Initial Impressions 1.0

[zaphod]

I've been an IDE user ever since the Turbo Pascal days. Most recently I have been using the Borland C++ Builder 6 -- which is rather old. I chose CodeLite based on the Wikipedia table of IDEs. I thought it might be helpful to document my initial experience using CodeLite. My projects are largely C with an occasional linkage to some C++ code. My comments are in no special order, they are just jottings I made as I dealt with the early part of the CodeLite learning curve. Once one has learned WHERE to find a control life is easy. The hard question is whether the controls are placed in intuitive and common locations. Many of my comments are simply about the user interface.
[1] Linker errors should be in color.
[2] Global Settings need to be documented (the screen shots don't even show the drop-box).
[3] The hierarchy of Workspace->Project isn't very clear (a diagram would be worth a 10^3 words)
[4] The [Workspace] top-level menu is probably used quite infrequently (for me it's a one-time event) but project switching is a common event. I think the menu should relate to Projects since starting and changing these is a MUCH more frequent event. The Workspace settings should somewhere in the setting menu.
[5] The [Edit] menu should have a [Preferences] item. This is common practice and is where one-time settings would exist.
[6] Code collapsing was driving me nuts. I found how to turn it off under a C++ settings -- but I'm writing C so why would I think to look there?
[7] Performing a collapse code and then immediately an un-collapse should be a null operation -- it is not.
[8] I use a pen and tablet and I find that text drag-and-drop fails because very small movements of the pen tip cause the edit to terminate.
[9] I would like project-wide and workspace-wide search and replace facilities (Geany has this).
[10] Allow the use of escape codes (\t for tab etc.) in searches (and replace) would be very helpful.

[eranif]

[1] Linker errors should be in color.

Indeed, a known issue, but not critical

[2] Global Settings need to be documented (the screen shots don't even show the drop-box).

I dont know what screenshot you are talking about, but in general there is an attempt to document the important parts of codelite here:

http://codelite.org/LiteEditor/Documentation
You are most welcome to contribute any documentation

The Workspace settings should somewhere in the setting menu.

what is 'workspace settings'? or are you referening to the 'project settings'? if you do, then there is a little tooltbar on top of the 'workspace view' with a small icon that will open the project settings in one click

[5] The [Edit] menu should have a [Preferences] item. This is common practice and is where one-time settings would exist.

I actually find that under 'settings' is it more easy to locate them

[6] Code collapsing was driving me nuts. I found how to turn it off under a C++ settings -- but I'm writing C so why would I think to look there?

It is not under C++, it has a category of its own 'Folding' have a closer look

[8] I use a pen and tablet and I find that text drag-and-drop fails because very small movements of the pen tip cause the edit to terminate.

I am not sure I understood you here - what are pen and tablet?

[9] I would like project-wide and workspace-wide search and replace facilities (Geany has this).

Have you tried Ctrl-Shift-F? there is a button on that dialog that says 'Find Replace Candidates' try it

[10] Allow the use of escape codes (\t for tab etc.) in searches (and replace) would be very helpful.

Can you give me an example of what you mean (e.g. sample of searched text and how codelite should handle it)

Eran

[zaphod]

I've attached an image of Project->Settings->Compiler Tab which has a drop box with the default value of "overwrite global settings"
This box does not exist in the documented version.

[eranif]

Hi Zaphod,

This feature was added later.
This specific combo is refering to the settings generated from the 'Global Settings' configuration type (at the top of that dialog, you got by default 'debug' release and 'global settings'

The 'global settings' are settings common for all of your other configurations. It is a way of entering the same include path/library path or libraries (and some other settings) both into the 'release' and 'debug' configurations by typing it once (in some cases, you can have many configurations builds and really saves time and mistakes).

Ofc you can also set configuration specific settings, this is where this combo box comes into the picture:
It determines the order of the appearance in the generated makefile.

Example:
Lets say you set the include path in the global settings to '/home/eran/include' and in addition in the 'release' build configuration you also set the include path to '/home/eran/other/path'

Now, there are 3 options for codelite to generate the order of include path:

When the combo is set to 'Override the global settings':

Code: Select all

-I/home/eran/other/path

When prepending global settings:

Code: Select all

-I/home/eran/other/path -I/home/eran/include

and when appending to global settings:

Code: Select all

-I/home/eran/include -I/home/eran/other/path

Hope it is more clear now
Eran