in a listing buffer, press @{@kbd{1}@}, the number one, to expand the
986 viewer window to the dimensions of the full frame. When the browser is
987 re-invoked, it will look just as it did before. If point is in the
988 viewer window, @{@kbd{C-x 1}@} @code{(delete-other-windows)}, will do
989 practically the same thing, except that when the browser is re-invoked
990 it will not look precisely as it did before.
996 @cindex viewer, killing displayed buffer
997 With point in a listing window, the buffer displayed in the viewer
998 window may be killed with the @{@kbd{C-c C-k}@} @code{(br-kill)}
999 command. (A killed buffer is removed from the current Emacs session.)
1000 With point in the viewer window, use the standard Emacs command
1001 @{@kbd{C-x k}@} @code{(kill-buffer)} instead.
1003 @node Browsing Elements, Browsing Categories, Viewing and Editing, Usage
1004 @section Browsing Elements
1006 @cindex browsing elements
1007 @cindex browsing features
1008 @cindex element browsing
1009 @cindex instance browsing
1010 @cindex feature browsing
1011 A @dfn{feature} of a class is either a routine or attribute defined in
1012 the class. An @dfn{element} is either a feature or an instance of a
1013 class. An @dfn{instance} is an object whose type is that of a
1014 particular class, which therefore shares attributes and methods with the
1017 @cindex default class
1019 Most OO-Browser languages support feature browsing, as
1020 documented in @ref{Languages}. Instance browsing is supported
1021 in very limited form for class instances which exist within the code
1022 itself. For example, under Common Lisp and CLOS, a default class called
1023 @code{[function]} is defined whose instances are all named functions
1024 defined within the source code. A @dfn{default class} is a class
1025 automatically created by the OO-Browser to categorize standard elements
1026 of particular language Environments. The @dfn{instances} of default
1027 classes are constructs statically defined within Environment source
1028 code. Default classes themselves are not defined within the source code
1029 since they exist only to provide convenient categorization of constructs
1030 within the OO-Browser.
1035 Use @{@kbd{f}@} @code{(br-features)} to display a listing of the
1036 features or elements of the class at point, including inherited
1037 features. For most languages, this includes all defined features but in
1038 some languages only routines are included. @{@kbd{C-u f}@} displays the
1039 features or elements of all classes in the present listing window.
1046 @findex br-attributes
1047 @cindex browsing routines
1048 @cindex browsing attributes
1049 @cindex browsing methods
1050 @cindex routine browsing
1051 @cindex attribute browsing
1052 @cindex method browsing
1053 Use @{@kbd{r}@} @code{(br-routines)} to display just the routines of the
1054 class at point. @{@kbd{C-u r}@} shows the routines in all listed classes.
1055 The @{@kbd{=}@} @code{(br-attributes)} command shows just the attributes
1056 of the class at point; each attribute entry is preceded by an @code{=}
1057 or an @code{&} character to distinguish them from other entry types.
1058 @{@kbd{C-u =}@}, as expected, applies to all listed classes.
1060 @cindex inherited features, toggling
1062 By default, all inherited features, routines or attributes are shown by
1063 these commands, grouped together by the ancestral classes in which they
1064 are defined. (The OO-Browser does not yet distinguish between private
1065 and public attributes, so all attributes of ancestor classes will be
1066 shown, even if some are private.) Give any of these commands a zero
1067 prefix argument, e.g.@: @{@kbd{M-0 f}@}, and they toggle the display of
1068 inherited features on and off for future listings. In fact, you may use
1069 the simpler key sequence, @{@kbd{0 f}@}, since the zero key is specially
1070 bound to serve as a prefix argument when in listing windows. If
1071 inherited features are off and there are no feature definitions for the
1072 class, the class definition is displayed so that you may browse its
1073 feature declarations.
1077 @findex br-edit-entry
1078 @cindex edit element
1080 @findex br-view-entry
1081 @cindex view element
1083 @findex br-feature-signature
1086 Use @{@kbd{v}@} @code{(br-view-entry)} with point on an element name to
1087 view its source definition. Use @{@kbd{e}@} @code{(br-edit-entry)}
1088 instead to edit its source. Use @{@kbd{F}@}
1089 @code{(br-feature-signature)} to see the full signature tag of an
1090 element, which includes its argument names and types, if any.
1091 @{@kbd{C-u F}@} lists the signatures of all elements in the current
1092 listing. This is handy when several elements from the same class have
1093 the same name but differ in signature.
1096 @findex br-feature-view-declaration
1098 @cindex viewing declarations
1099 @cindex editing declarations
1100 @cindex header files
1102 @findex br-feature-edit-declaration
1103 In languages that require method declarations separate from their
1104 definitions, some other keys are handy when browsing. (Presently these
1105 keys work only for C++ Environments.) Use @{@kbd{j}@}
1106 @code{(br-feature-view-declaration)} with point on a feature name to
1107 view its declaration; use @{@kbd{J}@} to edit its declaration within the
1110 @xref{Using the Mouse}, for how the context-sensitive Action and Assist
1111 Mouse Keys may be used for browsing elements.
1113 @node Browsing Categories, Browsing Protocols, Browsing Elements, Usage
1114 @section Browsing Categories
1117 @cindex class category
1118 The definition of a @dfn{category} is language-specific. Some languages
1119 such as Smalltalk use categories to group related classes together. The
1120 OO-Browser does not yet support this kind of category. It does support
1121 Objective-C categories, which segment each class into multiple groupings
1122 of related features. Objective-C class categories appear within
1123 parentheses when defined, so the OO-Browser displays category names with
1124 parentheses around them to distinguish them from classes. The
1125 aggregation of all of the categories defined by a class and its
1126 ancestors represents the complete class definition.
1129 @findex br-categories
1130 Use the @{@kbd{C}@} key @code{(br-categories)} with point on a class
1131 listing entry to obtain a list of the categories defined for the class
1132 within the Environment source code (this excludes inherited categories).
1133 Use @{@kbd{C-u C}@} to list the categories for all classes within the
1134 current listing. Thus, to see the full set of categories for a class,
1135 use @{@kbd{a}@} to list the ancestors of the current class and then
1136 @{@kbd{C-u C}@} to show all direct and inherited categories of the
1139 @cindex implementor, category
1142 Use @{@kbd{v}@} to view or @{@kbd{e}@} to edit the class category
1143 definition for the category entry at point. @xref{Browsing
1144 Implementors}, for an explanation of how to browse the classes that
1145 directly implement a category.
1148 Use @{@kbd{f}@} with point on the default @code{[category]} class to
1149 list all categories defined in the Environment.
1151 @node Browsing Protocols, Browsing Implementors, Browsing Categories, Usage
1152 @section Browsing Protocols
1156 @cindex class protocol
1157 @cindex class interface
1158 @cindex conformance to protocol
1159 @cindex formal protocol
1160 The definition of a @dfn{protocol} is language-specific. It generally
1161 refers to an interface specification to which a class must conform. A
1162 class @dfn{conforms} to a protocol by implementing the set of features
1163 defined in the protocol interface. Protocols consist only of
1164 interfaces, without any method bodies, since conforming classes
1165 implement the necessary bodies. They generally differ from abstract
1166 classes, such as those found in Java and Eiffel, in that they define
1167 only the interface for a single facet of a class. The distinction is
1168 subtle, however, and abstract classes may be used as a substitute for
1169 protocols in languages that do not support protocols.
1171 Presently, the OO-Browser supports protocols as a distinct construct
1172 under Objective-C and Java (where they are called @dfn{interfaces}).
1173 Objective-C protocols are sometimes called @dfn{formal protocols}.
1174 Protocol interfaces are specified in a manner similar to classes. A
1175 single protocol may inherit from any number of other protocols;
1176 therefore, any conforming class must conform to all of its ancestor
1179 Objective-C class definitions reference within angled brackets the
1180 protocols to which they directly conform. Therefore, the OO-Browser
1181 displays protocol names within <angled brackets> to distinguish them
1184 @cindex implementor, protocol
1185 Commands that work on class listing entries generally also work on
1186 protocol entries, notably display of parents, children, ancestors or
1187 descendants. @xref{Browsing Implementors}, for an explanation of how
1188 to browse the classes that conform to a protocol.
1190 @vindex br-protocols-with-classes-flag
1191 @cindex class listing
1192 @cindex classes and protocols
1193 @cindex classes and interfaces
1194 @cindex protocols, listing with classes
1195 @cindex interfaces, listing with classes
1197 By default, all protocols and classes referenced within an Environment
1198 are listed when the Environment is first loaded. Protocols are also
1199 included when the @{@kbd{t}@} command is used to show top-level classes
1200 only. If you prefer to omit protocols from such listings, use the
1201 toggle menu item @code{Options/List-Protocols-with-Classes} or the key
1202 sequence @{@kbd{M-0 P}@}; then issue the @{@kbd{T}@} or @{@kbd{A}@}
1203 commands to list top-level or all classes, respectively. The toggle
1204 menu item sets the value of the variable,
1205 @var{br-protocols-with-classes-flag} to @samp{t} or @samp{nil}.@refill
1208 If you have chosen to not list protocols with classes, you can still get
1209 a listing of protocols referenced within the Environment by moving point
1210 to the default class @code{[protocol]} or @code{[interface]} included in
1211 the top-level class listing of appropriate language Environments and then
1212 issuing the @{@kbd{f}@} command.
1215 @findex br-protocols
1218 Use the @{@kbd{P}@} key @code{(br-protocols)} with point on a class
1219 listing entry to obtain a list of the protocols to which the class
1220 conforms (including inherited protocols). Use @{@kbd{C-u P}@} to list
1221 the protocols for all classes in the current listing. Use @{@kbd{v}@}
1222 or @{@kbd{e}@} when on a protocol entry to view or edit its definition.
1223 @xref{Browsing Implementors}, for a description of how to list the classes that
1224 physically define a protocol's methods (which is different than the set
1225 of classes that conforms to a protocol).
1228 @node Browsing Implementors, Exiting a Listing, Browsing Protocols, Usage
1229 @section Browsing Implementors
1232 @cindex category implementor
1233 @cindex protocol implementor
1234 @cindex feature implementor
1235 @cindex element implementor
1237 @findex br-implementors
1242 Sometimes it is important to see the set of things that implement
1243 a feature, category or protocol. These are called @dfn{implementors}.
1244 With point on an element, category or protocol listing entry,
1245 @{@kbd{I}@} @code{(br-implementors)} will compute and display its list
1246 of implementors, which then may be browsed like any other listing entry.
1247 @{@kbd{C-u I}@} will do the same for entries in the present listing.
1249 Move point to an implementor class name and then use @{@kbd{v}@} or
1250 @{@kbd{e}@} to view or edit the element associated with the class. If an
1251 element name is defined with different signatures in a single class, the
1252 class is listed as an implementor multiple times. Each class entry
1253 displays a different element. @{@kbd{C-u F}@} displays the element
1254 signatures for all of the class entries in the present listing buffer.
1256 @node Exiting a Listing, Quitting and Refreshing, Browsing Implementors, Usage
1257 @section Exiting a Listing
1260 @findex br-exit-level
1261 @cindex exiting a listing level
1262 When done with a browser listing buffer, exit from it with
1263 @{@kbd{x}@} @code{(br-exit-level)}. This command erases the current
1264 listing window and returns to the previous listing level, if
1265 any. You may exit a single level at a time or all the way
1266 back to the top-level listing buffer by sending a prefix argument value
1267 to the command, @{@kbd{C-u x}@}.
1269 There is no need to exit from listing buffers to quit from the browser. You
1270 may quit, perform other actions, and then re-invoke the browser at the same
1271 point from which you left. See the next manual section.
1273 @node Quitting and Refreshing, Using the Mouse, Exiting a Listing, Usage
1274 @section Quitting and Refreshing the OO-Browser
1278 @cindex quitting, temporarily
1279 @cindex quitting, permanently
1280 Use @{@kbd{q}@} @code{(br-quit)} to quit from the browser temporarily.
1281 The same command with a prefix argument quits from the browser
1282 permanently and kills all non-modified browser buffers. It will not
1283 kill any of the remaining class source buffers.
1287 @cindex refreshing the browser display
1288 If you are familiar with Emacs windowing, you may quickly alter the window
1289 configuration of the browser frame, either intentionally or
1290 more likely unintentionally. If you execute non-browser Emacs commands while
1291 in the browser, you may find other buffers have taken the place of your
1292 browser buffers. In either case, you may refresh the browser display and
1293 restore it to the way it was when you originally invoked it, by using
1294 @samp{M-x br-refresh @key{RET}} or with @{@kbd{C-c C-r}@} when in a
1295 browser listing buffer.
1297 @node Using the Mouse, Getting Help, Quitting and Refreshing, Usage
1298 @section Using the Mouse
1300 @cindex mouse control
1309 Once configured, mouse control within the OO-Browser is helpful and easy
1310 to use. Under InfoDock, XEmacs and Emacs 19 or higher, the right mouse
1311 button, called the Menu Key, pops up a menu of OO-Browser commands when
1312 clicked within an OO-Browser listing buffer. Under XEmacs and Emacs 19
1313 or higher, the same menu is added to the menubar used in listing
1314 buffers. Under InfoDock with mode-specific menus turned on, the entire
1315 menubar is devoted to OO-Browser commands, with each submenu from the
1316 popup menu broken into a separate menubar entry. @xref{Menus}, for a
1317 detailed summary of the available menu commands.
1319 Even if the above features are not available to you, if you have mouse
1320 support in your version of emacs, the following features are available.
1321 A single mouse button, called the @dfn{Action Key}, is used for most
1322 purposes such as displaying classes and features, as well as following
1323 references within code. Within listing buffers, the Action Key is bound
1324 to the middle mouse button on systems which typically have three mouse
1325 buttons and to the left mouse button on two-button systems. Use the
1326 OO-Browser @code{3-Button-Mouse} option to inform the browser that your
1327 system has three buttons, if it does and you are running under a
1328 Microsoft operating system (where systems typically have only two
1331 Outside of listing buffers, the Action Key location depends on both the
1332 type of editor that you are using and the number of mouse buttons
1333 available. The Action Key is bound to the shift-middle mouse button
1334 under XEmacs or Emacs, to the middle mouse button under InfoDock, or to
1335 the shift-left button on a two-button mouse under any of these editors.
