Paul Kinnucan wrote:
> ...
> Preliminary Design Specifications
> ...
> * The JDE will drive the debugging session by issuing commands using a
> command language that we will design. Debugger responses will be Lisp
> expressions to avoid the need for a specialized parser.
>
> * The debugger user interface will be Emacs commands (implemented as Lisp
> functions) which will be bound to menus and keystrokes, e.g., there will be
> an Emacs function, jdebug-step-over, which can be invoked in three ways:
> by typing M-x jdebug-step-over; by typing F10 (or some other keyboard
> accelerator); or by selecting JDEbug->Step Over from the Emacs menubar.
>
> * JDEbug will give the user the option of using either a highlight or an
> arrow as the debug cursor.
>
> * Debugger output will be displayed in a dedicated read-only buffer.
>
> * Application standard I/O will be displayed in a dedicated comint buffer.
>
> Note: this means that in a typical debug session, you will have the source
> in one buffer, the debug output in another, and there will be a third
> buffer for interacting with the application via standard I/O.
> ...
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> ... Where practical, I'd like to see command language similar to the existing
> jdb, just to make using it easier...
I second that. Specifically, the design spec implies commands are sent only
via Elisp functions (albeit via M-x, keys or menus), and debugger output is
a read-only buffer. I'd prefer the debugger buffer to appear very much like
a comint buffer, with a command line prompt accepting a "language similar to
the existing jdb", interleaving input commands with debugger output. This
command line input capability is in addition to the Elisp functions (via M-x,
keys or menus), so menu/bindKey users may happily never use the command line.
User's transitioning from a command-line JDB to one within JDE may initially
retain more productivity using a familiar command-line interface, and it
could increase adoption rate. Text-only terminals won't easily support menus
and a mouse, and a less-than-frequent JDE user may never customize keys or
learn default key bindings.
(Even for the original design spec: should default debugger key bindings and
menu items be active in the .java source buffers as well as the debugger buffer?)
Disclaimer: I haven't been a power-user of debuggers or the JDE. The command
line interface has been a comfortable near-common denominator of most debuggers
I've used. ... and one can always run a plain JDB in a comint buffer.
