Slashdot Mirror

• Where are all the places that a different component calls this API?
• What the heck does error code 4872339 mean, and who generates it?
• How many derived classes override this virtual function?

If you surf on over to Krugle.com, you will see that they now offer a free evaluation copy as a standard product. If you want to get a feeling for what can be done with the tool, just check out Krugle.org, where lots of open-source projects are indexed online. I would definitely recommend using the free evaluation tool as a way of speeding your high-level understanding of any new-to-you code base.

• Where are all the places that a different component calls this API?
• What the heck does error code 4872339 mean, and who generates it?
• How many derived classes override this virtual function?

If you surf on over to Krugle.com, you will see that they now offer a free evaluation copy as a standard product. If you want to get a feeling for what can be done with the tool, just check out Krugle.org, where lots of open-source projects are indexed online. I would definitely recommend using the free evaluation tool as a way of speeding your high-level understanding of any new-to-you code base.

GetStringLen()? This one seems too short for a real German word. Here's something more realistic:

BuildImpersonateExplicitAccessWithName

And speaking of ridiculously long function names, this one from a chess engine seems to take the cake (without the space):

IterativeDeepeningAlphaBetaSearchUsingKillerMoveOrderingAndTranpositionTable SimpleMaterialAndPositionalEvaluationChooseRandomly BetweenBestMovesStrategy

Navigating through the source is key to understanding; a good approach to this is to use search, which is ideal for all sorts of ad hoc investigation.

One source code search option is Krugle Enterprise, which can crawl and index the entire code base directly out of the SCM tool. It also finds code-related information, such as check-in comments, references to bugs, and can even be pointed out requirements and design documents that caused the code to be written in the first place (assuming those exist!). Because Krugle parses the code, it can tell the difference between a function call, a function definition, a comment, etc. It's then easy to see, for example, how and where a given interface is being used, even if it crosses language and functional boundaries. Krugle serves up search results from inside the wirewall alongside results from over 2.5 billion lines of Open Source code, too.

Disclaimer: I'm an employee of Krugle. You can check out a demo at http://www.krugle.com/.

Sembiance is 100% right that treating code as text will not lead to relevant results. You need to understand the contents. With http://www.krugle.com/ we do parse the code understanding not only the differences between a function call or call definition, but also comments. We take this into consideration when determining ranking - along with the size of the project, amount the codes been used, etc.

Another is krugle which I've used occasionally.

http://www.krugle.com/

have you been there? I recall it being mentioned on digg or something. I rarely code, and when I do its a basic BASH or Python script, nothing serious. Figured I would apss this on.

Both Krugle and Koders already offered open source search services. Google isn't offering anything new.

Haskell is available on http://krugle.com/.

I find that when spending too much time looking at the same code, it starts becoming 'vague' and I feel as if I'm in a fugue. It's akin to the same thing as writing a story or some e-mail and thinking that you've misspelled the words 'it' or 'and'. It may very well be correct, but it looks foreign and you try to fix something that isn't broken. At that point, it's time for a mental break.

I actually tend to take at least three breaks a day for about five to ten minutes each. The first two, I read Slashdot; usually around 10:00am and the other right before lunchtime. I don't eat out often, but I do pick up lunch and then around 4:00pm, I check out the latest 'IT' curiosity posted on The Daily WTF http://www.thedailywtf.com/. I also check Slashdot again right before I leave so I don't miss some of the few gems posted here.

A lot of IT shops have their eye on Web browsing, but they usually won't pay mind to it unless you're not producing or you have a tendency to frequent sites that raise an eyebrow or two (hint: pr0n sites tend to fall in that category). I do like to visit sites geared towards developers, such as GotDotNet http://www.gotdotnet.com/, CodeProject http://www.codeproject.com/, CodeGuru http://www.codeguru.com/ and the latest "up and coming" Krugle http://www.krugle.com/ code search engine. Sometimes visiting those sites will give a tidbit or two that is useful; you may run across some code or solution to a problem that interests you. Also, you may end up learning something that you'll run into in the future. (Coders tend to re-invent the wheel if they don't have the code handy; however, if the code is there, they tend to add spinning rims to it.)

Adding a bit of diversity to the routine helps keep you on the edge and refreshed to approach a problem in a new light.

If I'm looking at third-party code (instead of my own), I like to use Krugle. It's still in beta and I was lucky enough to get a beta invite, but it's an extremely powerful tool for searching through repositories and documentation.

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