1337 A second mouse button, called the @dfn{Assist Key}, is used for help and
1338 other ancillary functions. The Assist Key is bound to the shift-right
1339 button. Both of these keys perform context-sensitive actions based on
1340 where they are clicked. @xref{Getting Help}, for details on displaying
1341 a summary that describes their behavior in each context, any time you
1342 are using the browser. Below we discuss these behaviors.
1344 @cindex command menu
1345 @cindex key binding menu
1347 Within an empty listing buffer, a click of the Action Key displays a
1348 buffer that summarizes the browser's key bindings (pressing @{@kbd{h}@}
1349 within any listing window displays this same help buffer). We call this
1350 the @dfn{OO-Browser command menu} because an Action Key click within one
1351 of the curly brace delimited key sequences invokes the command bound to
1355 A click of the Assist Key within an empty listing buffer displays a menu
1356 of the existing source code buffers for the current OO-Browser
1357 Environment language, such as Java. Within this menu, the Action
1358 Key selects a buffer for display; the Assist Key marks the buffer for
1359 deletion. To perform the deletes, click the Action Key after the last
1360 line of the menu. If the Assist Key is clicked after the last line, the
1361 deletes are undone and a list of all current editor buffers is shown.
1362 This permits you to select buffers other than those containing classes.
1364 @cindex proportional scrolling
1365 @cindex Action Key scrolling
1366 The mouse buttons may be used to scroll the viewer window. An Action
1367 Key click at the end of a line scrolls that line to the top of the
1368 viewer window; the Assist Key puts the line clicked upon at the bottom
1369 of the window. This is called @dfn{proportional scrolling} since the amount
1370 of the scroll is relative to the position of the selected line.
1372 When in an OO-Browser listing buffer, the Action Key acts as follows. If
1377 on a blank line following all entries or in a blank listing buffer, the
1378 browser command help menu is displayed in the viewer window;@refill
1380 on a default class name, the statically defined instances of the default
1381 class are listed;@refill
1383 at the beginning of a (non-single character) class name, the class'
1384 ancestors are listed;@refill
1386 at the end of an entry line, the listing is scrolled up proportionally
1387 so that the current line is at the top of the window;@refill
1389 on the `...', following a class name, point is moved to the class
1390 descendency expansion;@refill
1392 before an element entry, the element's implementors are listed;@refill
1394 anywhere else on an entry line (i.e.@: on the entry), the entry's source
1395 is displayed for editing.@refill
1399 The Assist Key acts as follows when in a listing buffer. If it is pressed:
1403 in a blank buffer, a selection list of buffer files is displayed;@refill
1405 on a default class name, the statically defined instances of the default
1406 class are listed;@refill
1408 at the beginning of a (non-single character) class, the class'
1409 descendants are listed;@refill
1411 at the end of an entry line, the listing is scrolled down proportionally
1412 so that the current line is at the bottom of the window;@refill
1414 on the `...', following a class name, point is moved to the class
1417 anywhere else on a class line, the class' elements are listed;@refill
1419 anywhere else on an element line, the element's implementors are
1422 on a blank line following all entries, the current listing buffer is
1426 @node Getting Help, Locating Entries, Using the Mouse, Usage
1427 @section Getting Help
1432 @vindex file, br-help-ms
1435 @findex describe-key
1436 The OO-Browser is very intuitive to operate (much more so than it is to
1437 describe textually). However, help is always just a key or button press
1438 away when needed. Besides the online and printed versions of this
1439 manual, the command menu built-in to the browser and bound to
1440 @{@kbd{h}@} @code{(br-help)} serves as an online quick reference for key
1441 bindings and commands. The @{@kbd{H}@} @code{(br-help-ms)} command
1442 displays the @file{br-help-ms} file, a table that summarizes mouse
1443 operations within each OO-Browser context. For more extensive
1444 documentation on each browser key, use the Emacs command @{@kbd{C-h k
1447 @node Locating Entries, Filtering Entries, Getting Help, Usage
1448 @section Locating Entries
1452 @cindex class, source file
1453 @cindex class, where is
1454 @cindex element source file
1455 @cindex element, where is
1456 @cindex entry, where is
1457 The @{@kbd{w}@} @code{(br-where)} command locates the source file
1458 associated with a listing entry and displays it together with the
1459 entry name within the viewer window. A prefix argument as in,
1460 @{@kbd{C-u w}@}, causes the command to prompt for the class or element
1461 name to locate. Full completion is provided. @xref{Completing
1466 @cindex classes, matching names
1467 @cindex classes, finding
1468 @cindex matching to class names
1469 @cindex finding classes
1470 @cindex locating classes
1471 The @{@kbd{m}@} @code{(br-match)} command offers a quick mechanism for
1472 locating any classes in the Environment whose names match to an
1473 expression in part or in whole. The browser prompts for the expression
1474 to use. All matching names are displayed in ascending order. By
1475 default, the expression is treated as a regular expression, i.e.@: a
1476 pattern match. A prefix argument sent to the command tells it to treat
1477 the expression as a string.
1479 After each search, the command reports the number of matching classes
1480 found and displays them in the current listing window. It then prompts
1481 for another expression used to narrow the search further. This cycle
1482 continues until the @{@key{RET}@} key is pressed without entering an
1483 expression. This process allows for easy location of desired classes.
1485 When the command is invoked (first time through the cycle), if the
1486 @{@key{RET}@} key is pressed without giving a match expression, the search
1487 will match to all classes referenced in the Environment.
1489 If you want a regular expression to match to whole class names
1490 exclusively, begin it with a `^' and end it with a `$' character. These
1491 match to beginning of name and end of name, respectively. Thus,
1492 "^....$" matches to class names with exactly four characters. A string
1493 match always matches to any class name that contains the matching
1496 @node Filtering Entries, Ordering Entries, Locating Entries, Usage
1497 @section Filtering Entries
1500 @findex br-match-entries
1501 @cindex entries, matching names
1502 @cindex matching to listing entries
1503 @cindex filtering entries
1504 @cindex locating entries
1506 The @{@kbd{M}@} @code{(br-match-entries)} command works much like the
1507 @code{(br-match}) command described in, @ref{Locating Entries}, except
1508 that it matches only to entries in the current listing buffer. It thus
1509 allows you to filter a listing to just those entries that you care to
1510 browse. It prompts you for a regular expression of entries to match
1511 and then deletes entries that don't match. A prefix argument sent to
1512 the command tells it to treat the match expression as a string.
1514 After each search, the command reports the number of matching entries
1515 found and displays them in the current listing window. It then prompts
1516 for another expression to match. The selected set is then filtered
1517 once again. This cycle continues until the @{@key{RET}@} is pressed
1518 without giving an expression. This process allows for easy incremental
1519 filtering of listings.
1521 When the command is invoked (first time through the loop), if the
1522 @{@key{RET}@} key is pressed without giving a match expression, the search
1523 matches to all entries in the listing, so no filtering is done.
1525 If you want a regular expression to match to whole entries exclusively,
1526 begin it with a `^' and end it with a `$' character. These match to
1527 beginning of line and end of line, respectively. Thus, "^....$" matches
1528 to entry lines with exactly four characters. A string match always
1529 matches to any entry that contains the matching string.
1531 @node Ordering Entries, Getting Statistics, Filtering Entries, Usage
1532 @section Ordering Entries
1536 @cindex entries, ordering
1537 @cindex ordering listings
1538 @cindex sorting listings
1539 Once you have a desired set of names in a browser listing window, you
1540 may want to re-order them. For a simple ascending ordering by
1541 name, use @{@kbd{o}@} @code{(br-order)}. To sort the lines in the
1542 current listing window accounting for leading whitespace, use a positive
1543 prefix argument. To sort the lines in descending order accounting for
1544 leading whitespace, use a negative prefix argument. You should note
1545 that all of the top-level class display commands automatically sort
1546 their output lists into ascending order. @xref{Top-Level Classes,,
1547 Displaying Top-Level Classes}.@refill
1549 To sort in descending order, first sort into ascending order with
1550 @{@kbd{o}@} to strip any leading whitespace and then use a negative
1551 prefix argument to sort the names into descending order.
1554 @node Getting Statistics, Deleting Classes, Ordering Entries, Usage
1555 @section Summarizing Environments and Classes
1559 @cindex number of classes
1561 The @{@kbd{#}@} @code{(br-count)} command displays in the minibuffer the
1562 number of entries within the present listing buffer.
1565 @findex br-class-stats
1567 @cindex class statistics
1568 The @{@kbd{M-c}@} @code{(br-class-stats)} command displays in the
1569 minibuffer window the number of parents and children for the selected
1570 class; with a prefix argument, it prompts for the class name to use.
1573 @findex br-env-stats
1574 @cindex Environment statistics
1575 @cindex Environment spec summary
1576 @cindex Environment build time
1577 @cindex build time, Environment
1578 The @{@kbd{M-e}@} @code{(br-env-stats)} command displays the
1579 specification for the current Environment along with a few Environment
1580 statistics in the viewer window, namely: the OO-Browser version used to
1581 build the Environment, the start and end times of the most recent build
1582 of theis Environment, total classes, number of System and Library
1583 classes, and the number of duplicate and undefined classes. This
1584 command also displays version information on the editor and some of its
1587 With a prefix argument, @{@kbd{M-e}@} displays in the minibuffer window
1588 the basic statistics only, leaving the contents of the viewer window
1591 @node Deleting Classes, Completing Names, Getting Statistics, Usage
1592 @section Deleting Classes
1596 @cindex class, deleting from Environment
1597 @cindex Environment, deleting classes
1598 To delete a class from the Environment, display the class name in a
1599 listing window using the @{@kbd{m}@} @code{(br-match)} command, if
1600 necessary. @xref{Locating Entries}. Then move point to the desired
1601 class name and press @{@kbd{C-c C-d}@} @code{(br-delete)} to delete the
1602 class. This will remove the class name at point and will delete the
1603 class from the Environment.@refill
1606 @node Completing Names, Browsing Graphically, Deleting Classes, Usage
1607 @section Completing Names
1609 Whenever the browser prompts for a name and an Environment has already
1610 been loaded or built, you can use the browser's name completion
1611 facilities to help you enter the name. These features let you
1612 type as much of the name as you know and then have the browser fill in
1613 what it can. The relevant keys are:
1617 complete as much as possible of a class or element name;
1619 complete up to one word of a class or element name;
1621 show all possible completions for a class or element name.
1624 You can also use the browser's completion facilities outside of the
1625 browser, for example, when editing code. @xref{Standalone,,Using
1626 Standalone OO-Browser Features}, and the documentation produced
1627 from typing @samp{C-h f br-complete-symbol @key{RET}}.@refill
1629 @node Browsing Graphically, , Completing Names, Usage
1630 @section Browsing Graphically
1633 @cindex X OO-Browser
1634 @cindex graphical browsing
1635 The X interface to the OO-Browser is named, @dfn{Xoobr}, and is
1636 pronounced ex-owe-owe-browse-er. It provides a simple but effective
1637 means of navigating through hierarchy and element relations.
1639 Windows-specific versions of the OO-Browser now include a native Windows
1640 graphical browser that works the same way as the Xoobr described in this
1641 section but is simply named @dfn{oobr.exe}. Use this section as a
1642 reference for either version of the graphical browser.
1645 See the next page for a screenshot of the Xoobr.
1649 <DT><B>The X OO-Browser</B></DT><BR><BR>
1650 <IMG NAME="X OO-Browser" SRC="im/oobr-x.gif"><BR>
1654 See the end of this node for a link to a screenshot of the Xoobr.
1657 Any number of Xoobr sessions may be established at the same time to
1658 yield different views over Environments. Each session may show
1659 relations from a different Environment (even a different language) than
1660 the others do. The textual OO-Browser is used to select the set of
1661 classes for display in an Xoobr session. For this reason, Xoobr is
1662 almost always invoked from within the textual OO-Browser. The following
1663 keybindings are all used within the textual browser to manage Xoobr
1668 @cindex Xoobr descendants
1669 @{@kbd{M-d}@} @code{(br-tree)} selects the current class and displays
1670 its descendancy graph in tree-form by starting a new Xoobr session.
1671 With a prefix argument, @{@kbd{C-u M-d}@}, it displays descendancy trees
1672 for all classes within the current browser listing. They are all
1673 grouped under an imaginary root node so as to maintain the concept of
1674 one tree per Xoobr view.
1677 @findex br-tree-features-toggle
1678 @cindex Xoobr, displaying features in
1679 @cindex descendancy view
1680 Use @{@kbd{M-f}@} @code{(br-tree-features-toggle)} or the
1681 @code{Options/Graphical-Descendant-Features} menu item, to set whether
1682 or not the features of listing classes are shown as child nodes in any
1683 graphical descendency views created by the @{@kbd{M-d}@} command. (The
1684 setting applies across all OO-Browser languages. The default setting is
1685 not to add features to Xoobr views.)
1688 @findex br-tree-graph
1689 @cindex Xoobr graphical view
1690 @{@kbd{M-g}@} @code{(br-tree-graph)} displays the current listing
1691 buffer's entries in a graphical form. It ignores the add features
1692 setting so that you can capture the current listing without the need to
1696 @findex br-tree-kill
1697 @cindex Xoobr, terminating
1698 @cindex Xoobr, killing
1699 The @{@kbd{M-k}@} @code{(br-tree-kill)} command prompts to see if
1700 you want to terminate all Xoobr sessions started from within the current
1701 editor session. If you answer affirmatively, all such processes
1702 disappear, as your screen will quickly indicate.
1705 (The rest of this section discusses the user interface of the Xoobr.)
1706 Xoobr views are meant to complement the textual browser interface.
1707 Therefore, the two most common actions used in the text browser are
1708 performed in a similar manner within an Xoobr view. A click on a node
1709 with the left mouse button displays the appropriate class text in the
1710 user-selected editor, ready for editing. @xref{External Viewing,,Using
1711 an External Viewer or Editor}. A click of the middle button performs
1712 similarly but displays the associated class for viewing only.
1714 @cindex Xoobr node menu
1715 The right mouse button when depressed over an Xoobr node displays a
1716 short menu of commands that may be applied to the node. The only ones
1717 of real interest at this point are the collapse and expand entries which
1718 let you hide and then restore the display of a node's subtree. This
1719 yields precise control over the amount of detail you receive in
1720 various parts of the hierarchy.
