[Feature request] Adding regions

[kortyburns]

Hi,

I would like CL to support regions, like VStudio, but in another way. I mean, with VS, writing

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#pragma region "this is a region"
...
#pragma endregion

Creates a region that can be folded. This is usefull when the same source code file is written in logical parts. Also, #pragma is a preprocessor directive and other compiler than M$, like gcc, don't like it until we disable warning for this directive ; that's why i would prefer a c comment tag to use to create a Region.

Would it be possible to create a region using a specific c comment tag, like

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/* Region Parse CAPMT */
... This block can be automaticaly folded in or out in the editor.
   /* Region Parse Elementary Stream */
   ... This is a subregion.
   /* EndRegion
/* EndRegion */

?

This would be displayed in the editor

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+Parse CAPMT

If '+' is clicked, then

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- /* Region Parse CAPMT */
   ... the code has been unfolded
   + Parse Elementary Stream 
   ...
/* EndRegion */

Creating a region is almost the same as creating a { } block, with a name.

Using these regions in source code is a good way to make a zoom in/ zoom out in the code. For example, you can choose to display or not all the error cases of a source file(parameters checks, errors values returned by functions, by choosing to unfold all "ERROR xxx" regions names).

[sdolim]

I think some other editors (vim?) allow something like this to mark regions:

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//{ 
...
//}

You can add descriptive words like "Parsing" after the '{' or '}'. This pattern is nice because it is easy to scan for and can't really be misspelled.

Of course, that doesn't stand out visually very nicely when you are scrolling through the editor. Maybe we could do something like this:

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//---------------------------------{ Parsing }--------------------------------

...

//---------------------------------{ Lexical }--------------------------------

Here, the regex for a region start would be

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^ *//-*{.*}-* *$

The region would go to the beginning of the next region, as in the example above. (I use spaces in this regex for example only: a real regex would match tabs too.)

There could also be a marker to end a region if you want to not start a new region. I suggest this:

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//---------------------------------{ Lexical }--------------------------------

...

//-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Note the lack of a "{ Name }" in the middle of the end-region marker.

BTW, this kind of feature is not really part of the CodeFormatter's job: It's a Scintilla Lexer issue because of the folding (CodeFormatter just reindents and respaces code.)

Scott

[eranif]

I think some other editors (vim?) allow something like this to mark regions:
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//{
...
//}

and so does codelite.
Adding

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//{

adds a fold point and

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//}

will close it.

this is a built in feature of scintilla

Eran

[sdolim]

So my list of "some editors" includes CodeLite already...
Well, that makes it easy to satisfy this FR!

[kortyburns]

Haha excellent, thank you !