Newsgroups: comp.lang.smalltalk
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From: kcooper@netcom.com (Ken Cooper)
Subject: EMACS-like Editor For Visual Smalltalk Available!
Message-ID: <kcooperD43z4B.F41@netcom.com>
Keywords: emacs editor cooper peters visual smalltalk demo edIt
Reply-To: 71571.407@compuserve.com
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 1995 19:50:34 GMT
Lines: 142
Sender: kcooper@netcom17.netcom.com


Haven't you always wanted an EMACS-like editor for 
Smalltalk?  Well, if you have Visual Smalltalk Win32, the 
creators of WindowBuilder have one for you.  It's called 
edIt, and it's now shipping.  What's more, there's a fully 
functional, 30 day trial demo available in the Smalltalk 
archive.

edIt is a powerful new programmer's editor for Visual 
Smalltalk Win32. Fully integrated into the Smalltalk 
environment, edIt is a bindable Smalltalk Library that 
replaces the TextPanes in your existing browsers. 

The feature set is extensive:

*** CONFIGURABLE SYNTAX COLOR HIGHLIGHTING ***
For easier reading and quick feedback on mistakes, edIt 
provides syntax color highlighting.  Smalltalk tokens such 
as comments, strings, keywords, etc. are displayed in 
different colors, bolded, and/or italicized.  Color 
combinations and styles are configurable.

*** AUTOMATIC VARIABLE DECLARATION ***
When you save a method, edIt detects undeclared variables, 
and opens an automatic variable declaration dialog to 
specify how you'd like them declared.  All variable 
declaration types are supported, including pool 
dictionaries.  edIt even provides suggestions for misspelled 
variable names.

*** BOTTOMLESS UNDO/REDO ***
With edit, you can undo and redo at will within a method.  
You can even undo after you've saved a method, in case you 
make a change you're not happy with.

*** AUTOMATIC, CONFIGURABLE CODE FORMATTING ***
For easier code browsing and corporate standardization, edIt 
provides the ability to format code to a style you specify.  
Several predefined formats are provided, and you can also 
create your own.  Not only can you format a method with the 
press of a button, but edIt's autoformat option allows you 
to view all code preformatted to the style of your choice.

*** CONFIGURABLE KEYBINDINGS ***
edIt adds extensive keyboard support to your image.  
Standard key sets (such as Brief and Epsilon), are provided. 
In addition to the predefined sets, edIt allows you to bind 
keystrokes to methods in the editor (as well as harnessing 
the methods in your browsers). 

*** CONFIGURABLE TOOLBAR & POPUP MENU ***
For common tasks, edIt provides a toolbar and a hierarchical 
popup menu. Both of these can be configured to execute any 
method you wish in the editor.  And if you have 
WindowBuilder's BitmapManager, you can create your own 
toolbar buttons.

*** FRAMEWORK FOR EXTENSIBILITY AND CODE SHARING ***
edIt is easily extensible. A public API is provided, and 
extensive support is provided to easily find and execute 
methods you've added.  In addition, edIt is 'package aware', 
which makes adding methods to a package manager easy.

*** CODE AWARE EDITING ***
edIt provides several useful features for dealing 
specifically with code, including:
    * Autoindent
    * Block indent/unindent
    * Comment filling
    * Commenting/uncommenting of selection
 
*** VARIABLE AND TEXT COMPLETION ***
To minimize typing and encourage meaningful naming, edIt can 
expand variable names as you type them. In addition, edIt 
can expand from a user defined glossary for commonly typed 
expressions (e.g. 'Terminal bell' or 'printString').

*** HYPERTEXT SEARCHING ***
edIt is intelligently aware of your code.  When you click on 
a message send in a method, you can execute Senders on it 
immediately, even for multikeyword messages.  The same is 
true for Implementors and References.

*** ADJUSTABLE SEARCH SCOPE ***
With edIt, you can execute searches across methods.  
Searches can be scoped against the current method, the 
entire image, a particular class, or a 'module' (if you have 
a package manager installed).  This is true of text 
searches, Senders, Implementors, and References.

*** REPLACE IN SENDERS & IMPLEMENTORS SEARCHES ***
Changing method or class names has never been easier. When 
you perform a Senders/Implementors/References search, you 
can replace the token you were searching for (including 
multikeyword messages). You can even optionally delete old 
methods in Implementors replaces.

*** REGULAR EXPRESSION SUPPORT ***
Text searches are now considerably more powerful;  you can 
use regular expressions to find patterns in your text (for 
example, to find the comments in your code).

*** KEYBOARD DRIVEN BROWSER NAVIGATION ***
edIt provides the ability to select any item from browser 
listboxes entirely with the keyboard, and with excellent 
feedback as you type. Selecting a class in a 
ClassHierarchyBrowser, for example, is as easy as pressing 
F3, typing the beginning of the class name (until edIt's 
QuickList highlights the appropriate class), then pressing 
return.  You can just as easily select a method in a CHB, a 
variable in a Debugger, or an item in an Inspector.

*** PACKAGE MANAGER SUPPORT ***
edIt has builtin support for the Enterprise version of 
Visual Smalltalk, as well as the ever popular Xoteryx 
package manager.  Other package managers will be supported 
as demand dictates.

--------

Please note that edIt is designed to be unobtrusive;  only 
two methods are altered in the base image, and you can 
unbind the component at any time to restore your image to a 
pristine state.

edIt sells for $295 + S&H, but until the end of February, 
1995, we will be offering it at an introductory price of 
$149.95 + S&H.

If you have Visual Smalltalk Win32, and want to take a peek, 
there is a fully functional four week demo version available 
for download in the Smalltalk archive, in the file 
st.cs.uiuc.edu:/pub/cooper/edIt/editDemo.exe. This demo is 
also available on Compuserve in the DIGITALK third party 
library, with the file name EDDEMO.EXE.

For more information, contact:

Cooper & Peters, Inc.
Phone: (303) 546-6828
Fax:   (303) 546-6826
Email: 71571.407@compuserve.com