1723 The Help button in the Xoobr menubar displays a few pages of help text
1724 regarding the program itself.
1727 @cindex X OO-Browser picture
1728 @cindex Xoobr picture
1731 Here is a picture of the X OO-Browser.
1733 @centerline{@psfig{figure=im/oobr-x.ps,width=5in}}
1736 If running under the X window system, Action Key click on the following
1737 filename to view a picture of the X OO-Browser: @file{im/oobr-x.gif}.
1740 @cindex Xoobr, quitting
1744 The Xoobr menubar may be useful in the future but should
1745 generally be ignored for now. The only menu entry of any import
1746 is found under the file menu, labeled @code{Quit}. Xoobr
1747 processes may also be terminated by issuing the kill command mentioned
1748 previously. A third means of killing such processes is by sending the
1749 permanent @code{(br-quit)} command, @{@kbd{C-u q}@}, to the textual
1750 browser. You will then be prompted as to whether to terminate
1751 all Xoobr sessions started from within the current editor session.
1754 @node Options, Customization, Usage, Top
1755 @chapter OO-Browser Options
1758 This chapter explains how to set a variety of OO-Browser configuration
1759 options. A number of sections call for adding a line or two of
1760 variable settings to your personal initialization file in order to
1761 make a permanent change to an OO-Browser option. If you use InfoDock,
1762 the preferred initialization file is @file{~/.infodock}. If you use
1763 Emacs or XEmacs, use @file{~/.emacs} instead.
1766 * External Viewing:: Using An External Viewer or Editor
1767 * Inherited Features:: Toggling Inherited Features Display
1768 * Graphical Feature Display:: Adding Features to a Graphical View
1769 * Keeping Viewed Classes::
1770 * Inverting Ancestors:: Inverting Ancestor Trees
1773 @node External Viewing, Inherited Features, Options, Options
1774 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
1775 @section Using an External Viewer or Editor
1777 @cindex external viewer and editor
1778 @cindex editor, external
1779 @cindex viewer, external
1780 The OO-Browser lets you select your desired editor and viewer
1781 programs when you use a multi-windowed display. By default, both of
1782 these tasks are handled by your InfoDock or Emacs editor so that the
1783 browser will work when run on dumb terminals. If you choose an external
1784 editor or viewer for use under a window system, InfoDock or Emacs will
1785 still automatically be used whenever you invoke the browser from a dumb
1788 @vindex br-editor-cmd
1790 The @var{br-editor-cmd} variable is used to set the command that invokes
1791 the editor whenever source code is to be displayed by the OO-Browser.
1792 Arguments to the command should be placed in the variables named
1793 @var{br-ed[1-9]}, with one string argument per variable. Unused
1794 variables should have the value @samp{nil}. Bear in mind that the
1795 command must generate a new window under your window system. For
1796 example, the vi editor under UNIX does not create its own window, it
1797 runs within the window in which it is created. Under X one would create
1798 a new xterm window and then invoke vi. The command line would be,
1799 @samp{xterm -e vi}. The settings in your personal initialization file
1800 would look like this.
1803 (setq br-editor-cmd "xterm" br-ed1 "-e" br-ed2 "vi"
1804 br-ed3 nil br-ed4 nil br-ed5 nil
1805 br-ed6 nil br-ed7 nil br-ed8 nil br-ed9 nil)
1808 @vindex br-viewer-cmd
1810 If you want to view classes in a read-only fashion with an external
1811 viewer, set the following @var{br-viewer-cmd} and @var{br-vw[1-9]}
1812 variables in the same way as for the editor variables above.
1814 For example, to use @file{xmore}, an X-compatible version of
1815 @file{more}, as your viewer, use the following settings (assuming all
1816 the @var{br-vw} variables are already @samp{nil}).
1819 (setq br-viewer-cmd "xmore")
1822 The OO-Browser now includes an OO-Browser menu item,
1823 @code{Options/Use-Vi-as-Editor}, that enables the use of @samp{vi} as
1824 the editor and @samp{more} as the viewer. Simply turn this option on
1825 to get this behavior. Follow the prior instructions to make such a
1829 @node Inherited Features, Graphical Feature Display, External Viewing, Options
1830 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
1831 @section Toggling Inherited Features Display
1833 @cindex inherited features
1834 @cindex feature options
1835 By default, when the OO-Browser lists features of a class, it shows both
1836 the ones lexically defined within the class source text and the ones
1837 inherited from ancestor classes. Each feature is listed below the class
1838 in which it is originally defined, for clarity. Sometimes it is helpful
1839 to see only the lexically defined features of a class. In such cases,
1840 the menu item, @code{Options/Show-Inherited-Features}, toggles this
1841 setting. If you want this off by default, you may add the following
1842 line to a personal initialization file.
1844 @vindex br-inherited-features-flag
1846 (setq br-inherited-features-flag nil)
1849 @node Graphical Feature Display, Keeping Viewed Classes, Inherited Features, Options
1850 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
1851 @section Adding Features to a Graphical View
1853 @xref{Browsing Graphically}.
1855 @node Keeping Viewed Classes, Inverting Ancestors, Graphical Feature Display, Options
1856 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
1857 @section Keeping Viewed Classes
1859 @vindex br-keep-viewed-classes
1860 The @var{br-keep-viewed-classes} flag is turned off by default, which
1861 means that each class buffer read in by the browser will be deleted when
1862 the next one is browsed. If it is set to @samp{t}, all viewed classes
1863 are left around for later selection.
1865 In typical use, the burden of having to manage all viewed classes is
1866 greater than the benefit of leaving them in memory. This is why the
1867 flag is off by default. If you choose to leave them around, the class
1868 buffer menu can be used to delete buffers when you want to trim down the
1869 number of them. @xref{Using the Mouse}, for details on this technique.
1871 @findex br-toggle-keep-viewed
1872 @vindex br-keep-viewed-classes
1873 The value of the @var{br-keep-viewed-classes} flag may be toggled with
1874 the @code{(br-toggle-keep-viewed)} command or with the menu item,
1875 @code{Options/Keep-Viewed-Classes}.
1878 @node Inverting Ancestors, , Keeping Viewed Classes, Options
1879 @section Inverting Ancestor Trees
1881 Ancestor trees are normally shown to emphasize how the trees branch out
1882 from the current class, with the most distant ancestors shown as leaves
1883 of the ancestry tree. If you prefer that all listing displays reflect
1884 the class inheritance structure, with children below parents, you may
1885 invert the ancestry tree listings by adding the following line to your
1886 personal initialization file.
1889 (setq br-invert-ancestors t)
1893 This will make the most distant ancestors appear as roots of the trees
1894 and parents (the nearest ancestors) appear as leaves, since they inherit
1895 from the higher level ancestors. This is a global OO-Browser option, it
1896 affects all Environments.
1899 @node Customization, Standalone, Options, Top
1900 @chapter Personal Customization
1902 @cindex customizaton
1903 @vindex br-skip-dir-regexps
1904 @cindex scanning, skip directories
1905 @cindex directory scanning
1908 @cindex Eiffel .E directory
1909 The @var{br-skip-dir-regexps} variable is a list of regular expressions
1910 which match directory names that the OO-Browser will not descend when
1911 scanning source code trees. By default, it skips RCS, SCCS and Eiffel
1914 @vindex br-file-dir-regexp
1915 The @var{br-file-dir-regexp} variable is a regular expression
1916 that matches to file and directory names that the OO-Browser should
1917 scan. Any others, including those matched by @var{br-skip-dir-regexps},
1920 @cindex initialization file
1921 @cindex personal initialization
1922 The following hook variables are supplied as a means of customizing
1923 the startup procedure of the OO-Browser. Set them as you would any
1924 other Emacs Lisp hook variables in your personal initialization
1925 file. They all do nothing by default.
1927 @vindex br-mode-hook
1928 @vindex br-eif-mode-hook
1929 @vindex br-c++-mode-hook
1930 If you want a set of actions to occur each time after the OO-Browser is
1931 invoked, attach them to @var{br-mode-hook}. After @var{br-mode-hook} is
1932 evaluated, a language-specific hook is also run, for the setup of
1933 language-specific options associated with the current Environment.
1934 The names of these hooks are as follows:
1937 @vindex br-c++-mode-hook
1939 @var{br-c++-mode-hook}
1940 @vindex br-clos-mode-hook
1942 @var{br-clos-mode-hook}
1943 @vindex br-eif-mode-hook
1945 @var{br-eif-mode-hook}
1946 @vindex br-java-mode-hook
1948 @var{br-java-mode-hook}
1949 @vindex br-objc-mode-hook
1951 @var{br-objc-mode-hook}
1952 @vindex br-python-mode-hook
1954 @var{br-python-mode-hook}
1955 @vindex br-smt-mode-hook
1957 @var{br-smt-mode-hook}.
1961 @vindex br-class-list-hook
1962 Finally, if you want a set of actions to occur each time after a new
1963 browser listing buffer is created, set @var{br-class-list-hook}.
1966 @node Standalone, Languages, Customization, Top
1967 @chapter Using Standalone OO-Browser Features
1969 A number of browser features may be used independently of the browser
1970 user interface. First, an Environment must be selected and loaded into
1971 the OO-Browser via @{@kbd{C-c C-o}@} or @samp{M-x oo-browser @key{RET}}.
1972 When the browser user interface is displayed, use @{@kbd{q}@} to quit.
1975 Alternatively, an Environment may be loaded without invoking the browser
1976 user interface by using @samp{M-x br-env-load @key{RET}}. The
1977 standalone browser features will use the newly loaded Environment.
1979 (Note that terms in all CAPITALS below are an ordered set of parameters
1980 prompted for and used by each command. The key bindings are set up in
1981 the file @file{br-site.el} for each OO-Browser language that you
1985 The following commands are available for standalone use.
1988 @findex br-feature-edit-declaration
1990 @cindex viewing declarations
1991 @cindex editing declarations
1993 @item br-feature-edit-declaration @{@kbd{C-c M-j}@}
1994 Prompts with completion for a CLASS::FEATURE argument and then edits the
1995 associated declaration. If point is on a feature definition signature
1996 in a code buffer (prior to any of its arguments), the default is to edit
1997 that feature's declaration. An error is signaled if the declaration is
1998 not found. Presently, this command is available under C++ only.
2001 @cindex finding an element
2002 @cindex searching for an element
2004 @item br-find @{@kbd{C-c M-f}@}
2005 Prompts with completion for a class or element name from the
2006 current Environment and displays its definition for editing.
2008 During code edits and debugging sessions, it is often helpful to be able
2009 to look at a class or element definition without having to invoke the
2010 browser to locate it. The @code{(br-find)} command does exactly that by
2011 prompting for a name and then displaying the named class or element
2014 @findex br-find-class
2015 @cindex finding a class
2016 @cindex searching for a class
2018 Displays the source text for a class matching CLASS-NAME in VIEW-ONLY
2019 mode (or edit mode if @samp{nil}).
2021 The @code{(br-find-class)} command is similar to @code{(br-find)}. It
2022 prompts for a class name and then displays its source file in a
2023 viewable, read-only mode. To display a class file in an editable mode,
2024 send a prefix argument to this command.
2026 @findex br-complete-symbol
2028 @item br-complete-symbol @{@kbd{M-@key{TAB}}@}
2029 Performs in-buffer completion of a type or element identifier before point.
2031 When writing code and entering class attribute definitions (variable
2032 definitions), you often have to enter class names repetitively. The
2033 @code{(br-complete-symbol)} command completes and inserts a class name at
2034 point within the current buffer. The following example illustrates
2037 my_list: LIN<-- (point is here)
2039 @{@kbd{M-@key{TAB}}@} is pressed:
2041 my_list: LINKED_LIST
2046 @item br-where @{@kbd{C-c M-w}@}
2047 Prompts for a class or element name and displays the full path to its
2048 definition in another window. With an optional prefix argument, it
2049 inserts the path at point.
2053 All of these commands offer full completion. @xref{Completing Names},
2054 based upon the current OO-Browser Environment.@refill
2056 @xref{Eiffel Specifics}, for an Eiffel-specific standalone browser
2059 @node Languages, Glossary, Standalone, Top
2060 @chapter Language-Specific Notes
2062 This chapter summarizes OO-Browser details that are specific to each
2063 language. There are no Smalltalk specifics.
2069 * Eiffel Specifics::
2071 * Objective-C Specifics::
2072 * Python Specifics::
2075 @node C Specifics, C++ Specifics, Languages, Languages
2076 @section C Specifics
2078 @cindex browsing C code
2079 @cindex C code, browsing
2080 @vindex br-c-tags-flag
2081 @findex br-toggle-c-tags
2082 The @var{br-c-tags-flag} variable controls whether or not C constructs
2083 are included within C and C-based language Environments. By default,
2084 this flag is true except on operating systems where the OO-Browser
2085 cannot find a UNIX-type shell such as @samp{sh} or @samp{csh}. In those
2086 cases, C constructs cannot be categorized by the OO-Browser. Use
2087 @samp{M-x br-toggle-c-tags @key{RET}} to toggle the value of this
2088 variable. If you set it false before building an Environment, then C
2089 constructs will not be included in the Environment.@refill
2091 If you wish to build an Environment whose source code is entirely C,
2092 ensure that the @var{br-c-tags-flag} is enabled and then select C++ when
2093 asked for the language to browse.
2095 @cindex C constructs
2096 C constructs are grouped into default classes for browsing. The
2097 elements of each default class are the instances of the associated
2098 construct within the Environment. Use normal element/feature commands
2099 to browse each instance.
2102 DEFAULT CLASS C CONSTRUCT
2103 --------------------------------------
2104 [constant] #define constant
2105 [enumeration] enum @{@}
2106 [enum_label] label_name
2107 [function] non-member function()
2108 [macro] #define macro()
2109 [structure] struct @{@}
2112 [variable] <type> global_variable_name;
2115 Within C, C++, or Objective-C code, an Action Key click on a reference
2116 to a global C identifier will display the identifier's definition.
