In Visual Studio you can add an external tool and pass it the selected text as parameter.
Does eclipse have the same kind of feature or are one obliged to code a plugin for that ?
If so, any specific code sample to do just that because all I found is general sample plugin for custom editor.
In the menu, go to : Run > External Tools > External Tools Configuration.
This will open a dialog in which you can create external tools configuration (to execute external programs from Eclipse) :
(source: pascal-martin.fr)
At the bottom of the dialog, there is a region for "Arguments", and a button called "Variables". If you click on this one, you have a liste of variables you can use.
Of of those is "selected_text", which "Returns the text currently selected in the active editor." :
(source: pascal-martin.fr)
This should allow you to launch pretty much whatever program you want/need, directly from Eclipse, without having to create any plugin ;-)
ONly thing is those programs will not be quite well integrated in Eclipse -- but still usefull !
Sure, they are even called "External Tools". look in Run->External Tools.
Actually, start by typing "External Tools" into the Eclipse Help search box.
Eclipse has the kitchen sink, do you think they would leave this out? :-)
As a side note might be added, that the possibility to add external tools was one of the key features of the eclipse platform once it was brought up back in the days. VisualAge had a big problem with external tools.
Related
Background
I am working with VB6 legacy code and I am using an external editor because of the features that it has. Unfortunately, those changes aren't refreshed in the IDE because VB6 doesn't monitor loaded code for changes.
I have done some extensive searching on the subject including looking for alternative editors, a fairly exhaustive internet search including following all of the links on this StackExchange link and haven't found a way to refresh the code window to reflect the external file changes.
My company doesn't have access to the latest edition of Visual Studio and will not be purchasing it anytime in the near future. Until then, there is code to fix.
Question
Aside from restarting the program are there any methods that can be used to refresh the code displayed in the VB6 editing window?
Check out vbAdvance add on. It will prompt you to reload source file in case of external modification.
I think a found one possible solution.
The MZ-Tools set has an function called Reload file from Disk. It also allowed me to create a shortcut for this function through the MZ-Tools options menu, so I assigned it to the shortcut keys of my choosing.
It's a solution, but I'm still looking for anything that might be better.
In Eclispe, I am able to go to Run > External Tools > External Tools Configuration and see an option called "Program" on the left. From there I can add a configuration that runs an external perl script, in this case one that scps the file I'm working on up to a remote server.
Is it possible to do this in Zend Studio? I can't see the "Program" option in the Configuration panel - the left pane is just blank. Hoping there's a straightforward answer for this, thanks!
This is the matter of configuration filtering. Get into filtering pull-down menu (see screenshot) and uncheck "Filter configuration types" option.
Oftentimes I want to bring up a system class in a source view, so that I can browse the properties and methods exposed by the class. Below is the screenshot of what I mean:
Srting from metadata http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/940/stringfrommetadata.png
Usually I do this by selecting the class name and pressing F12 (or right click>Go To Definition). However, if I haven't got it anywhere ready, i have type it up and then do Go To Definition. Most of the time I have to delete what I typed later on.
Is there a way to bring up this view without having to type the class name? The VS2010 Navigate To dialog doesn't support this.
EDIT: When I posted the question I didn't use any Visual Studio plugins. Now that I realised that I have full CodeRush license (thanks to StackOverflow promotion for users with 10K rep) I will accept answers that use CodeRush or Refactor!.
EDIT: At this stage I haven't really got anywhere with trying to answer this question. I am going to leave it open and let the bounty auto-award itself to Rory as he explained what's happening the best. In the meantime(schedule allowing) I will investigate doing this with DXCore as I think it should be possible.
The view you're looking at appears to have been built by some sort of analysis of the IL of the framework. Without knowing the type you intend to look at, no deconstruction can be done. Therefore I feel that, you are unlikely to find exactly what you have said you are looking for.
Allow me to suggest a few alternatives though.
Disclaimer: I work for DevExpress as a CodeRush Community Evangelist.
The Object Browser (Ctrl+Alt+J) This screen will load without attempting to show you any particular type, it will therefore be down to you to find the type in question. However all types are available and full search functionality is provided. once the type you're looking or is found, all members are listed and available.
