Posted by Jerry Stuckle on 11/15/83 11:30

Oli Filth wrote:
> Jerry Stuckle said the following on 27/10/2005 05:59:
>
>> Oli Filth wrote:
>>
>>>
>> Check back through your messages. You indicated one of the best
>> reasons to use an IDE is for the autocompletion (or hints) for function.
>
>
> However, not in this part of the thread - I was instead talking about
> navigating the source code itself, with class views and associated tools.
>

This thread is about using IDE's.

>> I'm saying this is bogus - proper documentation replaces the need.
>
>
> See the argument below...
>
>>>
>>> With a decent Java IDE, they are - you press F1 (or Ctrl+F1, or
>>> whatever), and you land straight on the documentation of the
>>> class/method/variable in question.
>>>
>>
>> Ah, another IDE - Java this time!
>>
>> With Windows help files, you don't NEED an IDE!
>
>
> Yes, I know that! And with HTML documentation, you don't need chm files;
> and with a hard-copy manual, you don't need HTML documentation; we could
> go on...
>

But HTML documentation cannot be as easily searched and indexed,
especially if it's on an intranet.

> By the logic of your argument, you should be using Notepad to do your
> coding!
>

Actually, I use TextPad for a lot of it.

> The point is that pressing a single button (for me at least), is much
> quicker and less distracting than pressing Alt+Tab, making sure the
> caret is in the search box, typing the function name, selecting the
> correct option, reading the definition in the help-file, temporarily
> memorising it (or copy-pasting it), and then pressing Alt+Tab to get
> back to the editor and then typing it in.
>

OK, to each his own. I would rather have the help files separate.

And BTW - generally I don't do Alt+Tab plus whatever. Most of the time
I have the help files up on a second computer and just switch keyboards.

> (Feel free to insert your own key combo instead of Alt+Tab!)
>
>
>> And BTW - this is a PHP newsgroup, not a Java newsgroup.
>
>
> Indeed, however this thread has become more generalised and seems to be
> about IDEs in general...
>
>

You've tried to make it that way, true. But this is about PHP IDE's.

--
==================
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Jerry Stuckle
JDS Computer Training Corp.
jstucklex@attglobal.net
==================

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