2118 @node C++ Specifics, CLOS Specifics, C Specifics, Languages
2119 @section C++ Specifics
2123 @xref{C Specifics}, for details on C-specific support within C++
2127 * C++ Listing Entries::
2128 * C++ Element Selection::
2132 @node C++ Listing Entries, C++ Element Selection, C++ Specifics, C++ Specifics
2133 @subsection C++ Listing Entries
2135 C++ entities are categorized when shown within OO-Browser listing
2136 buffers. Classes are shown by name, without any prefix. Features
2137 are shown by name but are preceded by a special character that indicates
2138 the kind of feature. The following table describes each prefix:
2142 precedes pure virtual functions, which are specified but not defined within
2145 precedes friend functions and classes, which have access to the class'
2148 precedes constructors and destructor functions;
2150 precedes any other type of member function;
2152 precedes static attributes (one attribute per class);
2154 precedes instance attributes (one attribute per object instance).
2158 The following paragraphs discuss each of these types of features in more
2161 @cindex C++ feature listings
2162 @cindex pure virtual function
2163 @cindex function, pure virtual
2164 @cindex deferred function
2165 C++ pure virtual function declarations, which specify method interfaces
2166 but no implementations, appear in class feature listings. Their
2167 function names are preceded by the @code{"> "} string to identify them
2168 as pure virtual (deferred) functions. Pure virtuals may be treated like
2169 any other member functions within the browser. Since they lack
2170 definitions within their base classes, their declarations are shown when
2171 a view or edit command is given.
2174 @cindex function, friend
2175 @cindex class, friend
2176 @findex br-view-friend
2178 Friend functions and friend classes give members of another class access
2179 to the private parts of their class. Friend functions and classes
2180 appear in class feature listings preceded by the @code{"% "} string.
2181 The keys, @{@kbd{v}@} or @{@kbd{e}@}, display the friend declaration
2182 within the current class. Use @{@kbd{V}@} @code{(br-view-friend)} in a
2183 listing window to view the definition of the friend itself. If you use
2184 @{@kbd{e}@}, which leaves point on the friend declaration, a press of
2185 the Action Key will then move to the definition of the friend itself.
2189 @cindex C++ constructor
2190 @cindex C++ destructor
2191 @cindex C++ new operator
2192 @cindex C++ delete operator
2193 Methods and operators for creating and destroying objects are preceded
2194 by the @code{"+ "} string in listing buffers. All other method listing
2195 entries are preceded by the @code{"- "} string.
2198 @cindex C++ attribute
2199 Static attributes (data members instantiated once per class) are shown
2200 preceded by the @code{"& "} string regardless of their types. Instance
2201 attributes (data members instantiated at each object creation) are shown
2202 preceded by the @code{"= "} string regardless of their types.
2205 @node C++ Element Selection, C++ Settings, C++ Listing Entries, C++ Specifics
2206 @subsection Source Code Element Selection
2208 @cindex C++ reference browsing
2209 Once you have loaded an Environment, whether or not the OO-Browser
2210 user interface is on screen, you can use the Action Key to follow
2211 a variety of references within the code. Simply press the Action Key
2212 on an identifier or C++ construct and its associated definition or
2213 list of possible definitions or its declaration (if no definitions exist
2214 within the Environment) will be displayed for you to inspect or
2215 edit. More specifically:
2218 @cindex C++ method declarations
2219 @cindex C++ declaration browsing
2220 @cindex C++ definition browsing
2221 @item You can jump from a C++ class or method declaration to its
2222 definition by pressing the Action Key within the declaration signature
2223 (with point prior to its argument list). A press of the Action Key on a
2224 method definition signature (with point prior to its argument list) will
2225 also jump to the associated declaration so that you can pop back and
2226 forth between the two (assuming their signatures match up). If the
2227 method is defined within an ancestor class, a message at the bottom of
2228 the frame will announce the defining class whenever its definition is
2229 displayed. (Note that the @{@kbd{j}@} key can be used within browser
2230 listing buffers to view class and feature declarations. The @{@kbd{J}@}
2231 key works the same way but displays the entry for editing rather than
2234 One stylistic tip: Each feature declaration should be terminated with a
2235 semicolon, rather than declared in a list, to ensure accurate scanning
2236 by the OO-Browser, i.e.@: don't use declarations like: @code{float f1,
2240 When in a code buffer, @{@kbd{C-c M-j}@}
2241 @code{(br-feature-edit-declaration)} will prompt for a feature name and
2242 will then display its declaration for editing. The key, @{@kbd{C-c
2243 M-f}@} @code{(br-find)} displays works similarly but displays
2244 definitions instead. @xref{Standalone,,Using Standalone OO-Browser
2245 Features}, for more complete operational descriptions of these
2248 @cindex C++ class browsing
2249 @item Classes can be browsed by pressing the Action Key on their names
2250 in inheritance clauses, feature signature argument lists or within
2251 scoped member references. It is therefore important to click on the
2252 method name part of a declaration when that is the element desired.
2254 @cindex method call browsing, C++
2255 @cindex function call browsing, C++
2256 @cindex C++ method call browsing
2257 @cindex C++ call browsing
2258 @cindex C++ call browsing
2259 @cindex C++ function browsing
2260 @item C++ method, function call and single-level attribute reference
2261 browsing is now supported by pressing the Action Key on the member name
2262 of a call. The OO-Browser deals with much of the complexity of the C++
2263 calling syntax so you need not (though it doesn't yet account for method
2264 overloading). In cases where it cannot determine a unique definition
2265 (e.g.@: where dynamic binding is involved), it pops up a list of possible
2266 definitions (method signatures). An Action Key click on any of these
2267 (or on the class names separating these signature lines) will display
2268 the definition within the source code. If the browser determines a
2269 unique base class of the call, it produces an ancestry tree of classes
2270 and intersperses the possible matching method signatures indicating the
2271 base class of each method in a fashion similar to how inherited features
2272 are shown in browser listing buffers.
2274 If no definitions are found, the browser tries to display a matching
2275 declaration. @xref{Browsing Elements}.
2277 @vindex c++-include-dirs
2279 @cindex include files
2280 @cindex C++ include files
2281 @item You can browse include files by selecting their inclusion
2282 declarations (#include ...) within a source file. Include files
2283 delimited by double quotes are searched for in the following places:
2284 first, the directory of the current source file, then the directories
2285 listed in the variable
2286 @var{c++-include-dirs}, and then in any directories included in the
2287 current environment.
2289 @vindex c++-cpp-include-dirs
2290 Include files delimited by <angled brackets> are searched for in the
2291 following places: first, the directories listed in the variable
2292 @var{c++-include-dirs}, then the directories listed in the variable
2293 @var{c++-cpp-include-dirs}, and then in any directories included in the
2294 current environment. The variable @var{c++-cpp-include-dirs} should be
2295 set to a list of the standard directories searched by your C++
2296 pre-processor. Each directory entry must end with a directory
2297 separator. On UNIX systems, this is the @samp{/} character.
2301 @node C++ Settings, , C++ Element Selection, C++ Specifics
2302 @subsection C++ Settings
2303 @vindex c++-class-keyword
2304 @cindex class definition keywords
2305 @vindex file, br-c++.el
2306 By default, @samp{class}, @samp{struct} and @samp{union} definitions all
2307 constitute class definitions to the C++ OO-Browser. If you prefer some
2308 other criteria, you will need to modify the definition of
2309 @var{c++-class-keyword} in the @file{br-c++.el} file.
2311 @vindex c++-src-file-regexp
2312 @cindex file suffixes
2313 If you find that the browser is not scanning some of your C++ source
2314 files, you may be using file suffixes which it does not recognize.
2315 Examine the value of @var{c++-src-file-regexp} and add to it any special
2316 file suffixes that you use.@refill
2319 @node CLOS Specifics, Eiffel Specifics, C++ Specifics, Languages
2320 @section CLOS Specifics
2326 * CLOS Method Handling:: Method Handling
2330 @node CLOS Method Handling, CLOS Settings, CLOS Specifics, CLOS Specifics
2331 @subsection Method Handling
2332 @cindex CLOS methods
2334 @cindex specialized parameters
2335 @cindex methods, specialized parameters
2336 In CLOS, methods may have explicitly typed parameters of the form,
2337 @samp{(<parameter-name> <class>)}; these are called @dfn{specialized
2338 parameters}. Each such parameter defines the method within
2339 @samp{<class>}. Thus, a single method definition can generate methods
2340 associated with many classes. The OO-Browser lets you navigate to a
2341 method definition from any of the classes for which it is defined, since
2342 a method is included as an element of each of its constituent classes.
2344 CLOS permits compile-time computation of the @samp{<class>} of a
2345 specialized parameter through use of the expression, @samp{(eql
2346 <form>)}. Since the OO-Browser cannot perform this computation, it
2347 treats such a parameter as non-specialized.
2349 @cindex CLOS, the class t
2350 Methods may also contain non-specialized parameters of the form,
2351 @samp{<parameter-name>}. The type of each such parameter defaults to
2352 the built-in root class, @samp{t}. But a method is included in the
2353 class @samp{t} by the OO-Browser only if none of its parameters are
2354 specialized. Otherwise, methods with more specific types which happened
2355 to include one or more non-specialized parameters would appear to not
2356 have a more specific type than @samp{t}.
2358 @node CLOS Settings, , CLOS Method Handling, CLOS Specifics
2359 @subsection CLOS Settings
2360 The OO-Browser automatically works with CLOS class and method
2361 definitions. But Lisp contains many other standard object types such as
2362 functions, macros and variables which you may wish to browse. These are
2363 handled through a configuration variable as explained below.
2365 @vindex clos-element-type-alist
2366 @cindex default class
2367 @cindex element type
2368 The @var{clos-element-type-alist} variable determines the Lisp definition
2369 constructs that the browser looks for and the associated default class
2370 under which instances of each construct type are grouped. Each element
2371 in the association list is a dotted pair whose first part is the function
2372 name string that defines an instance of a particular type,
2373 e.g.@: @samp{"defun"}.
2375 The second part is a default class name, a string, under which to assign
2376 each instance of the type, e.g.@: @samp{"function"}. The OO-Browser
2377 always displays default class names with square brackets around them,
2378 e.g.@: @samp{[function]}, to distinguish them from classes defined within
2382 Here is the standard value of @var{clos-element-type-alist}.
2385 (("defconstant" . "constant")
2386 ("defconst" . "constant")
2387 ("defun" . "function")
2388 ("defgeneric" . "generic")
2389 ("defmacro" . "macro")
2390 ("defpackage" . "package")
2391 ("defparameter" . "parameter")
2392 ("defsetf" . "setfunction")
2393 ("defstruct" . "structure")
2394 ("deftype" . "type")
2395 ("defvar" . "variable")
2396 ("fset" . "function"))
2399 @vindex clos-def-form-with-args-regexp
2400 The @var{clos-def-form-with-args-regexp} is a regular expression which
2401 includes a subset of the first items from the dotted pairs of
2402 @var{clos-element-type-alist}, namely those which require an argument
2403 list to uniquely distinguish them from other elements, e.g.@: functions.
2406 @node Eiffel Specifics, Java Specifics, CLOS Specifics, Languages
2407 @section Eiffel Specifics
2410 Eiffel support has now been updated to Eiffel version 3, to the best
2411 of our knowledge. If you find any problems, please report them
2412 to <oo-browser-bugs@@xemacs.org>.
2416 * Eiffel Element Selection:: Source Code Element Selection
2420 @node Eiffel Listings, Eiffel Element Selection, Eiffel Specifics, Eiffel Specifics
2421 @subsection Eiffel Listings
2423 Eiffel entities are categorized when shown within OO-Browser listing
2424 buffers. Classes are shown by name, without any prefix. Features
2425 are shown by name but are preceded by a special character that indicates
2426 the kind of feature. The following table describes each prefix:
2430 precedes regular routines;
2432 precedes attributes;
2434 precedes once routines, which create shared objects;
2436 precedes deferred features, which are specified but not defined within
2439 precedes external features, which are defined in a non-Eiffel language.
2443 @findex br-entry-info
2444 @cindex Eiffel class summary
2445 @cindex Eiffel routine calls
2446 @cindex Eiffel short command
2447 @cindex Eiffel flat command
2448 @findex eif-info-use-short
2449 @findex eif-info-use-flat
2450 @findex eif-info-use-calls
2451 A detailed summary of a class may be generated with point on a class
2452 entry by pressing @{@kbd{i}@} @code{(br-entry-info)}. By default, this
2453 shows a summary including the parents, attributes, routines and routine
2454 call summaries of the class. The command @samp{M-x eif-info-use-short
2455 @key{RET}} instead causes the @{@kbd{i}@} key to run the Eiffel
2456 @samp{short} command on the class, thereby displaying its specification.
2457 The command @samp{M-x eif-info-use-flat @key{RET}} enables use of the
2458 @samp{flat} command to the complete feature set of a class.
2459 @samp{M-x eif-info-use-calls @key{RET}} resets the key to generate
2460 default summaries once again.
2463 @node Eiffel Element Selection, Eiffel Settings, Eiffel Listings, Eiffel Specifics
2464 @subsection Source Code Element Selection
2466 You can jump from an Eiffel element reference to its definition by
2467 clicking the Action Key on the reference. Selection of a
2468 feature name in an export clause displays the feature definition, even
2469 if it is renamed several times within ancestors. Parent classes may be
2470 browsed in a similar manner by clicking on their names in an inheritance
2471 or declaration clause.
2473 The following example of locating a renamed feature is taken from an
2474 actual set of Eiffel library classes:
2477 The user selects feature `subwindow' of @code{POPUP_MENU}
2478 inherited from @code{WINDOW} which renames `child' to `subwindow'
2479 inherited from @code{TWO_WAY_TREE} which renames `active' to `child'
2480 inherited from @code{TWO_WAY_LIST}
2481 inherited from @code{LINKED_LIST} which defines `active'.
2485 The browser displays the feature @code{active} and explain to the
2486 user that feature @code{subwindow} of class @code{POPUP_MENU} is
2487 inherited from feature @code{active} of class @code{LINKED_LIST}.
2488 Location of this sort of feature definition would be incredibly tedious
2489 without programmatic support.
2491 The algorithm used to locate features is dynamic, so if another class
2492 is inserted into the inheritance structure given above, the feature
2493 definition will still be found.
