Good and (relatively) cheap Ada code browsing software?

Good and (relatively) cheap Ada code browsing software?

[Mike]

I've been looking for an IDE or similar software tool that would let
me trace through some complex and badly documented Ada code I have to
work with. You know - click on a variable and find out instantly where
it was created and were else it was used. Or click on a
function/procedure name to see what else it calls and what objects it
contains, etc.

I did find a program that does this and does it very well -
"Understand for Ada" by STI. I'm currently evaluating it and it does
everything I need and more. However its also $9000 for a single
licence. Before I try to convince my boss to shell out that much money
I was wondering if anyone knew of any other programs with similar
functionality that cost less. And if they aren't quite as powerful as
UforAda that is fine. Or is STI charging that much because they know
they have a monopoly in this area?

Mike

Re: Good and (relatively) cheap Ada code browsing software?

[Jacob Sparre Andersen]

Mike wrote:

> I've been looking for an IDE or similar software tool that would let
> me trace through some complex and badly documented Ada code I have to
> work with. You know - click on a variable and find out instantly where
> it was created and were else it was used. Or click on a
> function/procedure name to see what else it calls and what objects it
> contains, etc.

Would `gnathtml` do the job?  It converts your source code to HTML with 
links similar to what you describe.

Greetings,

Jacob
-- 
People in cars cause accidents. Accidents in cars cause people.

Re: Good and (relatively) cheap Ada code browsing software?

[Michael Friess]

Did you have a look at GPS (www.gnat.com or www.act-europe.fr)? It may
suit your needs.

Regards,

Michael

Re: Good and (relatively) cheap Ada code browsing software?

[Stephen Leake]

"Michael Friess" <friess@free.fr> writes:

> Did you have a look at GPS (www.gnat.com or www.act-europe.fr)? It may
> suit your needs.

GPS is only available to Ada Core paying customers; the minimum is
about $12k, so that won't help him much ($9k for Understand was too much).

-- 
-- Stephe

Re: Good and (relatively) cheap Ada code browsing software?

[Stephen Leake]

maestroff@hotmail.com (Mike) writes:

> I've been looking for an IDE or similar software tool that would let
> me trace through some complex and badly documented Ada code I have to
> work with. You know - click on a variable and find out instantly where
> it was created and were else it was used. Or click on a
> function/procedure name to see what else it calls and what objects it
> contains, etc.

Emacs Ada mode + GNAT does this, and is Free Software.

If you already know Emacs, it's easy to learn.

If you only know WIMP interfaces, it will take you a while. But it
will be good for your net productivity (and your soul :).

-- 
-- Stephe

Re: Good and (relatively) cheap Ada code browsing software?

[David Holm]

Doesn't jGRASP do this? And it's free.

//David

On 7 Apr 2003 09:01:30 -0700
maestroff@hotmail.com (Mike) wrote:

> I've been looking for an IDE or similar software tool that would let
> me trace through some complex and badly documented Ada code I have to
> work with. You know - click on a variable and find out instantly where
> it was created and were else it was used. Or click on a
> function/procedure name to see what else it calls and what objects it
> contains, etc.
> 
> I did find a program that does this and does it very well -
> "Understand for Ada" by STI. I'm currently evaluating it and it does
> everything I need and more. However its also $9000 for a single
> licence. Before I try to convince my boss to shell out that much money
> I was wondering if anyone knew of any other programs with similar
> functionality that cost less. And if they aren't quite as powerful as
> UforAda that is fine. Or is STI charging that much because they know
> they have a monopoly in this area?
> 
> Mike

Re: Good and (relatively) cheap Ada code browsing software?

[Larry A Barowski]

David Holm <david@realityrift.com> wrote in message news:<20030407232034.162ceb4b.david@realityrift.com>...
> Doesn't jGRASP do this? And it's free.
> 

     jGRASP can only trace dependencies for Java, but
it will draw a Control Structure Diagram (a control flow
diagram that fits into source code indentation space) for
Ada code, which can make it easier to read.


