Features - Part 2

Template

Templates have become an integrated part of my life, ever since I got to know about them. The concept behind it is simple. You have code templates which you can add using a macro whenever you are coding. New templates can be added through the editor options submenu. For instance, I entered the particular code:

Else
                {
                }

and selected the $select option. When I am coding and I felt that a certain number of statements can be embedded within an else statement, all I did was to select the statements, press CTRL+J and chose the else template. JBuilder automatically surrounded the selected code with an else statement.

Templates can be utilized to make a programmer’s job easier

Sync Edit Mode

Sync Edit is another neat feature that should have been included with all IDEs a long time ago. In essence, the feature allows you to edit identifiers with the same name at the same time. For instance, if you have a method named getButtonName() and should you decide to change it to getButtonName2(), you just have to select the chunk of code which you want to edit, click on the Synch Edit icon located at the editor margin and you can simply select the getButtonName method, change it to getButtonName2 and JBuilder will check through the selected code for instances when the method is invoked and change their names simultaneously. I used to do a find and replace before then, a tedious process that brought back nightmares every now and then.

Error Edit Mode

Frequent users of Microsoft Word can draw resonance to the autocorrect function so frequently abused in the word processor. If you happen to be a fast typist, you may frequently misspell words but Word will automatically correct the misspelled word. It may be helpful at times but there are instances where it gets irritating. Extract the irritating part and you get Borland’s Error Insight. It works this way – when you try to invoke a method that does not exist, you will most likely have misspelled it. An error insight icon will appear in the editor’s margin that on selection will aid you in finding the correct identifier name. The function worked really well when I tried it, allowing me to continue with my work at a faster pace than usual.

Scope Insight

Scope Insight allows you to view the coding nesting levels above the current code. Click on a method followed by the Scope Insight icon and the IDE will display the class that the method is located in. Clicking on a certain class will allow you to see the superclass it is in. My only complain about this otherwise useful function is its automation to disappear within a few seconds. Nothing I tried can make the Scope Insight information stay in sight for a longer time.

Unused code element

The new version of the popular IDE added more highlighting capabilities. Unused code, which basically includes methods, variables and imports that have not been used, will be greyed out. (You can change the color through the preferences option) Once the methods, variables or imports are invoked or used, the highlighted code will revert back to its normal form.