2495 @node Eiffel Settings, , Eiffel Element Selection, Eiffel Specifics
2496 @subsection Eiffel Settings
2498 @cindex Eiffel, error parsing
2499 @cindex error parsing
2500 @vindex file, eif-ise-err.el
2501 Emacs has a feature called error parsing which lets you quickly jump to
2502 the line of code that supposedly triggered an error.
2503 @xref{Compilation,,Compilation Errors, xemacs, the XEmacs Manual},
2504 for information on error parsing. Some object-oriented language
2505 compilers display the name of the class and line number with each error
2506 message but do not include the filename containing the class source
2507 code. Emacs then has no way of parsing the error message. The browser
2508 class location facilities enable you to perform error parsing across any
2509 set of classes in a single Environment, given only this type of message.
2510 Interactive Software Engineering's Eiffel compiler is an example of a
2511 compiler that (at least at one time) produced this type of error. The
2512 code for parsing ISE Eiffel error messages is included in
2513 @file{eif-ise-err.el}.@refill
2515 @node Java Specifics, Objective-C Specifics, Eiffel Specifics, Languages
2516 @section Java Specifics
2518 The OO-Browser browses Java classes, interfaces, methods, and
2519 attributes. Earlier sections of this manual explain how to browse these
2520 entities. This section documents Java language specifics, including
2525 By default, Java Environments also include C constructs encountered
2526 when building each Environment. @xref{C Specifics}, for details on
2527 C-specific support within Java Environments.
2529 @cindex Java feature listings
2530 @cindex Java attribute
2531 @cindex attribute, Java
2532 Java entities are categorized when shown within OO-Browser listing
2533 buffers. Classes are shown by name, without any prefix. Interfaces are
2534 delimited by <angled brackets>. The following table describes the
2535 prefixes that preced each feature listing entry:
2539 precedes attributes;
2542 precedes regular methods;
2547 precedes methods associated with creating and destroying objects;
2549 @cindex abstract method
2550 @cindex Java abstract method
2551 @cindex deferred function
2553 precedes abstract method declarations; Abstract (deferred) methods may
2554 be treated like any other methods within the browser. Since there is no
2555 definition for such methods, their declarations are shown whenever an
2556 edit or view request is issued.
2558 @cindex native method
2559 @cindex Java native method
2561 precedes native methods, to indicate that such methods are divided
2562 between Java and another language; Native methods are like abstract
2563 methods in that only their interfaces are specified in Java. Unlike
2564 abstract methods, their method bodies are defined in external languages
2565 such as C to allow for machine-specific dependencies.
2568 @vindex Java-class-keyword
2569 @cindex class definition keywords
2570 Java interface specifications, which define formal protocols to which
2571 classes must conform, are treated just like class definitions in browser
2572 listings. All the methods of such interfaces are abstract, however.
2576 * Java Element Selection:: Source Code Element Selection
2580 @node Java Interfaces, Java Element Selection, Java Specifics, Java Specifics
2581 @subsection Java Interfaces
2583 @cindex Java interface
2584 A @dfn{Java interface} specifies a formal protocol (set of method
2585 signatures and attributes) to which a class (the implementor) that uses
2586 the interface must conform. A class conforms to the interface by
2587 inheriting its attributes and by implementing the method bodies whose
2588 calling signatures are given by the interface. The class' descendants
2589 automatically conform to the interface through inheritance; they are
2590 considered descendants of the interface but not implementors of it. One
2591 interface may inherit from a list of other interfaces and thereby expand
2592 the set of methods which a conforming class must implement.
2595 The OO-Browser can list and browse the source for:
2598 @item the interfaces to which a class or an interface conforms
2599 (press @{@kbd{P}@} on a class or interface listing entry);
2601 @item all interfaces in an Environment
2602 (press @{@kbd{f}@} on the [interface] default class entry);
2604 @item the implementors of a interface
2605 (press @{@kbd{I}@} on a interface listing entry).
2609 @xref{Browsing Protocols}, for more details.
2611 @node Java Element Selection, Java Settings, Java Interfaces, Java Specifics
2612 @subsection Source Code Element Selection
2615 You can jump from a Java class method declaration to its definition by
2616 clicking the Action Key when within the declaration. If a method is
2617 inherited from another class, a message at the bottom of the frame will
2618 announce the defining class whenever its definition is requested.
2620 Parent classes and interfaces may be browsed in a similar manner by
2621 clicking on their names in an inheritance or declaration clause. It is
2622 therefore important to click on the method name part of a declaration
2623 when that is the element desired.
2626 @node Java Settings, , Java Element Selection, Java Specifics
2627 @subsection Java Settings
2628 @vindex java-class-keyword
2629 @cindex class definition keywords
2630 @vindex file, br-java.el
2631 The regular expression @var{java-class-keyword} defined in @file{br-java.el}
2632 determines which keywords are used to locate class and interface definitions
2633 within the Java OO-Browser.
2635 @vindex objc-src-file-regexp
2636 @cindex file suffixes
2637 If you find that the browser is not scanning some of your Java source
2638 files, you may be using file suffixes which it does not recognize.
2639 Examine the value of @var{java-src-file-regexp} and add to it any
2640 special file suffixes that you use.@refill
2643 @node Objective-C Specifics, Python Specifics, Java Specifics, Languages
2644 @section Objective-C Specifics
2647 @xref{C Specifics}, for details on C-specific support within Objective-C
2650 The OO-Browser browses Objective-C classes, methods, categories and
2651 formal protocols. Earlier sections of this manual explain how to browse
2652 these entities. This section documents Objective-C language specifics,
2653 including variable settings.
2655 Objective-C entities are categorized when shown within OO-Browser
2656 listing buffers. Classes are shown by name, without any prefix.
2657 Categories are delimited by (parentheses), while protocols are delimited
2658 by <angled brackets>. Methods are shown by name but are preceded by a
2659 special character that indicates the kind of method. The following
2660 table describes each prefix:
2664 precedes instance methods;
2666 precedes class (factory) methods that affect the factory object for the
2671 * Objective-C Categories::
2672 * Objective-C Protocols::
2673 * Objective-C Element Selection:: Source Code Element Selection
2674 * Objective-C Settings::
2677 @node Objective-C Categories, Objective-C Protocols, Objective-C Specifics, Objective-C Specifics
2678 @subsection Objective-C Categories
2681 @cindex Objective-C category
2682 An @dfn{Objective-C category} is an internal class grouping that
2683 specifies and implements a set of related class features. The
2684 aggregation of all of the categories defined by a class and its
2685 ancestors represents the complete class definition.
2688 The OO-Browser can list and browse the source for:
2691 @item the categories of a class
2692 (press @{@kbd{C}@} on a class listing entry);
2694 @item all class categories in an Environment
2695 (press @{@kbd{f}@} on the [category] default class entry);
2697 @item the classes which implement a category
2698 (press @{@kbd{I}@} on a category listing entry).
2702 @xref{Browsing Categories}, for more details.
2705 @node Objective-C Protocols, Objective-C Element Selection, Objective-C Categories, Objective-C Specifics
2706 @subsection Objective-C Protocols
2708 @cindex Objective-C protocol
2709 An @dfn{Objective-C protocol} is an interface specification (set of
2710 method signatures) to which a class (the implementor) that uses the
2711 protocol must conform. A class conforms to the protocol by implementing
2712 the method bodies whose calling signatures are given by the interface.
2713 The class' descendants automatically conform to the protocol through
2714 inheritance; they are considered descendants of the protocol but not
2715 implementors of it. One protocol may inherit from a list of other
2716 protocols and thus expand the set of methods which a conforming class
2720 The OO-Browser can list and browse the source for:
2723 @item the protocols to which a class or a protocol conforms
2724 (press @{@kbd{P}@} on a class or protocol listing entry);
2726 @item all protocols in an Environment
2727 (press @{@kbd{f}@} on the [protocol] default class entry);
2729 @item the implementors of a protocol
2730 (press @{@kbd{I}@} on a protocol listing entry).
2734 @xref{Browsing Protocols}, for more details.
2736 @node Objective-C Element Selection, Objective-C Settings, Objective-C Protocols, Objective-C Specifics
2737 @subsection Source Code Element Selection
2740 You can jump from an Objective-C class method declaration to its
2741 definition by clicking the Action Key when within the declaration. If a
2742 method is inherited from another class, a message at the bottom of the
2743 frame will announce the defining class whenever its definition is
2746 Parent classes and protocols may be browsed in a similar manner by
2747 clicking on their names in an inheritance or declaration clause. It is
2748 therefore important to click on the method name part of a declaration
2749 when that is the element desired.
2751 @vindex objc-include-dirs
2753 @cindex include files
2754 Include files may be browsed by selecting their inclusion declarations
2755 (#import ...) or (#include ...) within a source file. Include files
2756 delimited by double quotes are searched for in the following places:
2757 first, the directory of the current source file, then the directories
2758 listed in the variable @var{objc-include-dirs}, and then in any
2759 directories included in the current environment.
2761 @vindex objc-cpp-include-dirs
2762 Include files delimited by angled brackets are searched for in the
2763 following places: first, the directories listed in the variable
2764 @var{objc-include-dirs}, then the directories listed in the variable
2765 @var{objc-cpp-include-dirs}, and then in any directories included in the
2766 current environment. The variable @var{objc-cpp-include-dirs} should be
2767 set to a list of the standard directories searched by your Objective-C
2768 pre-processor. Each directory entry must end with a directory
2769 separator. On UNIX systems, this is the `/' character.
2771 @node Objective-C Settings, , Objective-C Element Selection, Objective-C Specifics
2772 @subsection Objective-C Settings
2773 @vindex objc-class-keyword
2774 @cindex class definition keywords
2775 @vindex file, br-objc.el
2776 The regular expression @var{objc-class-keyword} defined in @file{br-objc.el}
2777 determines which keywords are used to locate class and protocol definitions
2778 within the Objective-C OO-Browser.
2780 @vindex objc-src-file-regexp
2781 @cindex file suffixes
2782 If you find that the browser is not scanning some of your Objective-C
2783 source files, you may be using file suffixes which it does not
2784 recognize. Examine the value of @var{objc-src-file-regexp} and add to
2785 it any special file suffixes that you use.@refill
2788 @node Python Specifics, , Objective-C Specifics, Languages
2789 @section Python Specifics
2791 @xref{C Specifics}, for details on C-specific support within Objective-C
2795 @cindex Python doc strings
2797 @findex br-entry-info
2798 @cindex Python classes
2799 @cindex Python functions
2800 @cindex Python globals
2801 @cindex Python modules
2802 @cindex Python packages
2805 The OO-Browser can list and browse the source for the following
2810 (press @{@kbd{f}@} on the [package] default class entry to list
2811 all of the packages in the Environment, each of which is preceded)
2814 (press @{@kbd{f}@} on the [module] default class entry to list
2815 all of the modules in the Environment)
2818 (press @{@kbd{f}@} on a class entry to see its methods; there
2819 is no support for browsing its instance variables except by viewing
2820 the class' __init__ method definition)
2823 (press @{@kbd{f}@} on the [function] default class entry to list
2824 the non-member functions defined in the Environment; this includes
2828 (press @{@kbd{f}@} on the [global] default class entry to list
2829 all of the globals defined in the Environment)
2832 @cindex Python nested classes
2833 Note that nested classes are not recognized by the browser, nor
2834 are run-time modifications to classes.
2836 @cindex Python documentation
2837 @cindex pydoc library
2838 @findex br-entry-info
2840 @vindex file, pydoc.el
2841 Documentation for the Python listing entry on the current line
2842 may be displayed with the @{@kbd{i}@} @code{(br-entry-info)} command.
2843 This displays documentation for packages, modules, classes, functions
2844 and methods. It utilizes the @file{pydoc.el} interface to the Python
2845 pydoc library, when available, to provide extended documentation but
2846 it will nevertheless display basic documentation strings if this package
2849 @cindex Python import statements
2850 @cindex Python from statements
2851 @vindex python-import-dirs
2853 An Action Key press on a Python @code{import} or @code{from} statement
2854 will display the source of the item under point, which may be a module,
2855 class, method, function or variable name, if the source is found within
2856 the current Environment. First, the module is searched for within the
2857 current Environment directories. If it is not found, it is searched
2858 for within the paths listed in the variable, @var{python-import-dirs},
2859 which is initialized to the value of the @var{PYTHONPATH} environment
2860 variable or if that is not defined, to @file{/usr/local/lib/python}.
2863 @c ***************************
2865 @c ***************************
2868 @node Glossary, Menus, Languages, Top
2871 Concepts pertinent to operational usage of the OO-Browser are defined
2872 here. If some GNU Emacs terms are unfamiliar to you, see
2873 @cite{[Stallman 93]}.
2877 All classes above a class in the inheritance hierarchy.@refill
2880 A data item declared with a class. Most attributes are
2881 instance-specific; each instance object of a class has its own copy
2882 of the attribute so that it can maintain a separate state. Some
2883 languages allow for class attributes where all instances of the class
2884 share one copy of the attribute and thereby maintain shared state.
2887 Under most languages, a logical grouping of related classes. The
2888 OO-Browser does not yet have any support for this kind of category.
2890 Under Objective-C, a category is a partial class definition that
2891 implements a related set of methods. The full class definition is
2892 formed from the conjunction of all of the class' categories. The
2893 OO-Browser does support Objective-C category browsing.@refill
2896 First level of classes below a class in the inheritance hierarchy.
2897 Those that directly inherit from a class.@refill
2900 A factory construct from which object instances are created. The
2901 OO-Browser displays classes along with their elements, categories and
2904 @item Class at Point
2905 The class in a listing buffer whose name appears on the same line as
2909 The act of filling in the non-ambiguous part of a requested item, such
2910 as a class name or a file name, based on a list of possibilities.@refill
2913 A specification of a programmatic entity, for reference by other parts of
2914 a program. See also @code{Definition}. The declaration of a method
2915 specifies its signature but not its body.@refill
2918 A class that the OO-Browser automatically creates to categorize
2919 instances of constructs that are built-in to a language, such as class
2920 protocols or global functions. Default class names begin and end with
2921 square bracket delimiters, as in @code{[protocol]}.@refill
2924 A complete, unambiguous description of a programmatic entity,
2925 For example, the interface and body of a method defines it.
2928 All classes below a class in the inheritance hierarchy.@refill
2931 A feature or an instance of a class.
2934 A series of browser lookup tables and control variables that specify the set
2935 of classes and inter-class relationships with which the browser works.@refill
2937 @item Environment File
2938 A file used to store a browser Environment.@refill
2940 @item Environment Specification
2941 An unambiguous description of what to include in the construction of
2942 an Environment.@refill
2945 A method, attribute, or other component of a class. Features may be
2946 public or private and in some languages, non-inheritable.
