A Missing IDE Feature • Hacker News Board

Re: A Missing IDE Feature

#51

Post by alkonaut » Mon, Nov 04, 2024, 3:46 PM UTC

kernc wrote: post #27

What you appear to be missing is a "symbols view / pane". Most IDEs have that! https://www.google.com/search?q=ide+symbols+pane&tbm=isch

It's available in most IDE:s but I'd still argue that the best and most important way to accomplish symbol overview is in the text itself. Because it's so jarring to go between different views of the same outline. The outline doesn't (normally) show metadata/attributes, documentation, some times not even argument names etc.

So getting this right and ergonomic I think is important regardless of whether there is a symbol tree or similar (which can also be useful).

Re: A Missing IDE Feature

#52

Post by alkonaut » Mon, Nov 04, 2024, 3:46 PM UTC

scoopr wrote: post #35

I find my self disagreeing quite strongly, I would hate that default :/ I find all kind of code folding massively throws off my spatial sense of the code. And if I'm browsing random code, then I often need to see the body too, to see if this is the place the work is done, or is it behind some abstraction down the line. Perhaps I don't need it as much on c++ codebases, as the headers in a sense are that already. And R…

> I would hate that default

The default, as made clear in the article, would be to do nothing different than today. This describes an optional feature.

Re: A Missing IDE Feature

#53

Post by righthand » Mon, Nov 04, 2024, 5:21 PM UTC

frou_dh wrote: post #42

righthand wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That specific part of code folding is pure preference. I would rather my editor not just fold things on GoTo Definition. GoTo Definition already takes me to what I need to see. I use code folding to minimize large chunks of something in the way. Not to unload my visual workspace on every jump. Folding on specific commands means I’d have to unfold sometimes, extra commands.

It being preference (recommended default: off) was also covered in the article :/

So then not really a missing editor feature if it’s a small opt-in preference. The author assumes everyone wants this but then it will be entirely undiscoverable from the base level UI.

Also, while not automatic, if I use GoTo in sublime text, then Edit->Code Fold-> Fold All, it will fold everything I have not focused on, all the way around my code selection or indent level. Seems like you could cobble together a simple plugin or shortcut to handle the expected behavior.

Keys: Cmd+r, goto, cmd+k cmd+1 fold all

Re: A Missing IDE Feature

#54

Post by olejorgenb » Fri, Nov 15, 2024, 10:19 PM UTC

Boereck wrote: post #40

olejorgenb wrote: post #29

Sounds like the author would like Eclipse Mylyn (if it's still maintained :/)

I used Mylyn's focus feature quite a lot back in the day. And I think Mylyn was revived, I just tried and it still works. However, it only hides projects/files/folders in views, I don't think it was ever hiding code within a file (or I remember incorrectly). It is pretty cool until it is not. And if it is not helping, you are constantly manually resurfacing hidden parts, which is annoying. This made me turn off the p…

If was hiding (ie. collapsing blocks inside the code as well).

Jetbrains (possibly a plug-in - focus on task els.) have a very-poor-man's version which hides all files from the filetree except the ones opened in an editor.

I never tried the issue integration out myself but agree that it's a good idea.