Update: If you use the (Ctrl+K, Ctrl+R) shortcut to launch the object browser, then it will launch focused on the Search box. This is invaluable.
There are a number of CodeRush features which can prove useful when trying to locate code.
TabToNextReference (Tab) Whilst the caret is positioned within a type, strike the tab key and the next reference to that type will be located. More Details
References ToolWindow (Shift+F12) When activated the References ToolWindow will show you any references to the current type or member. This toolwindow can also be used to navigate said references. The References Toolwindow can be used in both on demand and Live mode. this allows you to have the window update as you navigate your code (via mouse or keyboard) and locate all references of any symbol the caret lands upon.
QuickNav (Ctrl+Shift+Q): This feature is closest in style to VS2010's NavigateTo feature. QuickNav will locate symbols matching whatever you type into it's filter box. This facility also supports Camel Case search. More details
QuickNav is also much more configurable than it's VS counterpart
Finally
Please also keep in mind that CodeRush is build upon the DXCore, a framework which allows users to create their own plugins for use alongside each other and CodeRush.
This framework has been repeatedly been leveraged by the community to add additional functionality. So even if you don't see any thing quite to your needs, consider suggesting something to the community by way of the forums or even contact me directly RoryB at DevExpress dot Com
I'm sure there's something we can do to help you out :)
I was not aware of that new "Navigate To" feature, but I used to use Reflector for this sort of things. The pro version offers some integration with Visual Studio (Right clicking the method and selecting "Open In .NET Reflector"). It will open the reflector window and won't show the code in the VS itself. You can watch the demo that shows this feature and some others.
This is not the best answer that I'd expect but is a good option to know.
There is no way that I know of to do this in Visual Studio 2010. However, you can do this in ReSharper via the 'navigate to' menu. I suggest you try the 30 day trial from them, then if you really do need this then purchase it.
A number of add-ins allow you to browse objects (though usually in an object-browser treeview manner rather than in a "header" file form - I believe Resharper, CodeRush and Visual Assist X all have variations on this theme).
However, one add-in to consider (as it's free) is the VS Productivity Power Tools. It adds a Solution Navigator window that gives a view onto your solution just like Solution Explorer, but (among other enhancements):
can search & filter the files listed, e.g. show only those files that are named Test.
can "expand" any file entry to show the types and members within it.
I want to know the name of the specific editing mode in which the editor automatically closes the paren after you write (, and then you can jump right after the ) when you press a tab. It does the same thing with ". How can one get this thing working in VisualStudio and in Eclipse?
Thanks.
upd: clarification of the title. The name of the feature is AutoClose
upd2: Visual Studio doesn't support this natively --> source
upd3: A similar question. Turns out ReSharper can do this for C# and VB, but still nothing for native C++.
I am going for the eclipse IDE (cause is the one that i know, but there are lots of VisualStudio gurus over here that probably will come with the other half).
In eclipse you are talking about the "Formatter" feature, that is located under the menu Window / Preferences, and then select in the right tab (Java / Code Style / Formatter ) and then you can edit the active profile (there is a section called "braces" that defines the behaviour that you are talking about).
To assign that behavior to another file type, you can choose open that file with the Java Editor, or assign that editor (Java Editor) by default to another extension (Under General / Editors / File Associations, also in the preferences dialog).
Hope this makes sense for you.
Intellisense? If I understand you correctly
Unfortunately it looks like for various reasons I'm going to have to use Visual Studio 6 instead of a newer version of VS.
It's been a long time since I've used it. I'm looking through its menus and don't see any obvious way to set up any custom build steps (pre-build, post-build, pre-link... anything would help actually).
Can anyone give me instructions on how to set up steps like this?
Open your project, then open the Project Settings screen (Project → Settings or ALT-F7). Alternatively, right click on a file in the FileView and select Settings.
From the Project Settings screen, go to the General tab and check "Always use custom build step". This means that the file you just chose will be an input file for a custom build step. From the "Custom Build" tab you can then give the commands to run and specify what files will be generated.
For pre-link, post-build and such, select an executable (or library) from the Project Settings screen. Then use the little arrow button to scroll to the rightmost tabs. From there you'll find the Pre-link and Post-build steps.
It's quite simple, really, I'm sure this is enough to get you started.