2948 @item Formal Protocol
2949 See @code{Protocol}.@refill
2952 In C++, a specially declared class or method which is granted access to
2953 the private parts of the class in which its friend declaration is found.
2956 A class in which a particular element is defined. This does not include
2957 classes which inherit an element.
2959 @item Initialization File
2960 See @code{Personal Initialization File}.@refill
2963 An object which has a particular class as its type. The class serves as
2964 a template for instance creation.
2967 See @code{Protocol}.
2969 @item Library Classes
2970 Stable, seldomly changed classes that have been released for general
2973 @item Listing Window
2974 One of a number of browser windows used to display lists of entities.
2975 Inheritance relations are shown in listing windows via class name
2979 A data structure used to speed response to user queries.
2985 A callable function defined within one or more classes.
2987 @item Minibuffer Window
2988 The single line window at the bottom of an Emacs frame. It is used to
2989 interact with the user by displaying messages and prompting for
2993 In Python, a namespace created by a code file used to group together
2994 global variables, functions and classes.
2997 In Python, a namespace created by a code file used to group together
2998 global variables, functions and classes.
3001 The next level of classes above a specific class in the inheritance
3002 hierarchy. Those from which a class directly inherits.@refill
3005 The position within the current buffer that is immediately in front of
3006 the character over which the Emacs block cursor is positioned.@refill
3009 An interface specification to which a class conforms. Some languages
3010 use abstract classes for this purpose. Under Objective-C, Java and now
3011 Python, you may define formal protocols (also known as interfaces) which
3012 include a set of method signatures which a class must implement if
3013 it conforms to the protocol. One protocol may inherit from a list of
3014 other protocols, and thereby expand the set of methods which a
3015 conforming class must implement.
3021 An interface specification for a method. It includes the method's
3022 class, type of return value and the types of its formal parameters.
3024 @item Smart Menu System
3025 See @code{Smart System}.
3028 The Smart System is another handy program that helps you to work smarter
3029 and faster. It consists of two parts, the Smart Key System, a direct
3030 manipulation keyboard interface that gives you control of most Emacs
3031 subsystems by using only two keys, and the Smart Menu System. This
3032 provides a hierarchy of menus within Emacs that you use instead of
3033 keyboard commands, even when running on a dumb terminal without a window
3034 system. One of its uses is to invoke the OO-Browser on any desired
3035 language Environment. (Part of the Smart Key System is included with
3036 the OO-Browser. The Smart Menu System is available separately.)@refill
3038 @item System Classes
3039 Classes still in development whose interfaces are likely to change.
3040 They are typically part of a specific project and are often not meant to
3041 be reused elsewhere.@refill
3044 A line from an OO-Browser internal lookup table that is used to match
3045 against the definition of a class element when browsing. Sometimes
3046 referred to as a signature tag. See also @code{Signature}.@refill
3048 @item Top-Level Classes
3049 Classes without parents. Those at the top of the inheritance tree for a
3050 given Environment.@refill
3053 The largest, bottom-most window in the browser used for displaying class
3054 source and help information.@refill
3057 @node Menus, Features, Glossary, Top
3063 This appendix summarizes the commands available on the OO-Browser popup
3064 and menubar menus that mirror the keyboard-based commands discussed
3065 throughout the manual. @xref{Commands}, for a summary of the OO-Browser
3066 command names and the keys to which they are bound.
3068 When running InfoDock, the @code{Mode-Menubars} button on the menubar
3069 will replace the menubar of global InfoDock commands with one specific
3070 to the OO-Browser. (Under XEmacs and GNU Emacs, a single
3071 @code{OO-Browser} pulldown menu automatically appears on the menubar
3072 when the point is within a listing window.)
3077 * Environment Menu::
3080 * List-Window Menu::
3082 * View-Window Menu::
3086 @node OO-Browser Menu, Class Menu, Menus, Menus
3087 @section OO-Browser Menu
3089 @cindex OO-Browser menu
3090 @cindex menu, OO-Browser
3091 The @dfn{OO-Browser menu} includes various help and browser exit commands.
3092 This menu appears as a top-level list of items within the listing window
3093 popup menu and the singular pulldown menu used under XEmacs and GNU Emacs.
3099 Displays the OO-Browser version number and credits.
3101 @item Language-Manual
3102 Displays the OO-Browser manual section of specifics for the language of
3103 the current Environment.
3105 @item Program-Manual
3106 Displays the very beginning of the online version of the OO-Browser manual.
3107 The entire manual can be browsed in section order by simply using the
3108 @{@key{SPC}@} key. @{@key{DEL}@} moves backwards through the manual.
3111 Displays this section of the OO-Browser manual.
3113 @cindex news, OO-Browser
3114 @cindex OO-Browser news
3116 Displays a summary of user-visible changes in each OO-Browser release.
3120 @item Load-Env-by-Name
3121 Menu which loads Environments based on user-given names.
3126 Displays OO-Browser copyright information within the browser viewer
3130 Displays a menu of OO-Browser commands within the browser viewer window.
3131 A press of the Action Key within any of the key bindings listed in this
3132 command menu invokes the associated command.
3135 Summarizes the key bindings available within OO-Browser listing windows.
3138 Displays a summary of how the Action and Assist Keys behave across the
3139 contexts available throughout OO-Browser usage.
3143 @item Discuss-via-Email
3144 Starts composing a new e-mail message to the OO-Browser discussion
3147 @item Get-Support-via-Email
3148 Starts composing a new e-mail message to Deepware's support
3149 staff in which you can ask questions or make requests. This requires
3150 that you have pre-paid for support credits with Deepware.@refill
3155 Restores the OO-Browser user interface to its state upon startup.
3157 @item Exit-this-Listing
3158 Returns to the previous OO-Browser listing buffer and discards
3159 the contents of the current window.
3163 @item Exit-Temporarily
3164 Hides the OO-Browser's buffers and windows, for re-invocation later.
3167 Deletes all the OO-Browser listing buffers and all of its windows.
3171 @node Class Menu, Environment Menu, OO-Browser Menu, Menus
3176 The @dfn{Class menu} contains operations that apply to individual class
3177 entries or a set of classes extracted from the Environment. Use the
3178 @code{List-Window menu} for the parallel set of commands that operate on
3179 all classes within a listing. Its items are:
3183 @item Concept-Manual
3184 @xref{Top-Level Classes,,Displaying Top-Level Classes}.
3187 Displays this section of the OO-Browser manual.
3191 @item Edit-Definition
3192 Edits within the viewer window the source definition of the current
3195 @item View-Definition
3196 Views the source definition of the current listing entry
3197 (the source is made read-only and point is left in the listing window).
3202 Prompts for a class name and then edits the class definition within
3206 Prompts for a class name and then views the class definition within
3211 @item Match-from-Listing
3212 Prompts for a regular expression used to match against the names of all
3213 classes and features within the current Environment. The matches are
3214 displayed in a listing buffer which may then be filtered further with
3215 another match expression. @{@key{RET}@} ends the matching.
3217 @item Where-is-Named?
3218 Prompts for a class or feature name and then displays in the viewer
3219 window the full path of the source file where the name is defined.
3221 @item Where-is-Entry?
3222 Displays in the viewer window the full path of the source file which
3223 defines the present listing entry.
3228 Generates an ancestor tree listing for the current class. The ancestors
3229 branch down and outward from the current class.
3230 @xref{Descendants and Ancestors,,Browsing Descendants and Ancestors},
3231 for information on how to invert the listing.@refill
3234 Lists the attributes of the current class. If
3235 @var{br-inherited-features-flag} is @samp{t}, all attributes including
3236 inherited attributes of the class are shown; otherwise, only the
3237 attributes lexically defined within the class are shown.
3240 Lists the children of the current class.
3243 Generates the descendency tree for the current class.
3246 Lists the features of the current class. If
3247 @var{br-inherited-features-flag} is @samp{t}, all features including
3248 inherited features of the class are shown; otherwise, only the features
3249 lexically defined within the class are shown.
3252 Displays a list of classes which contain definitions for the current
3253 <protocol/interface> entry.
3256 Displays language-specific summary information for the current class
3260 Shows the current class location within its inheritance graph, that is,
3261 among its ancestors and descendants.
3264 Lists the parents of the current class.
3267 Displays the protocols to which the current class or protocol conforms,
3268 including inherited ones.
3271 Lists the routines (methods) of the current class. If
3272 @var{br-inherited-features-flag} is @samp{t}, all routines including
3273 inherited routines of the class are shown; otherwise, only the routines
3274 lexically defined within the class are shown.
3278 @item Class-Statistics
3279 Displays within the minibuffer a statistics summary for the current class.
3280 This generally shows the number of parents and children that the class has.
3284 @node Environment Menu, Feature Menu, Class Menu, Menus
3285 @section Environment Menu
3287 @cindex Environment menu
3288 @cindex menu, Environment
3289 The commands on the @dfn{Environment menu} manipulate entire
3290 Environments. Its items are:
3294 @item Concept-Manual
3295 @xref{Environments,,Working with Environments}.
3298 Displays this section of the OO-Browser manual.
3302 @item Create-or-Load
3303 Invokes the OO-Browser on a new or existing Environment.
3305 @item Display-Env-List
3306 List Environment names and associated Environment files.
3309 Rescans the System and Library code directories associated with the current
3310 Environment to update the entire Environment.
3313 Displays a summary for the current Environment in the viewer window.
3318 Associates a new name with an existing Environment.
3321 Renames an Environment.
3324 Deletes an Environment name but not the Environment itself.
3326 @item Replace-Env-of-Name
3327 Changes which Environment is associated with a particular name.
3332 Deletes a class from the current Environment.
3337 Prompts for a file to which to save the current Environment, with
3338 a default of the current Environment file name.
3343 @node Feature Menu, Graphical Menu, Environment Menu, Menus
3344 @section Feature Menu
3346 @cindex Feature menu
3347 @cindex menu, Feature
3348 The @dfn{Feature menu} supplies commands that apply to feature
3349 (attribute and method) entries. (More precisely, these commands work
3350 with any kind of element entry.) Its items are:
3354 @item Concept-Manual
3355 @xref{Browsing Elements}.
3358 Displays this section of the OO-Browser manual.
3362 @item Edit-Definition
3363 Edits within the viewer window the source definition of the current
3366 @item View-Definition
3367 Views the source definition of the current listing entry (the source is
3368 made read-only and point is left in the listing window).
3372 @item Edit-Declaration
3373 Edits within the viewer window the declaration (signature) of the
3374 current listing entry.
3376 @item View-Declaration
3377 Views the declaration (signature) of the current listing entry.
3381 @item View-Friend-Def
3382 With point on a friend listing entry, views its source code definition.
3387 Prompts for a feature name and then edits the feature definition
3388 within the viewer window.
3391 Prompts for a feature name and then views the feature definition.
3395 @item Current-Attributes
3396 See @code{Class/Attributes}.
3398 @item Current-Features
3399 See @code{Class/Features}.
3401 @item Current-Routines
3402 See @code{Class/Routines}.
3406 @item All-Attributes
3407 See @code{List-Window/All-Attributes}.
3410 See @code{List-Window/All-Features}.
3413 See @code{List-Window/All-Routines}.
3418 Displays a list of classes which contain definitions for the current element name.
3421 Shows within the viewer window the full feature signature for the
3422 current listing entry.
3426 @node Graphical Menu, List-Window Menu, Feature Menu, Menus
3427 @section Graphical Menu
3429 @cindex Graphical menu
3430 @cindex menu, Graphical
3431 The @dfn{Graphical menu} creates and deletes graphical, tree-oriented
3432 views of Environment information related to listing entries. Its items
3437 @item Concept-Manual
3438 @xref{Browsing Graphically}.
3441 Displays this section of the OO-Browser manual.
3445 @item Class-Descendants-View
3446 Displays within a graphical viewer the descendency tree for the current
3447 class. If @code{Options/Graphical-Descendant-Features} is enabled, the
3448 features of each descendant are added to the view.
3450 @item Listing-Descendants-View
3451 Displays within a graphical viewer the descendency trees for all listing
3452 entries within the current buffer. If
3453 @code{Options/Graphical-Descendant-Features} is enabled, the features of
3454 each descendant are added to the view.@refill
3456 @item Listing-Graphical-View
3457 Displays within a graphical viewer the tree of listing entries from the
3458 current buffer. Each entry node in this view may be selected with the
3459 mouse and its corresponding source will be displayed within the editor
3460 for either viewing or editing depending on which mouse key was used.
3464 @item Kill-Graphical-Views
3465 Deletes all existing OO-Browser graphical views.
3469 @node List-Window Menu, Options Menu, Graphical Menu, Menus
3470 @section List-Window Menu
3472 @cindex List-Window menu
3473 @cindex menu, List-Window
3474 The @dfn{List-Window menu} offers commands that operate on all of the
3475 entries within the current listing window at once. Its items are:
3479 @item Concept-Manual
3480 @xref{Usage,,Using the OO-Browser}.
3483 Displays this section of the OO-Browser manual.
3487 @item Write (Save as)
3488 Prompts for the name of a new or existing file and writes the narrowed
3489 portion of the current listing buffer to the file. Any existing
3490 contents of the file are overwritten.
3495 Counts the number of entries visible in the current listing buffer and
3496 displays the result within the minibuffer window.
3499 Alphabetizes the current listing window entries. Ignores
3500 any leading whitespace and removes any duplicates found.
3505 Displays ancestor trees for all entries within the current listing
3506 window which have ancestors.
3508 @item All-Attributes
3509 Displays attributes for all entries within the current listing
3510 window which have attributes.
3513 Displays the children for all entries within the current listing window
3514 which have children.
3516 @item All-Descendants
3517 Displays descendant trees for all entries within the current listing
3518 window which have descendants.
3521 Displays features for all entries within the current listing window
3522 which have features.
