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Path: kernighan.cs.umass.edu!barrett
From: kmpty@tomate.tng.oche.de (Andreas Mixich)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews
Subject: REVIEW: XRef version 1.1
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga.programmer
Date: 22 Oct 1996 00:25:53 GMT
Organization: The Amiga Online Review Column - ed. Daniel Barrett
Lines: 298
Sender: amiga-reviews@math.uh.edu (comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator)
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <54h4ah$ggb@kernighan.cs.umass.edu>
Reply-To: kmpty@tomate.tng.oche.de (Andreas Mixich)
NNTP-Posting-Host: knots.cs.umass.edu
Keywords: programming, shared library, ARexx, documentation, shareware
X-Review-Number: Volume 1996 Number 27
Originator: barrett@knots.cs.umass.edu
PRODUCT NAME
XRef 1.1
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
Package of a shared library, ARexx function-library and utils
to generate and handle binary xref files on AutoDocs, Includes, UNIX
man pages and AmigaGuides.
AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION
Address: Stefan Ruppert
Windthorststrasse 5
65439 Floersheim am Main
GERMANY
E-mail: ruppert@vs3.informatik.fh-wiesbaden.de
ruppert@goofy.zdv.uni-mainz.de
WWW: http://www.uni-mainz.de/~ruppert/amiga/amiga.html
LIST PRICE
DM 20 or US$ 15
DEMO VERSION
Identical with full release.
SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
HARDWARE
Some harddisk space for installation and to store
converted docs is required
SOFTWARE
AmigaGuide installation
AmigaDOS 2.x
COPY PROTECTION
None
HD installation possible, installer script included.
MACHINE USED FOR TESTING
Amiga 1200, Blizzard 1220 (68020/28), 68882 FPU, 8MB Fast Ram,
540 MB HD
AmigaOS 3.0
Amiga 4000, CyberStorm060/CyberSCSI,
CyberVision/4
16MB Fast Ram
NEC 4x CD-ROM
MFC III
2x Floppy
Kickstart 40.70, Workbench 40.42
On both machines, several well known patches were installed.
INSTALLATION
Installation is comfortably done by Commodore's Installer.
A second installer scriot exists, to create a basic conversion
of all system-Includes&AutoDocs.
INTRO
Are you a programmer ? Do you like to hit a key in your editor to
look up a functions' AutoDoc page ? Do you fear the next time of
preparation and conversion of some new AutoDocs with ADoc2XRef ?
Or maybe want to convert Includes as well or, include your UNIX man
pages in your Amiga-hypertext documentation ?
Do you want to have a search capability for XRef entries in your
AmigaGuide reader ?
Or maybe you want to program a new application, that shall have XRef
capabilities ?
Or you want to have a standard on your Amiga to access docs in an
easy way ?
Here is the solution: XRef 1.1 by Stefan Ruppert, who also wrote
some well known datatypes as the C-,CLI-,MAN.datatype,
the HTDS dataypes system, DTPatch and MultiPrint.
FEATURES
It will allow you to automatically create binary XRef files of
all previously mentioned document types. These XRef files are
handled by a shared library, which comes well documented and
with all the needed developer stuff. The library offers
functions for pattern-matching handling of these XRef files,
creation of 'dynamic nodes' for the AmigaGuide system and
more. Several tools exist, that may do all you could imagine
with the XRef files, like loading them, locking (Avail Flush
won't remove them from memory then), print out statistics,
general information. The most important tools are the ones you
need to generate the XRef files and convert the documents to
AmigaGuide format. Another tool allows to generate an
AmigaGuide INDEX of one or many AmigaGuide documents at once.
The whole system is blazingly fast when compared to the old way in
using ADoc2Guide. XRef generation and conversion of all OS3.1
Includes & Autodocs took about 45 minutes on the accelerated A1200,
as listed above. Note, that this includes time for loading,
scanning, xref-creation, conversion to Amigaguide and writing back
to disk. You may get some speed-up if you put the "raw" documents
into a Ram Disk.
For the text editor 'GoldED V3' there is also an API available, that
allows phrase-completion from within the XRef files.
Preferences allow to except several expressions and words from
being processed when generating XRef files or converting docs
to guides.
