Registered here just to say WOW:) CodeLite is way, way, waaaay above may expectations! And I have tested basically all c++ IDEs.
Anyway, I will not hijack the topic with superlatives, critic or comparisons...but still I want to share my wishes with any C++ IDE, CL included.
1. Fast and powerful debugging... across the board. I really do not know whats the problem with ALL gdb based IDE but debugging is faaar from robust... It almost make me question gdb itself, hope Im not right.
And "across the board" I mean every modern feature in every situation - not just working for a screencast of hello world app!
Main tricky situations are:
- debugging dll from an app (good luck writing a custom config file just to set a breakpont).
- working tooltips! Really! If I cannot select an expression, hover over it, and see the value, Im better of writing just a cout or whatever and forget about it. (I dont need Watches *that* much if I have working tooltips at any time... I really cant remember using Watches at all "back in the VS days" - only tooltips )
- if an option to print the values in readable form exists utilizing it is a must for me. Simply because all modern apps are written on a framework, not plain c/c++...hell even stl and standard string are "framworks", not to mention Qt and wxWidgets. Such a feature worth thousand times any stupid plug-ing "that makes typing easier".
2. VS import. This also is a must..and the only reason for me of using Code::Blocks so far.
As we all know most if not every project with Windows origin uses VS as build environment. This is unfortunate but well deserved - c/c++ has no strong, robust , powerfull, free and cross-platform environment so far... The moment I start using CodeLight - it will be with imported VS project (have not tested it yet).
3. Code completion and hinting that actually *works* (again acroooss the board, not for screencast). And by "works" I dont mean just the technical staff, but also the UI. It must NOT stand in the way. And it must be SMART in every moment. It must understand Im pointing at a function parameter, not the function, an the reverse - Im willing to pop up the function overload list (again), not to complete the param...ect. etc.... Again tooltips are here also a key!
C++ code can, and most of the time is messy (especially using a framework) we... I use IDE *mainly* to aid code navigation and understanding and if the tool can dig to hell to find me the implementation of the function this is worth all the code beautifiers in the world and all the cpu cycles! I just happen to spend most of the time digging someones else's project... code navigation is critical for me. (a small letdown was CL failing to find anything hidden behind a simple macro)
In general do-the-things-you-do-right is critical to me. If I expect something to work it - it must work, I will sacrifice "features" just for rock solid basics! (For instance if I include a path to the include list of the compiler it *must* also be included in the Code completion path - this is "a basic thing working"... regardless of complex it is to implement or how may cycles it costs)
The problem is - all gcc based IDEs fail to glue the things together...they provide a text editor (of some power) , a (low level) interface to the tools and (partly) working code hints. Thats it. Every time.(Ok, eclipse code hints rock, though slow)
This is in *sharp* contrast to say Java, C# or ActionScript or some other language's IDEs.... I dont know... May be IF CodeLight sets in stone to work only with gcc (much like VS with the ms compiler), may be than we can hope of some really robust environment "that sings together". I dont know...
There some interface issues I will not complain about for now, as I said robustness is much more important for me...the UI can aways be modified.
I wish you *best of luck*, hope CL will succeed, for me and for every c++ developer, of becoming de-facto standard for c++ development.
I hope I don't sound too excited
Anyway, thanks!
MihailNaydenov