3524 @item All-Implementors
3525 For each element in the current listing, displays a list of classes
3526 which contain definitions for it. Ignores classes which inherit such
3530 Shows for each class within the current listing window its inheritance
3531 graph, i.e.@: where it is located among its ancestors and descendants.
3534 Displays the parents for all entries within the current listing window
3538 Display the protocols to which each class and protocol within the
3539 current listing window conforms, including inherited ones.
3542 Displays routines (methods) for all entries within the current listing
3543 window which have routines.
3547 @item Show-All-Classes
3548 Displays the list of all classes.
3550 @item Show-All-Lib-Classes
3551 Displays the list of all Library classes.
3553 @item Show-All-Sys-Classes
3554 Displays the list of all System classes.
3556 @item Show-Top-Classes
3557 Displays the list of all top-level classes, i.e.@: those without parents.
3559 @item Show-Top-Lib-Classes
3560 Displays the list of all top-level Library classes.
3562 @item Show-Top-Sys-Classes
3563 Displays the list of all top-level System classes.
3568 Narrows the OO-Browser listing windows by 10 characters.
3571 Widens the OO-Browser listing windows by 10 characters.
3575 @item Exit-this-Listing
3576 Returns to the previous OO-Browser listing buffer and discards
3577 the contents of the current window.
3582 @node Options Menu, View-Window Menu, List-Window Menu, Menus
3583 @section Options Menu
3585 @cindex Options menu
3586 @cindex menu, Options
3587 The @dfn{Options menu} toggles major OO-Browser option settings.
3592 @item Concept-Manual
3593 @xref{Options,,OO-Browser Options}.
3596 Displays this section of the OO-Browser manual.
3600 @item Keep-Viewed-Classes
3601 Toggles whether or not multiple class buffers are left around after
3602 viewing. If off (the default), each viewed class buffer is deleted
3603 after use. Classes displayed for editing are not affected; they are
3604 always left around for further editing unless explicitly deleted.
3606 @item Graphical-Descendant-Features
3607 Toggles whether or not features are added to any class listing displayed
3608 in graphical form. The default is not to add features to graphical
3611 @item List-Protocols-with-Classes
3612 Toggles whether or not protocols (interfaces) are included in listings
3613 of all classes or top-level classes. The default is to include them
3614 under languages that support protocols.
3616 @item Show-Inherited-Features
3617 Toggles whether or not feature listings include inherited features.
3618 The default is to include them. If off, only those features lexically
3619 included within a class are shown.
3622 @item Use-Vi-as-Editor
3623 Toggles whether or not the OO-Browser sends source code to Vi for
3624 editing and viewing, instead of to the viewer window.
3626 @cindex mouse, number of buttons
3627 #cindex 2-button mouse
3628 #cindex 3-button mouse
3629 @item 3-Button-Mouse
3630 Toggles which mouse key is used for displaying items from listing buffers.
3631 With this enabled, the middle mouse buttons is used for this purpose.
3632 Otherwise, the left mouse button is used.
3636 @node View-Window Menu, , Options Menu, Menus
3637 @section View-Window Menu
3639 @cindex View-Window menu
3640 @cindex menu, View-Window
3641 The @dfn{View-Window menu} is used to manipulate the viewer window
3642 display from within a listing window. Its items are:
3646 @item Concept-Manual
3647 @xref{Viewing and Editing}.
3650 Displays this section of the OO-Browser manual.
3655 @cindex code buffer, selecting
3656 @cindex selecting a code buffer
3657 @item Select-Code-Buffer
3658 Displays within the viewer window a list of all existing buffers of
3659 source code for the current OO-Browser language. A press of the Action
3660 Key, @{@key{SPC}@}, or @{@kbd{q}@} on an entry line displays the
3666 Deletes all browser windows except for the viewer window. This is used
3667 to get a full-frame view of a source file.
3670 Kills the current buffer within the viewer window and redisplays
3671 the initial OO-Browser command help buffer.
3673 @item Move-To-or-From
3674 Moves point back and forth between the viewer window and the last
3675 recorded browser listing window.
3679 @item Scroll-Backward
3680 Scrolls the viewer backward one windowful.
3682 @item Scroll-Forward
3683 Scrolls the viewer forward one windowful.
3687 @item Scroll-Backward-One-Line
3688 Scrolls the viewer window backward one line.
3690 @item Scroll-Forward-One-Line
3691 Scrolls the viewer window forward one line.
3695 @item To-Buffer-Beginning
3696 Scrolls to the beginning of the viewer buffer.
3699 Scrolls to the end of the viewer buffer.
3704 @node Features, Commands, Menus, Top
3705 @c node-name, next, previous, up
3711 Support for C, C++, Common Lisp and its Object System (CLOS), Eiffel,
3712 Java, Objective-C, Python and Smalltalk class browsing is included.
3713 Additionally, support for browsing large amounts of material in Info
3714 format by node name (a popular online documentation format with cross
3715 references and hierarchical structure) is included. All languages
3716 provide class browsing via either a textual or a graphical interface.
3719 Method and typically attribute browsing is supported for all languages
3720 except Smalltalk. CLOS supports browsing all elements defined with
3721 @code{(def} constructs. In-source feature browsing is also supported for all
3722 of these languages. One simply selects a feature name to jump to its
3723 corresponding source. Method name overloading in C++ and inherited
3724 feature renaming in Eiffel are fully supported.@refill
3727 Under C++, one can click on a method call, function call or attribute
3728 reference to jump to its associated definition. If multiple definitions
3729 are possible, a structured dynamic list of possible method signatures
3730 are shown and can be clicked upon to jump to any selected definition.
3733 Under C++, friend classes and functions may be browsed easily.
3736 C code browsing is supported for C++, Objective-C and C source code.
3739 Objective-C category and formal protocol browsing is supported.
3742 C++ parameterized template classes and methods are supported.
3745 Java abstract and native (externally defined) method browsing is
3749 All classes that implement a particular feature name, protocol (or
3750 interface) name, or class category name may be listed and then browsed.
3753 Immediate switching among languages is allowed. One can switch from
3754 Eiffel browsing to C++ browsing in an instant, if so desired. Or simply
3755 run two OO-Browsers side by side (in separate editor sessions)..
3757 @cindex multiple inheritance
3759 Multiple inheritance support is built-in, where applicable.
3762 Statistics on classes and Environments may be displayed.
3765 Language-specific class information may be shown. Presently this
3766 feature is supported in a minor way under Python and more extensively
3767 under Eiffel, where a listing of class parents, attributes, routines and
3768 best guess (highly accurate) list of routine calls may be displayed.
3769 Outputs from the Eiffel @code{short} and @code{flat} commands may also
3773 Library (stable) and System (in development) classes may be maintained
3774 and listed separately or together. Any number of Libraries and Systems
3775 may be combined for listing in a single Environment. There are no fixed
3776 limits on the number of classes per Environment nor on the number of
3777 Environments that may be browsed.
3781 All source code is included and is heavily documented.
3784 Machine-independent mouse support is included along with an extremely
3785 intuitive point and click interface that uses just two mouse keys. The
3786 OO-Browser is pre-configured for use with the X window system and Microsoft
3787 Windows under InfoDock, GNU Emacs and XEmacs. Online mouse usage help is
3788 always one key away.
3791 Popup and pulldown command menus are available under InfoDock, GNU Emacs V19
3792 (or higher) and XEmacs.
3795 The OO-Browser help display gives short descriptions of all of the
3796 commands and key bindings available in the browser. By clicking on any
3797 such selection, the corresponding command is executed.
3800 One may also click on class names to see ancestors, descendants or the
3801 class itself. Just select a class name and the OO-Browser immediately
3802 will display or edit the class source. Once a class file has been
3803 loaded, one can quickly switch to it by selection from a menu of such
3807 For a number of languages, one may also select a feature (method) name
3808 or declaration and move directly to the definition of the feature. The
3809 browser accounts for the complexities of member name overloading in C++
3810 and unlimited feature renaming in Eiffel so that you need not. Just
3811 click on a declaration and watch the browser display jump to the proper
3815 In C++, one can jump to the declaration of a listing entry or be
3816 prompted within any buffer for a class and feature name whose
3817 declaration one wants to browse. One can jump back and forth between
3818 declarations and their associated definitions (between header and code
3819 files) with a single command.
3822 Jump back to a previously visited class or feature by selecting from a
3823 list of recently visited buffers.
3826 OO-Browser commands may also be invoked from the keyboard, allowing
3827 unrestricted use via standard terminal interfaces.
3830 Building Environments is fast compared to many other tools. Browser
3831 startup, once an Environment has been built, is very fast. Response
3832 times on workstations are excellent; for example, in one test case years
3833 ago, less than two real seconds were required to display a set of
3834 complex inheritance graphs involving over 400 classes.
3836 @cindex repeated inheritance
3839 An X-specific or Windows-specific hierarchy display browser is included.
3840 It provides views of class inheritance structure and lexically included
3841 elements, which allows for quick random access to entire Environments.
3842 A click on a class or element name immediately jumps to it in the
3843 editor, providing rapid, visual browsing. One can pop up several
3844 graphical browsers to gain different views of classes in the same or in
3845 multiple environments. All graphical browsers can communicate with a
3846 single textual browser, so one can quickly display and edit classes from
3847 different environments (even different languages). Multiple inheritance
3848 is handled through repetition of nodes throughout the tree; repeated
3849 nodes are followed by ellipses to indicate multiple inheritance.
3852 The OO-Browser uses class source code only, hence no compiler is
3853 necessary for proper browser operation. This allows one to explore
3854 class libraries without the need for additional tools.
3857 Class inheritance networks may be displayed. Either a single
3858 inheritance level (parents or children) or the entire inheritance
3859 network (ancestors or descendants) for a set of classes may be shown.
3862 Class files may be added as a group by specifying a root directory below
3863 which all class files are found, including those in subdirectories.
3866 A menu of class files can be displayed for random access to specific
3870 On startup, the OO-Browser lists all currently known classes within a
3871 particular Environment. Any desired classes may be found by searching
3872 or by matching a regular expression or string to the set of class names.
3873 This may be done repeatedly to achieve an "and"-type relational query
3877 The number of listing windows is limited only by the frame width and
3878 the width setting used for listing windows.
3881 The OO-Browser is adaptable to any class-based object-oriented language.
3884 The OO-Browser works with the powerful, freely distributable, GNU Emacs
3885 editor; it works on any UNIX system display supported by Emacs. It is
3886 included as part of InfoDock, the integrated development environment,
3887 and is also compatible with XEmacs. Alternative editors may also be
3888 used to view or to edit source code displayed by the browser.
3891 All OO-Browser outputs are text which may be edited as desired or saved to
3895 OO-Browser functions may be used standalone within the editor without
3896 utilizing the multi-windowed browser interface. One useful example is to
3897 point to a class name such as a parent class in the text of another class and
3898 have the parent's source appear in an editable fashion.
3901 The user need not know the location of class source; the browser will display
3902 or edit a class based solely upon its class name.
3905 A single key provides ascending or descending ASCII ordering of class
3906 names, including those from inheritance trees. Classes may be easily
3907 located by matching a regular expression or string to the set of class
3908 names in an Environment, with repeated searches incrementally narrowing
3912 The browser is tailorable to any class-based object-oriented language.
3913 It works best with languages that focus on static class creation such as
3920 The OO-Browser is built to integrate with the powerful GNU Emacs and
3921 XEmacs editors and the even more powerful InfoDock environment; it works
3922 on any UNIX, DOS, Windows or Macintosh system display supported by
3923 Emacs. Most browser commands may be executed by direct selection,
3924 providing a very natural interface.
3929 @node Commands, References, Features, Top
3932 @c Call {M-x doc} to insert documentation in table.
3933 @c Call (br-cmd-doc t) to remove documentation from table.
3936 @cindex formal arguments
3938 The following documentation is meant for programmers who want to modify
3939 the OO-Browser. It is included here since some users of the OO-Browser
3940 may find it useful. All commands that are bound to keys and that are
3941 specific to the OO-Browser are listed here, plus a few other commands.
3942 Within each command description, identifiers shown in all capitals are
3943 the names of the command's formal arguments; all formal arguments are
3944 presented in the order in which they are required by the command. If a
3945 command takes optional arguments, the first optional argument is labeled
3946 @emph{optional}; all following arguments are assumed to be optional.
3948 @cindex command documentation
3949 @cindex OO-Browser commands
3952 @vindex br-invert-ancestors
3953 @findex br-ancestors
3954 @item br-ancestors @{@kbd{a}@}
3955 Display ancestor tree whose root is the current class. With
3956 optional prefix ARG, display all ancestor trees whose roots are in the
3957 current listing. With no ARG or if ARG = -1 or
3958 @var{br-invert-ancestors} is @samp{t}, the current class ancestry tree
3959 is inverted. That is, it shows branches going down towards the root
3960 class, so that parents appear above children. If ARG < -1 or
3961 @var{br-invert-ancestors} is @samp{t} and ARG > 1, then the ancestry
3962 trees of all classes in the current listing are inverted.
3965 @item br-at @{@kbd{@@}@}
3966 Display the current class location in the inheritance graph. The class
3967 is displayed among both its ancestors and descendants. With optional
3968 prefix ARG, display the locations for all classes in the current listing.
3970 @findex br-attributes
3972 Display attributes of the current class (prefix ARG = 1) or of the
3973 current listing if ARG is other than 0 or 1.
3975 With ARG = 0, the value of the variable,
3976 @var{br-inherited-features-flag}, is toggled and no other action is
3979 If @var{br-inherited-features-flag} is @samp{t}, all attributes of each
3980 class are shown. If @samp{nil}, only lexically included attributes are
3981 shown and if the attributes of a single class are requested and none are
3982 defined, the class definition is displayed so that its attribute
3983 declarations may be browsed.
3985 @findex br-buffer-menu
3986 @item br-buffer-menu @{@kbd{b}@}
3987 Display in the viewer window a selection list of buffers for the current browser language.
3989 @findex br-categories
3990 @item br-categories @{@kbd{C}@}
3991 Display categories directly associated with the current class.
3992 This does not include any categories which the class inherits.
3993 With optional prefix ARG, display categories of all classes in the
3997 @item br-children @{@kbd{c}@}
3998 Display the children of the current class. With optional prefix ARG,
3999 display the children of all the classes in the current listing.