-Larry Barowski



> //David
> 
> On 7 Apr 2003 09:01:30 -0700
> maestroff@hotmail.com (Mike) wrote:
> 
> > I've been looking for an IDE or similar software tool that would let
> > me trace through some complex and badly documented Ada code I have to
> > work with. You know - click on a variable and find out instantly where
> > it was created and were else it was used. Or click on a
> > function/procedure name to see what else it calls and what objects it
> > contains, etc.
> > 
> > I did find a program that does this and does it very well -
> > "Understand for Ada" by STI. I'm currently evaluating it and it does
> > everything I need and more. However its also $9000 for a single
> > licence. Before I try to convince my boss to shell out that much money
> > I was wondering if anyone knew of any other programs with similar
> > functionality that cost less. And if they aren't quite as powerful as
> > UforAda that is fine. Or is STI charging that much because they know
> > they have a monopoly in this area?
> > 
> > Mike

Re: Good and (relatively) cheap Ada code browsing software?

[Michael Friess]

Right, it may not be appropriate as price is an issue, but the two can't
be directly compared. You don't get the same thing.

Michael

On Mon, 07 Apr 2003 14:12:36 +0000, Stephen Leake wrote:

> GPS is only available to Ada Core paying customers; the minimum is
> about $12k, so that won't help him much ($9k for Understand was too much).

Re: Good and (relatively) cheap Ada code browsing software?

[Marin David Condic]

AdaGIDE and the Gnat compiler were able to do some version of jumping to the
locations where a variable was declared, etc. I don't think it was
enormously sophisticated, but it would help trace through the code. A
drawback is that the code must be compiled with Gnat first - which might be
problematic depending on the body of code and how portable it is.

MDC
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Mike <maestroff@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:13555786.0304070801.2a028536@posting.google.com...
> I've been looking for an IDE or similar software tool that would let
> me trace through some complex and badly documented Ada code I have to
> work with. You know - click on a variable and find out instantly where
> it was created and were else it was used. Or click on a
> function/procedure name to see what else it calls and what objects it
> contains, etc.
>
> I did find a program that does this and does it very well -
> "Understand for Ada" by STI. I'm currently evaluating it and it does
> everything I need and more. However its also $9000 for a single
> licence. Before I try to convince my boss to shell out that much money
> I was wondering if anyone knew of any other programs with similar
> functionality that cost less. And if they aren't quite as powerful as
> UforAda that is fine. Or is STI charging that much because they know
> they have a monopoly in this area?
>
> Mike

Re: Good and (relatively) cheap Ada code browsing software?

[John R. Strohm]

"Mike" <maestroff@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:13555786.0304070801.2a028536@posting.google.com...
> I've been looking for an IDE or similar software tool that would let
> me trace through some complex and badly documented Ada code I have to
> work with. You know - click on a variable and find out instantly where
> it was created and were else it was used. Or click on a
> function/procedure name to see what else it calls and what objects it
> contains, etc.
>
> I did find a program that does this and does it very well -
> "Understand for Ada" by STI. I'm currently evaluating it and it does
> everything I need and more. However its also $9000 for a single
> licence. Before I try to convince my boss to shell out that much money
> I was wondering if anyone knew of any other programs with similar
> functionality that cost less. And if they aren't quite as powerful as
> UforAda that is fine. Or is STI charging that much because they know
> they have a monopoly in this area?

Some obvious marketing questions come to mind.

1.  How much would you be willing to spend out of your own personal pocket
for a single-user license?

2.  Figuring engineer costs conservatively at $250,000/man-year (fully
burdened), you are looking at $125/man-hour.  How many hours of work do you
expect this package to save you?

Re: Good and (relatively) cheap Ada code browsing software?

[Robert Spooner]

John R. Strohm wrote:

> 
> Some obvious marketing questions come to mind.
> 
> 1.  How much would you be willing to spend out of your own personal pocket
> for a single-user license?
> 
> 2.  Figuring engineer costs conservatively at $250,000/man-year (fully
> burdened), you are looking at $125/man-hour.  How many hours of work do you
> expect this package to save you?
> 

As far as question two goes, you can show it saves time and therefore 
money - so long as you don't have the problems that:

1. money is available for salaries but not for buying things that 
management expects to get for free - "free software" - such as 
compilers, tools, etc.
2. management takes the view that you're on salary and any overtime that 
you need to put in to meet their arbitrary deadlines without having the 
proper tools is free.

Bob
-- 
                             Robert L. Spooner
                      Registered Professional Engineer
                        Associate Research Engineer
                   Intelligent Control Systems Department

          Applied Research Laboratory        Phone: (814) 863-4120
          The Pennsylvania State University  FAX:   (814) 863-7841
          P. O. Box 30
          State College, PA 16804-0030       rls19@psu.edu