There is also an AmigaGuide-like reader, that will display the
documents and features some search-gadgets. There exist
versions customized for V37 and V39 of the operating system.
An ARexx macro is delivered for looking up the word under the
cursor within GoldED V3, but may be adapted easily to any
other editor.
INSTALLATION
It's easy! The Installer script does everything for you. A
second Installer script is delievered to create a basic
conversion of all System Includes&Autodocs.
SOURCE
The SAS/C sourcecode is available for all tools, except the
libraries.
USAGE
There are a lot ways to use this nice package. The basic use, of
course, is hunting for functions, macros or defines in the system's
documentation. Thanks to the ARexx version of the library this is
done very easy.
Another way to use it is invocation of the special AmigaGuide reader by
submitting a pattern. All found occurences will be listed in a dynamic
node and are ready for selection.
Given the fact, that this is a shared library one might imagine a lot
of other functionality: Writing a text reader, that includes XRef
support, writing some AmigaGuide authoring tool, that uses the XRefs to
generate global links, 'Man'-type programs that not only display
documents, but also hunt for specified patterns and a lot more.
Don't forget, that you can scan existing AmigaGuides and create
XRefs for them. So you are not only forced to ADoc&Inc type docs.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCES
As soon as I got XRef1.1 I converted all my system's Includes &
Autodocs and a bit later the ones supplied with 3rd party
distributions, such as MUI or else. Some of the MUI AutoDocs cause
probles, but this is due to the fact, that these are not always
conforimg the standard.
Additionally I have created XRef files which store all my ARexx docs'
links (ARexxGuide V2, RexxReqTools.guide and so on) and the SAS/C
online help. It might be interesting to create xrefs for the RKM
Amigaguide Edition, as available on the CATS V2 CD. Although, I have
no experiences with that.
One might simply use it for scanning the AmigaE or any other well
structured guide, too.
I was astonished ! With the aid of this system I was now finally able
to generate a documentary on my system, which I can access globally,
have a better overview and much more easy access.
Also I could wirte a MAN command, that not only would display
documents, but search for certain strings in all docs and display found
occurances.
FAZIT
All in all I must say, that this is a tool I have been waiting for a
long time and am glad to have it. I believe this will make every
programming environment a "Dream Development System" since it offers
quick access to all available functions etc. by a simple keystroke.
The big speed over ADoc2Guide, the fact of automatically generated XRef
files, and the implementation as library make it unique.
It is on Aminet for over a year now (dev/misc/xref_v1_1.lha), but
seems to be mainly unnoticed. This is the reason I wanted to give it
credit. It comes in the status of ShareWare but is uncrippled, no
functionality is lacking. The fee is an affordable DM 20 or US$ 15.
DOCUMENTATION
Documentation is complete. The library comes with includes and
an AutoDoc. The tools are documented seperatly, each tool has
its own doc. Some additional developer support, that was used
during creation of this package is included as well
(FinalReadArgs())
For an advanced Amiga user (programmer) there should be
nothing lacking.
LIKES
Well, not much to add. It is really a nice peace of software and
I would be glad to see this kind of implementation on any upcoming
Amiga operating system implemented from the very beginning.
DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS
No dislikes. I would be glad to see further development being done,
and the ARexx library expanded.
COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS
ADoc2Guide does a similar task, but is, in opposite to XRef1.1 very
limited.
BUGS
Since AmigaGuide seems to have some problems with paths, it is
recommended to add the PATH/K option when generating XRef files and to
include the paths, where the converted documents are stored in the
$AMIGAGUIDE/PATH variable. Then all should be perfect. You should
also edit the second Installer-script not to use an AG: assign.
Running a resident MultiView will cause problems, but this is a bug
in MultiView's path handling, I believe.
The ARexx library returns RC_WARN (RC=5) if no entries were
found, which is interpreted by ARexx as 'Unmatched Quote'.
VENDOR SUPPORT
I have contacted Stefan several times with suggestions and ideas.
He was very kind and helpfull.
WARRANTY
I guess the standard disclaimer for software belongs here....
CONCLUSIONS
Product is very good and a brilliant add-on in any developer
environment. I would say: It's a must-have !
4 stars out of 5
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Copyright 1996 Andreas Mixich
humpty@tomate.tng.oche.de
---
Accepted and posted by Daniel Barrett, comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator
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