4001 @findex br-class-stats
4002 @item br-class-stats @{@kbd{M-c}@}
4003 Display a statistics summary for the current class. Optional prefix arg
4004 PROMPT means prompt for a class name.
4006 @findex br-copyright
4009 Display the OO-Browser copyright information in the viewer window.
4012 @item br-count @{@kbd{#}@}
4013 Count the number of entries visible in current listing buffer.
4014 Print the text result in the minibuffer when called interactively.
4017 @item br-delete @{@kbd{C-c C-d}@}
4018 Delete a class from the current Environment. Does not alter descendency
4019 relations. Optional prefix arg PROMPT means prompt for the class name.
4021 @findex br-descendants
4022 @item br-descendants @{@kbd{d}@}
4023 Display the descendant tree whose root is the current class. With
4024 optional prefix ARG, display all descendant trees whose roots are
4025 the classes in the current listing.
4027 @findex br-edit-entry
4028 @item br-edit-entry @{@kbd{e}@}
4029 Edit the source code for any browser listing entry, such as a class or a
4030 feature. Optional prefix arg PROMPT means prompt for the entry name;
4031 automatically prompt if called interactively outside of a listing
4032 window, e.g.@: within a source code buffer when the browser user interface
4035 @findex br-entry-info
4036 @item br-entry-info @{@kbd{i}@}
4037 Display attributes of the current entry in the viewer window.
4040 @item br-env-load @{@kbd{C-c C-l}@}
4041 Load an OO-Browser Environment or specification from optional ENV-FILE,
4042 ENV-NAME or @var{br-env-file}. Non-nil PROMPT means prompt the user
4043 before building the Environment. Non-nil NO-BUILD means skip the build
4044 of the Environment entirely. Return @samp{t} if the load is successful,
4048 @findex br-env-rebuild
4049 @item br-env-rebuild @{@kbd{C-c C-e}@}
4050 Rescan System and Library sources associated with the current
4051 Environment. When given a prefix arg, DEBUG-FLAG, it will output a
4052 debugging backtrace if any error occurs during scanning (InfoDock and
4056 @item br-env-save @{@kbd{C-c C-s}@}
4057 Save the modified Environment to a file given by optional SAVE-FILE or
4060 @findex br-env-stats
4061 @item br-env-stats @{@kbd{M-e}@}
4062 Display a summary for the current Environment in the viewer window.
4063 With optional prefix ARG, display class totals in the minibuffer.
4065 @findex br-exit-level
4066 @item br-exit-level @{@kbd{x}@}
4067 Return to prefix ARGth previous inheritance level listing.
4068 The command is ignored with ARG < 1.
4070 @findex br-feature-edit-declaration
4071 @item br-feature-edit-declaration @{@kbd{C-c M-j}@}
4072 Prompt with completion for a CLASS::FEATURE argument and then edit the
4073 associated declaration. If point is on a feature definition signature
4074 in a code buffer (prior to any of its arguments), the default is to edit
4075 that feature's declaration. An error is signaled if the declaration is
4076 not found. Presently, this command works in C++ buffers exclusively.
4078 @findex br-feature-signature
4079 @item br-feature-signature @{@kbd{F}@}
4080 Show the full feature signature in the view window.
4081 With optional prefix ARG, display signatures of all features from the
4082 current listing buffer.
4085 @vindex br-inherited-features-flag
4086 @item br-features @{@kbd{f}@}
4087 Display features/elements of the current class (prefix ARG = 1) or of
4088 the current listing if ARG is other than 0 or 1.
4090 With ARG = 0, the value of the variable, @var{br-inherited-features-flag},
4091 is toggled and no other action is taken.
4093 If @var{br-inherited-features-flag} is @samp{t}, all features of each
4094 class are shown. If @samp{nil}, only lexically included features are
4095 shown and if the features of a single class are requested and none are
4096 defined, the class definition is displayed so that its feature
4097 declarations may be browsed.
4100 @item br-find @{@kbd{C-c M-f}@}
4101 Prompt with completion for a class or element name from the current
4102 Environment and display its definition for editing. (This command
4103 is available within source code buffers.)
4106 @item br-help @{@kbd{h}@} or @{@kbd{?}@}
4107 Display OO-Browser operation help information in the viewer window.
4110 @item br-help-ms @{@kbd{H}@}
4111 Display OO-browser mouse usage help information in the viewer window.
4113 @findex br-implementors
4114 @item br-implementors @{@kbd{I}@}
4115 Display a list of classes which contain definitions for the current
4116 element name. Ignore classes which inherit such definitions. With
4117 optional prefix ARG, display implementors of all elements within the
4121 @item br-kill @{@kbd{C-c C-k}@}
4122 Kill the buffer in the viewer window and redisplay help text.
4124 @findex br-lib-rebuild
4125 @item br-lib-rebuild @{@kbd{L}@}
4126 Rescan Library components of the current Environment.
4128 @findex br-lib-top-classes
4129 @item br-lib-top-classes @{@kbd{l}@}
4130 Display a list of the top-level Library classes. With prefix ARG,
4131 display all Library classes.
4134 @item br-match @{@kbd{m}@}
4135 Show all class names in the current Environment that contain optional
4136 EXPR. A @samp{nil} value of EXPR means prompt for a value. With optional
4137 prefix ARG, EXPR is treated as a string. By default, it is treated as a
4138 regular expression. AGAIN non-nil shows the number of classes MATCHED
4139 from the last search, allowing repeated narrowing of the search set. An
4140 empty EXPR when AGAIN is @samp{nil} matches to all classes in the Environment.
4142 @findex br-match-entries
4143 @item br-match-entries @{@kbd{M}@}
4144 Show all entries in the current listing that contain optional EXPR. A
4145 @samp{nil} value of EXPR means prompt for a value. With optional prefix ARG,
4146 EXPR is treated as a string. By default, it is treated as a regular
4147 expression. AGAIN non-nil means show the number of entries MATCHED from
4148 the last search, allowing repeated narrowing of the search set. An
4149 empty EXPR when AGAIN is @samp{nil} matches to all entries in the listing.
4151 @findex br-next-entry
4152 @item br-next-entry @{@kbd{C-n}@}
4153 Move point vertically down prefix ARG number of lines in a listing
4157 @item br-order @{@kbd{o}@}
4158 Order current browser listing window entries.
4159 With prefix ARG other than 1 (the default), don't remove leading space from
4160 entry lines before ordering. Negative ARG means order in descending Ascii
4161 sequence, otherwise order in ascending sequence.
4164 @item br-parents @{@kbd{p}@}
4165 Display the parents of the current class. With optional prefix ARG, display
4166 parents of all the classes in the current listing.
4168 @findex br-prev-entry
4169 @item br-prev-entry @{@kbd{C-p}@}
4170 Move point vertically up prefix ARG number of lines in a listing
4173 @findex br-protocols
4174 @item br-protocols @{@kbd{P}@}
4175 Display the protocols to which the current class or protocol conforms,
4176 including inherited ones. With optional prefix ARG, display protocols
4177 of all classes and protocols in the current listing.
4180 @item br-quit @{@kbd{q}@}
4181 Quit the OO-Browser. With optional prefix ARG, delete window configurations
4182 and listing buffers associated with the browser.
4185 @item br-refresh @{@kbd{C-c C-r}@}
4186 Restore the OO-Browser to its state upon startup.
4188 @cindex bug reporting
4189 @cindex OO-Browser bug reporting
4190 @findex br-report-bug
4191 @item br-report-bug @{@kbd{C-c C-b}@}
4192 Report a bug or send some other kind of message to the OO-Browser
4195 @findex br-resize-narrow
4196 @item br-resize-narrow @{@kbd{C-x -}@}
4197 Narrow listing windows by 10 characters.
4199 @findex br-resize-widen
4200 @item br-resize-widen @{@kbd{C-x +}@}
4201 Widen listing windows by 10 characters.
4205 Display routines of the current class (prefix ARG = 1) or of the
4206 current listing if ARG is other than 0 or 1.
4208 With ARG = 0, the value of the variable,
4209 @var{br-inherited-features-flag}, is toggled and no other action is
4212 If @var{br-inherited-features-flag} is @samp{t}, all routines of each
4213 class are shown. If @samp{nil}, only lexically included routines are
4214 shown and if the routines of a single class are requested and none are
4215 defined, the class definition is displayed so that its routine
4216 declarations may be browsed.
4218 @findex br-sys-rebuild
4219 @item br-sys-rebuild @{@kbd{S}@}
4220 Rescan System components of the current Environment.
4222 @findex br-sys-top-classes
4223 @item br-sys-top-classes @{@kbd{s}@}
4224 Display a list of top-level System classes.
4225 With prefix ARG, display all System classes.
4227 @findex br-to-from-viewer
4228 @item br-to-from-viewer @{@kbd{C-c C-v}@}
4229 Move point to the viewer window or back to the last recorded listing
4232 @findex br-toggle-keep-viewed
4233 @vindex br-keep-viewed-classes
4234 @item br-toggle-keep-viewed
4235 Toggle the value of the @var{br-keep-viewed-classes} flag.
4237 @findex br-show-all-classes
4238 @item br-show-all-classes @{@kbd{A}@}
4239 Display a list of all Environment classes.
4241 @findex br-show-top-classes
4242 @item br-show-top-classes @{@kbd{t}@} or @{@kbd{T}@}
4243 Display a list of top-level classes.
4244 With prefix ARG, display all Environment classes.
4247 @item br-tree @{@kbd{M-d}@}
4248 Start the appropriate tree application with a descendency tree of the
4249 current class. With optional prefix ARG, include a descendency tree for
4250 each class in the current listing buffer.
4252 @findex br-tree-features-toggle
4253 @item br-tree-features-toggle @{@kbd{M-f}@}
4254 Toggle between showing and hiding features when @code{br-tree} is
4255 invoked to display descendants graphically.
4257 @findex br-tree-graph
4258 @item br-tree-graph @{@kbd{M-g}@}
4259 Start the appropriate tree application with the tree from the current
4262 @findex br-tree-kill
4263 @item br-tree-kill @{@kbd{M-k}@}
4264 Kill all current @code{xoobr} sub-processes.
4267 @item br-unique @{@kbd{u}@}
4268 Eliminate adjacent duplicate entry names from the current listing window.
4269 If two adjacent entries look the same, one is eliminated, even if they refer
4270 to different class elements.
4273 @item br-version @{@kbd{C-c #}@}
4274 Display the OO-Browser version number and credits.
4276 @findex br-view-entry
4277 @item br-view-entry @{@kbd{v}@}
4278 Display source for any browser listing entry. Optional prefix arg
4279 PROMPT means prompt for an entry name; automatically prompt if called
4280 interactively outside of a listing window, e.g.@: within a source code
4281 buffer when the browser user interface is not displayed.
4283 @findex br-view-friend
4284 @item br-view-friend @{@kbd{V}@}
4285 With point on a friend listing entry, view its source code definition.
4286 With optional OTHER-WIN non-nil, display in another window.
4287 With optional SIG-AT-POINT-FLAG non-nil, assume point is within a friend
4288 signature in a source buffer. (C++ only).
4290 @findex br-view-full-frame
4291 @item br-view-full-frame @{@kbd{1}@}
4292 Delete all windows in the selected frame except for the viewer window.
4294 @findex br-viewer-beginning-of-buffer
4295 @item br-viewer-beginning-of-buffer @{@kbd{<}@}
4296 Scroll to the beginning of the viewer window buffer from within a
4299 @findex br-viewer-end-of-buffer
4300 @item br-viewer-end-of-buffer @{@kbd{>}@}
4301 Scroll to the end of the viewer window buffer from within a listing window.
4303 @findex br-viewer-scroll-down
4304 @item br-viewer-scroll-down @{@key{DEL}@}
4305 Scroll the viewer window downward ARG lines or a windowful if no ARG.
4307 @findex br-viewer-scroll-down-by-line
4308 @item br-viewer-scroll-down-by-line @{@kbd{,}@}
4309 Scroll the viewer window from within a listing window to show prefix ARG
4310 more prior lines (default is 1).
4312 @findex br-viewer-scroll-up
4313 @item br-viewer-scroll-up @{@key{SPC}@}
4314 Scroll the viewer window upward ARG lines or a windowful if no ARG.
4316 @findex br-viewer-scroll-up-by-line
4317 @item br-viewer-scroll-up-by-line @{@kbd{.}@}
4318 Scroll the viewer window from within a listing window to show prefix ARG
4319 more following lines (default is 1).
4322 @item br-where @{@kbd{w}@} (in a listing window) @{@kbd{C-c M-w}@} (elsewhere)
4323 Display in the viewer window and return the full path of the defining
4324 file for a browser listing entry. Optional prefix arg PROMPT means
4325 prompt for the entry name; automatically prompts if called interactively
4326 outside of a listing window, e.g.@: within a source code buffer when the
4327 browser user interface is not displayed.
4329 @findex br-write-buffer
4330 @item br-write-buffer @{@kbd{C-c C-w}@}
4331 Write the narrowed portion of the current browser buffer to a file.
4334 @node References, Key Index, Commands, Top
4335 @appendix References
4339 Meyer, Bertrand. Object-oriented Software Construction. Prentice Hall
4340 International: UK, 1997.
4343 Meyer, Bertrand. Eiffel: The Language. Interactive Software
4344 Engineering: Santa Barbara, CA, 1989. (Also published by Prentice
4348 Goldberg, Adele and David Robson. @emph{Smalltalk-80: The Language and
4349 its Implementation}. Addison-Wesley, 1983.@refill
4352 Stallman, Richard. @emph{GNU Emacs Manual}. Free Software Foundation:
4353 Cambridge, MA, 1993.@refill
4356 @emph{The Java Language Specification}. Sun Microsystems Computer
4357 Corporation: Mountain View, CA, February 1, 1995.@refill
4361 @c ***************************
4363 @c ***************************
4365 @node Key Index, Command Index, References, Top
4366 @unnumbered Key Binding Index
4370 @node Command Index, Concept Index, Key Index, Top
4371 @unnumbered Command and Variable Index
4375 @node Concept Index, , Command Index, Top
4376 @unnumbered Concept Index
4384 @c Locl Variables: ;;;
4385 @c eval: (progn (load "cmd-doc") (defun doc () (interactive) (br-cmd-doc) (save-buffer))) ;;;