| Re: Need advice on building a project [message #33362 is a reply to message #33270] |
Tue, 17 December 2002 22:42   |
David Fanning
Messages: 11724
Registered: August 2001
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Senior Member |
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M. Katz (MKatz843@onebox.com) writes:
> I'm learning how to build a project in IDL for use with a runtime
> licence on another machine. I've been able to build relatively small
> projects without any trouble. My problem is in building a really big
> application.
>
> In my IDL working directories, I have hundreds and hundreds of .pro
> files, broken down into directories: functions, procedures, objects,
> etc. Only about 100-150 of those libraries will be required for the
> project at hand.
>
> Is there an easy way to build just the relevant files into my project
> without having to hand pick them all individually or in small groups?
> Something like "Resolve All" but for building the project? What I'm
> looking for is a way where IDL can say, "you'll need this one, and
> that one, and this one. . . And then put them together for me."
>
> I actually tried building the project with EVERY SINGLE file. That was
> a mistake.
>
> I appreciate any advice from the gurus.
I hate to even respond to this question, because it's just
going to spur those IDLWAVE radicals on to new heights, but
the IDL project interface could use some work. (I was going
to say it "sucks", but I hear about it from my wife whenever
I use language like that.)
Let's just say it's "peculiar".
I use it a lot, and once it is set up correctly it is
amazingly helpful. But getting it set up can be a pain.
I think the interface is clunky, and I guess it's non-intuitive
too. (I suppose that is what you call it when you always find
yourself doing something you didn't want to do.) It takes me
two or three goes, usually, to get a file where I want it.
(Maybe I'm just getting old.)
But the most annoying thing, to me, is changing the build order
when you have a LOT of files. New files go at the bottom of the
list, if you want them at the top of the list you have to drag
them there, but the window doesn't scroll, so you have to drag
them to the top of the *visible* window, where you drop them,
and the window *then* scrolls all the way to the top, so you
scroll down to find the file you just left closer to the top
(somewhere!), and you continue on in this fashion until you
decide a beer sounds like a real good idea or you manage to
manhandle your file into the right place.
I have a rule that after I get 30 files in a project I write
NO MORE FUNCTIONS, PERIOD. You can stick procedures anywhere
in the build order, of course, without problems.
To say something nice about projects, changing the logical layout
of folders, etc. is pretty easy. You can just drag and drop files
from one virtual folder to another. You can't have sub-folders,
of course, so if you think hierarchically, you are pretty much
out of luck, as far as I know. But I'm a pretty shallow thinking
kind of guy anyway, so this isn't much of a problem for me.
And one other thing. (I wasn't going to mention this because
it is so weird.) I have a project that has somehow stored a
record of phantom files! I close all my project editor windows,
save my project, exit. Now I come into IDL, open my project and
build it. All my project files are compiled. Now, if I run the
main program of my project by typing "main" from the IDL command
line, all it perfect. But if I select Run Project from the menu
or from the Run Project button, two of the file that just got
compiled get re-compiled and they pop up in the editor windows!
I'm getting nowhere with Technical Support about this. But I
thought it was worth mentioning. I'm guessing if the guys took
a long look at this code, they might find one or two bugs yet.
Anyway, I go to all the trouble to copy files over into my
project directories one at a time, as I add them to the
project. Yes it's a pain. But that's what I do.
Now, let's hear what the IDLWAVE guys do. :-)
Cheers,
David
--
David W. Fanning, Ph.D.
Fanning Software Consulting, Inc.
Phone: 970-221-0438, E-mail: david@dfanning.com
Coyote's Guide to IDL Programming: http://www.dfanning.com/
Toll-Free IDL Book Orders: 1-888-461-0155
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