Very Computer

Hi Experts:

   I'm using X86 Visual Workshop for C++, V 3.0.  

   I have some complex data structures in memory.  

   The previous version of Workshop would plot, on a graphical window,
the data links between my structs, I was using C then.  

   I want to see a graphical representation of the classes I link into
my data structures.  I've tried to do this for the last year, now I
really need it, so...

   The help screen says this about graphing an expression:

                                  --------

 You can graph expressions from the Data Display window by opening the Data
 Grapher. The Graph menu item in the pop-up menu is enabled when an expression
 can be depicted graphically.

    To graph a single expression:

   1. In the Data Display window, select the expression you want to graph.

   2. Choose Display ==>>Show pop-up menu.

      You can also open the pop-up menu by right-clicking in the Data Display
      window (the cursor must be in the window).

   3. Choose Graph from the Selected Display Item pop-up menu.

                                  --------

   I select my class, one with pointers to other classes, and display
it.  Then I follow the directions, but on step three, the "Graph" button
is grayed out, and hitting it does no good.

   I sure loved this in the previous Workshop, what do I need to do in
order to get it working in 3.0?  

                                                                 Thanks
                                                                 Larry

The Data Graphing you are reading about in the help is for arrays
only, that's why the item is grayed out when you select a struct. It
gives you a three dimensional view of two dimensional arrays.

-- Tor

|  Developer Environment & Tools           Sun Microsystems, Inc.  |
|          Speaking for myself, not for Sun Microsystems.          |

Quote:> Unfortunately, it's not there. Visual WorkShop 3.0 was a complete rewrite
> from the previous version, SPARCworks (because we switched from
> OpenLook to Motif), and there were not enough resources to redo the
> Data Inspector. We have a prototype but no definite plans yet to
> productize it (we have a long list of requested features and so we
> have make choices for each release).

> The Data Graphing you are reading about in the help is for arrays
> only, that's why the item is grayed out when you select a struct. It
> gives you a three dimensional view of two dimensional arrays.

   That's kind of what I was thinking.  I was hoping I was wrong.  

   I've seen pictures of the display you can generate with 3D data.  
I've looked at the options screen.  It seems you (Sunsoft compiler
folks) invested some effort in the tool.  

   I know there are times when people want to see graphical
representations of data arrays.  But I've never needed it.  I often
find that nobody sees the world like I do.  Do most developers place
a higher value on contour maps of 2D arrays than a graphical
representation of their data structures?  

   I understand the next version of the workshop is out for Sparc,
and will be out soon for my system, Intel.  Will this version have
a Data Inspector that can plot the data structures like the previous
offering did?  

   While I have your attention:  

Questions:
   Is there a way to import all of the environmental variables
into the build code?  I can't use the build command, for reasons
I describe below, but when I did, specifying all of the variables
I needed was tedious and error prone.  

Features:
   The vi editor in the workshop moves the, uh, "active insertion
point", to where the mouse points when I click on the vi window to
bring it to focus.  The vi default directory changes when I edit a
file in a different directory.  I understand these are probably
nice, but I would rather have vi behave like I'm used to having it
work.  Can these features be turned off?  

Bugs:
   What seems like a bug is that the vi window starts up about two
chars less than it needs to be in order to display the standard 80
char line.  It sometimes looses it's place, like a vi session with
the wrong termcap, unless I manually pull the window wider myself.  
The window would be large enough, but it looks like nobody took into
account the two or three extra chars that are used to draw the
symbols for brake points and to show the next statement to be
executed.  

   I've stopped using the build option in the workshop.  The build
operation would crash the workshop with core dump, not always, but
with a monotonous regularity that made build unusable.  Now I compile
from the command line, no big deal, and witness the source browser
database build crash about a quarter of the compiles.  This happens
outside the Workshop, and after the executable is generated, so it's
a minor annoyance.  But it means I can't use the feature of, when
compile errors are found, having the offending lines displayed, and
having the vi screen to to them with a mouse click.  I had a
frustrating experience trying to have this problem resolved with what
passes for sunsoft support.  Has anybody else reported this problem?  

   Are any of these issues being addressed in the next Workshop?  

   Despite this long list of problems, I actually like the Workshop
de*.  It's just that it could be so much more.  

   Thanks for responding to my original question.  And I mean this,
thanks for a very nice tool in the workshop.  

                                                              Larry

Quote:>    I understand the next version of the workshop is out for Sparc,
> and will be out soon for my system, Intel.  Will this version have
> a Data Inspector that can plot the data structures like the previous
> offering did?  

Quote:>    While I have your attention:  

> Questions:
>    Is there a way to import all of the environmental variables
> into the build code?  I can't use the build command, for reasons
> I describe below, but when I did, specifying all of the variables
> I needed was tedious and error prone.

Quote:> Features:
>    The vi editor in the workshop moves the, uh, "active insertion
> point", to where the mouse points when I click on the vi window to
> bring it to focus.  The vi default directory changes when I edit a
> file in a different directory.  I understand these are probably
> nice, but I would rather have vi behave like I'm used to having it
> work.  Can these features be turned off?  

Quote:> Bugs:
>    What seems like a bug is that the vi window starts up about two
> chars less than it needs to be in order to display the standard 80
> char line.  It sometimes looses it's place, like a vi session with
> the wrong termcap, unless I manually pull the window wider myself.  
> The window would be large enough, but it looks like nobody took into
> account the two or three extra chars that are used to draw the
> symbols for brake points and to show the next statement to be
> executed.  

Quote:>    I've stopped using the build option in the workshop.  The build
> operation would crash the workshop with core dump, not always, but
> with a monotonous regularity that made build unusable.  Now I compile
> from the command line, no big deal, and witness the source browser
> database build crash about a quarter of the compiles.  This happens
> outside the Workshop, and after the executable is generated, so it's
> a minor annoyance.  But it means I can't use the feature of, when
> compile errors are found, having the offending lines displayed, and
> having the vi screen to to them with a mouse click.  I had a
> frustrating experience trying to have this problem resolved with what
> passes for sunsoft support.  Has anybody else reported this problem?  

>    Are any of these issues being addressed in the next Workshop?  

Get the jumbo patches for WorkShop IPE, dbx and source browser
and other components you have here:
  http://www.veryComputer.com/

Sparc:
workshop: http://www.veryComputer.com/
dbx: http://www.veryComputer.com/
browser: http://www.veryComputer.com/
c++: http://www.veryComputer.com/
c: http://www.veryComputer.com/

Intel:
workshop: http://www.veryComputer.com/
dbx: http://www.veryComputer.com/
c: http://www.veryComputer.com/
c++: http://www.veryComputer.com/

Quote:>    Despite this long list of problems, I actually like the Workshop
> de*.  It's just that it could be so much more.  

>    Thanks for responding to my original question.  And I mean this,
> thanks for a very nice tool in the workshop.  

>                                                               Larry

-- Tor

|  Developer Environment & Tools           Sun Microsystems, Inc.  |
|          Speaking for myself, not for Sun Microsystems.          |