IDEs

IDEs

1. Meaning - Integrated Development Environment

2. Text Editors with extra features designed to make programming easier

3. Built-In Compiler/Interpreter

   • IDEs will allow you to compile and run the application directly from the IDE interface.
   • In IDLE, we press F5 to run the built-in interpreter
   • This is far more convenient than having to save the text and run it through a separate compiler.
   • In Greenfoot, we click the compile button to compile the code

4. Linker/Loader

   • Many IDEs will include the facility to load multiple source files and link them together.
   • Greenfoot does this well – it will load the source files for all the classes in the program.
   • Mode advanced IDEs include a browser to show all the files grouped together

5. Debugger

   • If your code contains a logic error, it can be very difficult to track down. A debugger is a way to help with this.
   • The debugger steps through the code line by line allowing the programmer to view how the code executes and spot if the wrong line is running.

6. Tracing

   • Tracing creates a log of what happens while a program is running, including logs of: Which variables have been changed User inputs Loops
     • Which variables have been changed
     • User inputs
     • loops
   • Viewing the trace can help the programmer spot where it went wrong.

7. Variable Watch

   • Advanced IDEs will keep a table of variables that are used by the program, and during de-bugging can even show the contents of each variable at various points.

8. Break Points

   • A break point is inserted at a particular point in the code. When this code is reached, the execution pauses, and the programmer can inspect the contents of variables to see if they are as expected.
   • Break-points are used in conjunction with the other de-bugging tools.

9. Error Diagnostics

   • If a runtime error occurs, if the code is interpreted, then the IDE can also trace the source of this error as well.
   • When the compiler throws a syntax error, IDEs will help deal with this error by highlighting the code that caused it.

10. Memory Inspector

    • This allows the programmer to view the contents of memory locations as the program runs, to help spot errors.
    • Some IDEs (particularly ones for Assembly Language) will include a memory inspector.