167 lines
6.3 KiB
Plaintext
167 lines
6.3 KiB
Plaintext
OCamlBrowser Help
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USE
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OCamlBrowser is composed of three tools, the Editor, which allows
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one to edit/typecheck/analyse .mli and .ml files, the Viewer, to
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walk around compiled modules, and the Shell, to run an OCaml
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subshell. You may only have one instance of Editor and Viewer, but
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you may use several subshells.
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As with the compiler, you may specify a different path for the
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standard library by setting OCAMLLIB. You may also extend the
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initial load path (only standard library by default) by using the
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-I command line option. The -nolabels, -rectypes and -w options are
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also accepted, and inherited by subshells.
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The -oldui options selects the old multi-window interface. The
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default is now more like Smalltalk's class browser.
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1) Viewer
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This is the first window you get when you start OCamlBrowser. It
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displays a search window, and the list of modules in the load path.
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At the top a row of menus.
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File - Open and File - Editor give access to the editor.
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File - Shell opens an OCaml shell.
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View - Show all defs displays the signature of the currently
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selected module.
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View - Search entry shows/hides the search entry just
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below the menu bar.
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Modules - Path editor changes the load path.
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Pressing [Add to path] or Insert key adds selected directories
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to the load path.
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Pressing [Remove from path] or Delete key removes selected
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paths from the load path.
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Modules - Reset cache rescans the load path and resets the module
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cache. Do it if you recompile some interface, or change the load
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path in a conflictual way.
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Modules - Search symbol allows to search a symbol either by its
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name, like the bottom line of the viewer, or, more interestingly,
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by its type. Exact type searches for a type with exactly the same
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information as the pattern (variables match only variables),
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included type allows to give only partial information: the actual
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type may take more arguments and return more results, and variables
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in the pattern match anything. In both cases, argument and tuple
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order is irrelevant (*), and unlabeled arguments in the pattern
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match any label.
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(*) To avoid combinatorial explosion of the search space, optional
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arguments in the actual type are ignored if (1) there are to many
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of them, and (2) they do not appear explicitly in the pattern.
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The Search entry just below the menu bar allows one to search for
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an identifier in all modules, either by its name (? and * patterns
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allowed) or by its type (if there is an arrow in the input). When
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search by type is used, it is done in inclusion mode (cf. Modules -
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search symbol)
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The Close all button is there to dismiss the windows created
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by the Detach button. By double-clicking on it you will quit the
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browser.
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2) Module browsing
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You select a module in the leftmost box by either cliking on it or
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pressing return when it is selected. Fast access is available in
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all boxes pressing the first few letter of the desired name.
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Double-clicking / double-return displays the whole signature for
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the module.
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Defined identifiers inside the module are displayed in a box to the
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right of the previous one. If you click on one, this will either
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display its contents in another box (if this is a sub-module) or
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display the signature for this identifier below.
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Signatures are clickable. Double clicking with the left mouse
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button on an identifier in a signature brings you to its signature,
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inside its module box.
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A single click on the right button pops up a menu displaying the
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type declaration for the selected identifier. Its title, when
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selectable, also brings you to its signature.
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At the bottom, a series of buttons, depending on the context.
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* Detach copies the currently displayed signature in a new window,
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to keep it.
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* Impl and Intf bring you to the implementation or interface of
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the currently displayed signature, if it is available.
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C-s opens a text search dialog for the displayed signature.
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3) File editor
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You can edit files with it, but there is no auto-save nor undo at
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the moment. Otherwise you can use it as a browser, making
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occasional corrections.
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The Edit menu contains commands for jump (C-g), search (C-s), and
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sending the current selection to a sub-shell (M-x). For this last
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option, you may choose the shell via a dialog.
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Essential function are in the Compiler menu.
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Preferences opens a dialog to set internals of the editor and
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type checker.
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Lex (M-l) adds colors according to lexical categories.
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Typecheck (M-t) verifies typing, and memorizes it to let one see an
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expression's type by double-clicking on it. This is also valid for
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interfaces. If an error occurs, the part of the interface preceding
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the error is computed.
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After typechecking, pressing the right button pops up a menu giving
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the type of the pointed expression, and eventually allowing to
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follow some links.
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Clear errors dismisses type checker error messages and warnings.
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Signature shows the signature of the current file.
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4) Shell
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When you create a shell, a dialog is presented to you, letting you
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choose which command you want to run, and the title of the shell
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(to choose it in the Editor).
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You may change the default command by setting the OLABL environment
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variable.
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The executed subshell is given the current load path.
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File: use a source file or load a bytecode file.
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You may also import the browser's path into the subprocess.
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History: M-p and M-n browse up and down.
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Signal: C-c interrupts and you can kill the subprocess.
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BUGS
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* When you quit the editor and some file was modified, a dialogue is
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displayed asking wether you want to really quit or not. But 1) if
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you quit directly from the viewer, there is no dialogue at all, and
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2) if you close from the window manager, the dialogue is displayed,
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but you cannot cancel the destruction... Beware.
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* When you run it through xon, the shell hangs at the first error. But
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its ok if you start ocamlbrowser from a remote shell...
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TODO
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* Complete cross-references.
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* Power up editor.
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* Add support for the debugger.
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* Make this a real programming environment, both for beginners an
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experimented users.
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Bug reports and comments to <garrigue@kurims.kyoto-u.ac.jp>
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