This chapter introduces you to the CodeWarrior development universe. With CodeWarrior, no programming project is out of your reach. The overview covers the following topics:
The CodeWarrior IDE (Integrated Development Environment) is the center of CodeWarrior software development. The IDE offers:
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Power - From the IDE you can edit, browse, compile, link, and run your project. The IDE includes a text editor, class browser, and a project manager to help you do all your programming tasks easily and quickly.
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Flexibility - Plug-in compilers and linkers support many different platforms and processors. The same powerful IDE is used to develop and generate software for such targets as Win32®/Intel, Mac OS®, Solaris, MIPS, Motorola® 680x0, PowerPC, and Linux.
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Convenience - The IDE running both on Windows, Mac OS, Solaris, and Linux are based on the same technology. Because the IDE and its plug-ins operate identically for all platforms, developers who program on multiple platforms save time and effort using the familiar CodeWarrior tools for all their projects.
The IDE's core tools are the tightly and transparently integrated primary components used to write code. Table 2.1 describes some of the individual components included with the CodeWarrior IDE.
Table 2.1 The IDE's core tools
This tool
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Provides these features and functions
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project manager
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Use the commands in the IDE's Project menu to gather all the files of a program together along with configurable sets of options into a project file. It also decides the plugin compilers and linkers to create the final program.
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rapid application
development
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CodeWarrior now offers tools to automate new applications to handle the coding of generic intialization routines and the drawing of user interface elements.
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source code editor
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Use the commands in the Edit and Search menus, and the controls in the IDE's editor windows to edit source code and text. Some of the editor's features are:
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browser
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Use the commands in the Window menu, features in any source code view, and controls in the browser's window to get quick, intuitive access to the definitions of classes, variables, routines, enumerations, and other source code elements.
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compilers and linkers
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Thanks to its plugin architecture, the IDE is able to play host to a limitless variety of compilers and linkers to generate software for several operating system and processor platforms.
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debugger
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Use the commands in the Window, Debug, and Data menus to control your program, step through its source code or assembly statements, set breakpoints, set watchpoints, and examine its data while it executes. The IDE's debugger works with all kinds of code in all the supported languages-C, C++, Pascal, and Java. Use the debugger to debug libraries, executables, multiple threads, and processes. The debugger also supports debugging code running on multiple processors.
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Some Metrowerks products do not include support for all available core tools. See the documentation to determine which core tools are included in your package.
Metrowerks CodeWarrior is currently hosted on these platforms:
This makes it easy to switch to another platform as your programming requirements change while retaining the familiar CodeWarrior development environment. Furthermore, projects from one host can be opened by any of the other hosts. This feature provides an enormous boost in productivity when developing on multiple platforms.
CodeWarrior Professional supports development with the most common languages used by professional programmers today: C, C++, Java, and Pascal. Table 2.2 shows the list of compilers Metrowerks provides to generate software for its target platforms.
Table 2.2 Language supported for targets
Some Metrowerks products do not include support for all available languages. See the documentation to determine which language(s) are included in your package.
Use CodeWarrior on your host system to write software for many operating system and processor platforms (targets). Table 2.3 shows you some of the major targets supported by each host.
Table 2.3 Programming targets and their host development platforms
The CodeWarrior product you purchased does not include compilers and linkers for every possible target. Check "CodeWarrior Documentation" and the appropriate manual for a list of targets supported by the product.
Standard libraries
CodeWarrior includes standard libraries with its compilers, when appropriate for a target platform. CodeWarrior Professional includes MSL (Metrowerks Standard Library) for C and C++ for Win32/Intel and Mac OS. MSL C and MSL C++ are ANSI-conformant standard libraries.
Target libraries
To access the services and features of a target platform's operating system, the CodeWarrior IDE/Integrated Debugger also includes libraries and interface files from the target platform's manufacturer. For example, CodeWarrior Professional comes with Microsoft's Win32 SDK header files to develop software for the Win32/Intel platform.
Application frameworks
Programming for modern, graphical operating systems like Windows 95/98/NT, Mac OS, and Java is non-trivial, and that's where an application framework helps. A framework supplies standardized code to handle many common programming tasks, making the creation and design of a new application much easier and faster.
The CodeWarrior comes with several complete application frameworks, one for each major CodeWarrior target.
Table 2.4 Frameworks supported
CodeWarrior comes with a wealth of online documentation. This is found in the Documentation folder on the CodeWarrior CD-ROM. For more information on using the documentation to learn about CodeWarrior, see "CodeWarrior Documentation."
Finding information for a specific target platform
To learn the use of CodeWarrior to develop software for a particular target platform, refer to the appropriate Targeting manual that comes with CodeWarrior Professional. For example, to learn and develop an application or DLL for Win32/Intel using CodeWarrior, read Targeting Win32.
Every Targeting manual has the following:
Getting printed documentation
Some manuals titled Inside CodeWarrior are available as printed books. Contact your local distributor or browse the Metrowerks Web page (http://www.metrowerks.com/geekware/) for information.
Example Projects
CodeWarrior Professional comes with lots of sample source code and projects to give you an insight into how others use CodeWarrior to develop software. You'll find this sample software in the CodeWarrior Examples folder on your CodeWarrior CD.
Visit the Metrowerks website at: http://www.metrowerks.com
For assistance contact Metrowerks Technical Support at: support@metrowerks.com
Copyright © 1999, Metrowerks Corp. All rights reserved.
Last updated: May 25, 1999
* Chris Magnuson
* John Roseborough
